The church of Christ on McDermott Road

Following the exciting events of Pentecost, Luke gives us a glimpse of daily life in the new kingdom community. In this section, we see what life looked like when it was transformed by the Spirit’s abiding presence and Jesus’ rule and reign. What were the priorities of this transformed group of people and what are the blessings they […]

Scripture: James 5:1-6

Filled with the Spirit, the apostle Peter pulled back the curtain of the divine drama to reveal what God was doing. As the reader may have anticipated, these are “the last days” of which the prophet Joel spoke. The Messiah’s Kingdom had now come with power. However, the Jewish people had already found themselves on the wrong side […]

Scripture: James 4:13-17

The Messiah enthroned, the new temple dedicated, and now God was ready to gather his dispersed people back to himself. The Day of Pentecost was the perfect day for the Shepherd to gather his scattered sheep, because Jerusalem was filled with representatives of the entire Jewish Diaspora. This scene was not only a fulfillment of many prophecies but […]

Scripture: James 4:1-12

Both the sights and the sounds of Pentecost are echoes of God’s presence coming to reside in the tabernacle and the temple. Now that the Messiah had been enthroned in heaven, God dedicated his new glorious temple. Surprisingly, it was a temple unlike anyone had ever seen. It was a temple of “living stones.” The followers of Jesus […]

Scripture: James 3:13-18

The ascension of Jesus should not be interpreted as Jesus leaving, but as Jesus taking the throne to rule with complete and total authority over heaven and earth. From this point forward, Jesus—not Caesar—will be in charge of the world and will work to bring the world into subjection. However, he will not subjugate the world through power, might, […]

Upon hearing a new “king of the Jews” had been born, King Herod was afraid his rule would be threatened. When he tried and failed to discover the child’s identity, he resorted to mass murder. He ordered the slaughter of all the male children in Bethlehem. This horrible story reminds us of another king. Over a thousand years […]

Mary and Joseph were descendants of royalty, but you probably wouldn’t have guessed it if you had seen them. A descendant of David had not occupied the throne for hundreds of years and the land of Judah was ruled by foreigners. When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem,the city of David, there was no room for them. […]

Scripture: James 3:1-12

Upon hearing the news of her’s and Elizabeth’s pregnancies, Mary hurried to see Elizabeth. Maybe she wanted to avoid the gossip of Nazareth, or wanted confirmation about the angel’s message, or wanted to support and encourage her relative. Regardless of her motives, there is little doubt Mary had plenty of questions and worries when she arrived at Elizabeth’s […]

Scripture: James 2:14-26

Joseph’s fiancé was pregnant. What was he to think? What was he to do? Joseph likely wondered how he could save face and how he could help Mary do the same. But God was about to do something incredible. In our lives, we all have to endure similar situations. Whether through our choices or someone else’s, we will […]

Scripture: James 2:1-13

People have always tended to accumulate wealth not only for pleasure, but also for protection. Wealth often represents a sense of safety and security. However, not only is this a false sense of security, it is also the essence of idolatry. Followers of Jesus must refuse to put our faith in the false god of wealth. This is […]

Not unlike today, there were plenty of people in the First Century who used religion as a way of trying to become wealthy. Paul condemned the pursuit of material wealth and commended a life of contentment. He said that a life of “godliness with contentment” was the truly wealthy life. What would it look like for us to […]

Scripture: James 1:19-27

When Paul wrote the book of Philippians, he was in prison. To help him in during this difficult time, the Christians in Philippi sent him a gift. He thanked them for the gift, but also used the opportunity to explain that he had “learned in whatever situation…to be content.” If Paul was starving in a lonely prison cell, […]

Scripture: James 1:1-18

Paul was plagued with many hardships, including what he called, “a thorn…in the flesh.” There is much debate about what this “thorn” was. Whatever it was, Paul desperately pleaded for its removal. In spite of his prayers, the “thorn” persisted. However, Paul gained something even greater than relief from his pain, contentment. Paul’s struggle can help us find […]

When humanity ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were immediately filled with shame and regret. When God appeared, his judgement was swift and difficult to bear. Humanity was exiled from Eden, cut off from the tree of life and the presence of God. But even in his judgement, […]

When Adam and Eve ate the “forbidden fruit” it affected more than their relationship with God. Their sin affected their relationship with one another as well. Their once harmonious and loving union became filled with shame, blame, and competing interests. Those relationship problems have been passed down not only to married couples but to every human […]

There was a “crafty” and deceitful creature in Eden, the serpent. The serpent tempted Eve to eat “the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” He directly contradicted God, saying Eve would not die by eating the fruit, but would become “like God, knowing good and evil.” What does this story teach us about […]