The Central Moment

God’s care will mark his rulership when Christ comes again to our world. But what about right now? Here’s an inspiring short list of hope!

There is a coming day when God’s trumpet will sound and Jesus will return to our world. The old order of things will be put away and we will shine like jewels in his crown! We can hang our self-esteem on these verses!

The prophetic preciseness of the Old Testament is amazing! What is now known as Palm Sunday was described in detail hundreds of years before it took place. It points to who Jesus really is.

God has worked throughout history to find a place to dwell among those created in his image. From a garden to a family to a nation to his living church and ultimately to a heavenly city. In Jesus, that can include you!

While the church in the western world seems to be losing influence, respect, and adherents, God is not finished! Jesus said “I will build my church.” Just like the promise to ancient Jerusalem, may it yet be true that “nations will come…to seek the Lord.”

By God’s design, our relationships with each other are hard-wired into our spirituality. That is why injustice, unforgiveness and abuse are inconsistent with our devotion to Christ.

We can know Jesus as both our Savior and Lord, our sacrificial Priest and the King of our lives. Yet when Jesus returns, his Kingship will extend to the whole earth! It is our worship and our work in missions that anticipate that day.

As in ancient Jerusalem, we all have a ‘north.’ Not a true north, but a vulnerable north. Yet, in Christ, the dominion of sin has been defeated and the power of the Spirit has been given to secure those most vulnerable areas of our lives.

Babylon is synonymous with a world system of excess consumption and immoral behavior that God will ultimately bring to judgment when Jesus returns. How attached to that system are you?

Sin generally falls into two categories -- wrongs in relationship to people and wrongs in relationship to God. As he promised ancient Israel, God will ultimately expose both kinds of sin, starting with his own house!

God is not limited by smallness or weakness. Our limitations do not limit him. So let’s not “despise the day of small things” but go hard after the glory of Jesus -- our Priest and King.

What is unfinished in your life? What mountains still stand in your way? No matter the answer, God’s purposes in your life can still be accomplished -- “not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.”

Jesus has become our High Priest. He is the reason that we can access God’s presence with freedom and confidence, not hesitation and insecurity.

As the Temple was being rebuilt, God pictured the work of grace that can transform the way we see ourselves and relate to God. And Jesus is at the center of that story!

We are the apple of God’s eye! At times we may wonder if he has forgotten our names and lost our addresses, but the Lord has roused himself on our behalf. He proved it in Christ.

Despair can feel overwhelming, but hope is even greater! The Lord is sovereign over the nations of the world. Jesus will build his church and He will come again to reign in triumphant over the nations! 

Are you desperate for restoration? Do you feel that you have failed God beyond hope? Listen to the promise of the Lord!

There is a genius to God’s Word. It is “God-breathed” in its content, and even in its structure. Zechariah illustrates this, reminding us of the beauty of the word of the Lord.

God’s grace can never be divorced from human responsibility. Although Jesus is always extending forgiveness and restoring power, our choosing to put ourselves first will block his life-giving work.

As we begin a Bible Study adventure through the Old Testament book of Zechariah, what is the purpose of prophecy in the first place? Is it merely to predict the future, or can it change our lives today?

You don’t need to be a pastor to be a minister! A crippling myth that has weakened the church is that pastors are paid to do the ministry for us. But Jesus' plan is that leaders of his church equip everyone for the work of the ministry.

The church is more than an organization, an institution or a missional agency. It is no less than Christ’s own bride. And Jesus, the bridegroom, will return to take us to himself as his own.

While people in western culture find it fashionable to write off the church and embarrass those who identify with it, Peter confidently declares, “But you are a chosen people!”

Jesus did not say, “You will build my church.” He said, “I will build my church.” So what is our part? Surely we dare not cross the line and try to build Christ’s church in our strength or ability.

The spirit of our times has been to love Jesus but hate the church. So how would the New Testament writers have understood that? And what would Jesus think about it?