The Leftovers

Send us Fan Mail God is holy, and that holiness is not simply one quality among many. It is His very essence. Throughout Scripture, every genuine encounter with God's holiness produces the same response: an immediate and overwhelming awareness of human unworthiness. Yet rather than destroying those who approach Him, God consistently moves toward the broken, the unclean, and the desperate. Thr...

Send us Fan Mail Praise and worship are not the same thing. Praise is recalling what God has done, while worship is a full surrender directed entirely at who God is. Scripture gives us a clear picture of how to honor God, including shouting, singing, kneeling, and giving thanks, not because it is tradition, but because God's Word calls us to it. Two extremes tend to pull people off course: ch...

Send us Fan Mail The disciples who witnessed Jesus feed 5,000 people later failed to recognize Him walking on water, thinking He was a ghost. This reveals how we can be close to Jesus yet struggle to recognize Him in difficult circumstances. When we focus primarily on the benefits of following Jesus rather than knowing Him personally, our hearts can become hardened through pain, disappointment, or...

Send us Fan Mail Suffering is an inevitable part of life that often challenges our faith, but it serves a crucial purpose in our spiritual formation. Rather than being absent from God's original design, suffering entered the world through sin, corrupting what was once perfect. Jesus conquered suffering not by avoiding it, but by fully entering into human pain and hardship, from his humble bir...

Send us Fan Mail Pentecost wasn't primarily about miraculous signs and wonders, but about God pouring out His Spirit to empower believers to live like Jesus. The early church devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, and prayer, becoming a powerful community. Stephen's example shows the true purpose - having supernatural power to forgive enemies even unto death, just as Jesus did. God&...

Send us Fan Mail The call to holiness requires active pursuit, not passive faith. True transformation comes through knowing Jesus deeply, not through behavior modification or willpower alone. The Holy Spirit empowers believers to choose Christ over flesh daily, making conscious decisions to pursue righteousness. This isn't about perfection but direction - allowing God's holiness to work...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus radically elevated children's importance when He declared that we must become like them to enter God's kingdom. Early Christians understood this, immediately rescuing abandoned babies in Roman culture and raising them as their own. Today, with 75% of students walking away from church after high school, fighting for the next generation isn't optional - it'...

Send us Fan Mail Unity has been a challenge for the church since its beginning, when Jews and Gentiles first shared fellowship together. Paul outlines seven elements of unity in Ephesians 4:4-6, with the Trinity serving as the foundation for believer unity. The early church successfully navigated significant cultural and theological differences by establishing clear boundaries around core doctrine...

Send us Fan Mail Building a Christian family in today's culture requires intentional effort and biblical wisdom. Paul's instructions to the Ephesians were revolutionary because they challenged the pagan norms of their society, just as they challenge our modern culture today. Biblical submission means following your spouse as they follow Christ, while sacrificial love serves regardless of...

Send us Fan Mail Christians face the challenge of maintaining a biblical perspective in an increasingly polarized world. A Christian worldview means looking at everything through the lens of Scripture rather than politics or culture. Many issues labeled as political are actually biblical morality matters that God's Word addresses directly. We must fight spiritually using love, Scripture, and...

Send us Fan Mail In our fast-paced world, it's easy to drift into default mode - operating on autopilot with God becoming secondary rather than central in our lives. This drift manifests through gluttony, greed, and apathy, much like the Israelites who grew accustomed to God's miraculous provision of manna. Jesus provides the perfect example of avoiding this trap through daily practices...

Send us Fan Mail Palm Sunday reveals a troubling truth about human nature and faith. The crowds who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with shouts of Hosanna fundamentally misunderstood who He really was. They wanted a warrior king to overthrow Roman oppression, not the servant king who would conquer through sacrifice. This same problem exists today when we worship a version of Jesus that fits our expe...

Send us Fan Mail Life often feels meaningless when viewed from our limited earthly perspective. The book of Ecclesiastes addresses this struggle, showing how our horizontal view under the sun creates confusion about purpose and meaning. We see foolish leaders rise to power while wisdom seems overlooked, creating chaos in society. As believers, we must anchor our worldview in Scripture rather than...

