Tomball Bible Church

We are easily influenced. Jerry Bridges wrote in his book, The Pursuit of Holiness , “Many Christians have what we might call a ‘cultural holiness’. They adapt to the character and behavior pattern of Christians around them.” The same is also true how we can adapt to the values and behavior of unbelievers, and as a result, see subtle shifts of our affections for and worship of God to the things of...

"Come further up, come further in!" This cry was written by C.S. Lewis as one of his Narnia characters (the Unicorn) experienced Lewis' version of eternal life in his book, The Last Battle . This cry resonates with the heart of Paul in 2 Corinthians. He longed for the church to live in unity with God, himself, and one another. There is an invitation that stands for us in the Church,...

God makes His appeal of rescue and reconciliation through His people, the Church. And as His ambassadors, it is essential that we regard everyone from a spiritual perspective, reconcile relationships, and represent Christ in any circumstance. We have the incredible privilege of being the conduit through which the living God is rescuing and reconciling those who are lost. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

How can you be sure that your life in Christian ministry will be rewarded by God? Is it possible to be certain? In 2 Corinthians 5, the Apostle Paul wrote that there will be a reckoning before Christ of the deeds we did in this life. Some of our deeds will result in reward and some will be burned up in judgment. 2 Corinthians 5:11-15 provides believers with two motivations that we can be certain w...

After Paul exhorts the Corinthians not to lose heart and to consider the unseen, he reminds them of the unseen future hope of believers: heaven and the resurrection. But even in this encouragement, he reminds the believers again to live by faith, not by sight, in light of the judgment seat of Christ that comes after death. 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

 "We do not lose heart" can be the creed for everyone in Christ. Even though we always face trouble, God has provided us with a sure and certain hope both for the future and for the present. And we can access this hope at all times if we remember the precious promises found in 2 Corinthians 4:13-18.

It is no secret that we face hardship in life. Our text today focuses on the kind of hardships that are directly linked to following Jesus. Suffering for the name of Christ is one of God’s chosen methods to help us experientially discover Christ, His surpassing power and hope, and the life-giving impact He makes in the lives of others through us.  2 Corinthians 4:7-12

Paul was radically transformed when he encountered the blinding light and voice of Christ. His ministry was shaped by what he experienced so that he would, in turn, shine the light of Christ by living and proclaiming the gospel. Like Paul, we have the same calling and opportunity as Christ’s “light-bearers”. To do this we must overcome the dimming dangers we all face from internal and external thr...

Likely in response to false teachers in Corinth who were teaching the Old Covenant (i.e., that people are saved by faith in Jesus PLUS obeying the Law), Paul had 3 things to say: (1) the New Covenant has greater glory than the Old Covenant [7-11], (2) the Jews have a veil over their hearts [12-18], and (3) Paul compared and contrasted the Old and New Covenants, by using names, nicknames, verbs and...

Paul begins the third chapter of 2 Corinthians with a couple of rhetorical questions that set up a discussion about where one’s confidence in ministry comes from. Paul makes clear the confidence he has comes from Christ, but that is not unique to his call as an Apostle. On the contrary, it is a confidence that all believers should share.

Each of us have a God-given influence on the lives around us. How do we make the most of this? We are not to be passive, yet we are also not to try and take control as if we are the ones who guide the Holy Spirit. Our passage today will provide us with much-needed guidance on what we want, which is to live the life of influence that points people toward Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:12-17

2 Corinthians 2:5-11 shows us how the practice of church discipline and restoration tests a church’s obedience to Christ as well as its love for one another. The church who models this obedience and love results in greater unity in the body and protection from Satan’s divisive schemes. This responsibility of church leaders not only restores a fallen brother or sister but also reflects how Jesus re...

Paul had visited the church in Corinth in ~56 AD, for the first time since founding it 6-7 years earlier.  During his visit, which he called his “painful visit”, Paul had been publicly humiliated by an individual in the church, who slandered Paul’s character and criticized him for failing to visit Corinth as he had planned.  Worse yet, the Corinthian believers for the most part had failed to suppo...

What is a biblical perspective on suffering and affliction? Why do bad things happen to "good" people? These are really challenging questions. It is commonplace for people to draw conclusions about God or even about themselves that lead away from hope when going through suffering. The truth is that God uses suffering and trouble to reveal who He is in us and through us and to comfort us...

By God’s sovereign design, He has always set apart a redeemed people to glorify Him and represent Him in the world. As Christians, we need the reminder that each day carries great significance, and our daily faithfulness really matters. The Church is God’s Plan A to reveal Jesus to the world today. There is no Plan B. Ruth 4

Everyone leaves a legacy. Our legacy will reveal what we did (or left undone) and how we treated others. It’s true of you and is certainly true of your mom. Regardless of the closeness of the relationship you share/shared with your mom, you should honor Christ through your mom’s unique legacy. Because of the common ground we have with each that we all have had a mother, talking about her legacy ca...

Naomi recognizes Boaz’s interest as likely greater than simple compassion and crafts a cunning plan to ensure that Ruth finds the security of a household and a husband. Ruth, in deference to her mother-in-law, follows the plan. But because of the purity of Ruth’s loyal love for Naomi and Boaz, and because of the redeeming character of Boaz that leads him to protect rather than exploit the weak, a...

Life is full of tragedy. It is inescapable because we live in a cursed, broken world. And when we, or people we love, experience tragic circumstances, it causes us to question, doubt, or even blame God. We know that emotions are not to be trusted, but our faith gets challenged when it feels like we've been left to ourselves, abandoned by our Father. We need truth and a godly response to trage...

The epilogue of the Gospel of John. John 21:1-25

Jesus Christ is risen! His resurrection is the truth that validates the claims made in Scripture that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. John's gospel account of the resurrection shows the progression of understanding for Christ's followers with each of His appearances which crescendos to the purpose of the book, "but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Chr...

Jesus crucifixion, death, and burial are presented from the perspectives of others in the story (Pilate, the Jewish high priests, the Roman soldiers, Mary and John, and Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus), and the meaning of Jesus' death is explained. Three spiritual takeaways come from the passage: 1) what we do with Jesus really matters; 2) Jesus' death fully satisfied God's wrath...

Through the six trials against Jesus (3 religious, 3 civil), it is clear that there was no basis for the condemnation of Jesus. All human courts failed to produce a guilty verdict, and yet, even in Christ's innocence, He was condemned to death. Why!? It was the will of God, before time began, to rescue His people from their sin and rejection of Him. The only way to completely satisfy His holy...

The trials and denials of Jesus mark some of the darkest moments of His life on earth. Only His suffering of the brutality of the cross and carrying the weight of our sin goes beyond the darkness of the injustice He encountered in the trials before the religious and civil leaders and Peter's denials. In the face of great injustice, Jesus modeled standing firm in truth and remaining resolute i...

John 18:1-11 contains the betrayal and arrest of Jesus leading to His death, burial, and resurrection. This passage is talking about Jesus' willful submission to "drink the cup" of suffering His Father has given Him. This "cup of suffering" is not like any kind of suffering known to humanity. This is God the Son yielding to the very people He created who would betray (Juda...

Jesus has one last charge for the disciples before he ascends to heaven. He proclaims the great commission telling his followers to make other followers to reach the nations. Because of this passage, Tomball Bible Church exists to glorify Jesus Christ, by making mature disciples to reach the nations. A spiritually mature disciple makes disciples who make disciples. Disciples use their given gifts...