When facing the seemingly impossible task of church planting, our only option is to trust in God’s sovereignty over the whole process.

The great redeemed multitude at the end of days know, with absolute certainty, that this was God’s mission all along. Every one of his promises was fulfilled. Every one of his purposes was accomplished. And every loss suffered, prayer uttered, and risk taken by his people was not in vain.

Read the whole thing.

An interesting perspective on why Christians in the first century were viewed as dangerous to society. Christians in the first century saw themselves as citizens of God’s heavenly Kingdom instead of the Roman Empire. Their hope in heaven made them dangerous. Does yours?

So, what did Christians do that caused such irritation in Celsus?  In short, Celsus thought Christians were bad citizens.  Job number one for any Roman citizen was to participate in the public, corporate worship of the Roman gods.

And it was precisely this that Christians refused to do.  After all, they were monotheists.  They worshiped Jesus and him alone.

Read the whole thing.

Do you know the Jesus’ seven “I am” sayings recorded in John’s Gospel?

This week’s Monday Music comes from Australia. We have a great OYC site in Perth.

From Ed Anton’s Repentance: A Cosmic Shift of Mind and Heart

It’s no wonder, therefore, that both John the Baptist and Jesus open the proclamation of the gospel with the command ‘[Metanoeite] (repent) for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’—for only a cosmic shift of worldview affords us a view of the kingdom of heaven.

How firm are your convictions on the necessity of baptism? Wayne Jackson gives biblical response to eight myths on baptism commonly believed by well-meaning, sincere believers of Jesus.

The topic of water baptism is mentioned dozens of times in the New Testament. It is intimately connected to the divine plan of salvation. Instructions regarding this sacred obligation are very precise. So it is truly amazing that this topic has been so grossly misunderstood in a great variety of ways.

Read the whole thing.

The book of Titus tells us that it is grace that trains us to say no to ungodliness, rather than technique or determination. If we want to be full of self-control, we must be full of God’s grace.

The same grace that first bid you to say “No” is still with you. When your former lusts appear on your doorstep today, grace will be with you to train you. He will give you everything you need to say, “I’m not yours anymore,” and shut the door. For the grace that has appeared is the man Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom who came to make you his (Titus 2:14).

Read the whole thing.

Crossway recently conducted a survey studying the Bible reading habits of 6000 people. The results are fascinating, but also encourage us to persist in the study of the word.

See the full-size image and many other infographics from this study. 

Meet representatives and get information about the One Year Challenge at INSPIRE 2018.