Send us Fan Mail Life doesn't always reward righteousness or punish wickedness immediately, creating moral unpredictability that challenges our faith. God's sovereignty doesn't guarantee our comfort but ensures His ultimate plan will prevail. We must avoid extremes of trying to control God through perfect behavior or abandoning faith when life gets difficult. True wisdom sees realit...

Send us Fan Mail Life often feels like a constant race toward the next milestone, but God has designed our lives to include periods of rest and preparation that are just as valuable as seasons of building and harvesting. The key to understanding life's meaning is found in Ecclesiastes 12:13 - to fear God and keep His commands. Just as farmers don't plant crops in winter, there are spirit...

Send us Fan Mail The book of Ecclesiastes addresses life's apparent meaninglessness and our struggle for significance in a fallen world. While the author explores the futility of human striving and the vapor-like nature of life, the book's conclusion points us toward what truly matters: fearing God and keeping His commands. Jesus resolves Ecclesiastes' questions by inviting us into...

Send us Fan Mail The book of Colossians delivers a powerful message about the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ. Paul emphasizes that Jesus reigns as King, Creator, and head of the church, possessing all authority and power. Christ is not only supreme but also completely sufficient - in Him we find redemption, forgiveness, and everything needed for spiritual life. This understanding should trans...

Send us Fan Mail Colossians 3:12-17 instructs believers on how to live as God's chosen people by putting on virtues like compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Paul emphasizes that our identity as God's holy and dearly loved people is the foundation for these character traits. Christians are called to forgive others as Christ forgave them and to let love bind them toge...

Send us Fan Mail Colossians 3 marks a pivotal shift in Paul's letter, moving from theological foundations to practical application of faith. Believers are called to set their minds on heavenly things while acknowledging their earthly reality. Paul commands us to put to death sinful behaviors like sexual immorality, impurity, and greed, warning that God's wrath awaits the disobedient. The...

Send us Fan Mail Finding balance between legalism and grace is a struggle many Christians face. In Colossians 2:16-23, Paul reminds us that religious practices are merely shadows pointing to Christ, who is the substance. We often fall into legalism because it's easier to follow rules than transform our hearts. Modern examples include spiritual elitism, excessive busyness, and self-denial to e...

Send us Fan Mail In a world full of persuasive arguments and appealing philosophies, Christians must stay grounded in truth by recognizing spiritual deception that often masquerades as reasonable thinking. Deceptive teachings like the prosperity gospel, universalism, and salvation without transformation sound appealing but lack biblical foundation. To avoid being led astray, believers should conti...

Send us Fan Mail Paul's teachings in Colossians reveal profound insights about suffering and grace in the Christian life. He demonstrates how suffering can serve a redemptive purpose when endured for Christ's sake, as evidenced by the growth of early Christianity during persecution. Grace is explained as more than divine mercy - it's God's enabling power that equips believers f...

Send us Fan Mail 1. Christology (Doctrine of Christ)    a. Image of God (v.15)    b. Fullness of God (v.19)    c. Preexistence of God (v.17) 2. Biblical Cosmology (Creation and Order)    a. God is creator (v.16)    b. God is sustainer (v.17) 3. Supremacy of Christ     a. Supreme over creation (v.15)    b. Supreme over the church (v.18)    c. Supreme over death (v.18) 4. Soteriology (Doctrine of Sa...

Send us Fan Mail Understanding God's will and our inheritance in Christ centers on three key elements: faith in Jesus, love for all believers, and hope reserved in heaven. True appreciation of grace empowers holy living and demonstrates our daily dependence on God. Walking worthy involves growing in knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual understanding while bearing fruit in good works. Our inherita...

Send us Fan Mail The resurrection of Jesus Christ extends far beyond Easter celebrations, serving as the foundation of Christian faith and the inauguration of God's kingdom on earth. The physical nature of Jesus' resurrection was crucial, combating ancient Greek ideas that only spiritual matters held value. This event serves as the prototype for all believers' future resurrection, w...