Doable Discipleship

“Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey - riding on a donkey’s colt.” - Zechariah 9:9

In my opinion, Zechariah is a diamond of a book. It has so many facets, so many ways to approach it and points of emphasis and things to teach. Last week we talked about Haggai and Zechariah is a partner book ...

“Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: ‘Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets fill...

What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime! No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction. It does not trust in the Lord or draw near to its God. Its leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their victims. Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time, who by dawn have left no trace of their prey. Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain. Its priests def...

“What good is an idol carved by man, or a cast image that deceives you? How foolish to trust in your own creation - a god that can’t even talk! What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols, ‘Wake up and save us!’ To speechless stone images you say, ‘Rise up and teach us!’ Can an idol tell you what to do? They may be overlaid with gold and silver, but they are lifeless inside. But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all t...

“The Lord is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and rage. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and continues to rage against his enemies! The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished.” - Nahum 1:2-3

The book of Nahum, the 34th book of the Old Testament, is somewhat a companion to Jonah. When we read Jonah, we saw God send Jonah to Nineveh to repent of their ways and, ...

“Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.” Micah 7:18

The book of Micah may not be the most well-known of the Old Testament, but it has some of the most well-known verses and passages. Micah takes on the same challenge as many of the other prophets - sharing ...

“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said, ‘I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. Then I said, “O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I...

“The Lord says to Edom, ‘I will cut you down to size among the nations; you will be greatly despised. You have been deceived by your own pride because you live in a rock fortress and make your home high in the mountains. “Who can ever reach us way up here?” you ask boastfully. But even if you soar as high as eagles and build your nest among the stars, I will bring you crashing down,’ says the Lord.” - Obadiah 1:2-4

Obadiah ...

“Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed. Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.” - Amos 5:14-15

The book of Amos has a bit of a reputation. It’s not known for being the most fun of the mino...

We’ve been walking through this series on Navigating the Bible we're currently neck deep in talking about the Prophets. These books can be extraordinarily beautiful, but they can also be confusing and hard to read. As a brief pause in our series, I thought today might be good to rewind a conversation I had last year with Dr. John Walton about the prophets as a whole. Dr. Walton is professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Whe...

“The church is a multiethnic and multicultural assembly of believers spanning history that God has called into fellowship with Christ and with one another. We gather regularly to consider the teachings of the Bible and to orient our lives around God’s coming kingdom. Together we wait for God to make all things new, and we bear witness to the world of what God has already done.” - Becoming God’s Family

What is the purpose of...

“The act of confessing our sins to one another is a graced invitation to practice the way of faith, hope, and love. The soul tempted to despair will be particularly allergic to ecclesial confession, but it is here that they will find great remedy for their agonizing condition. For in confessing their sins to one another, they are heard with the faith of fellow saints, they are encouraged by the hope of fellow pilgrims, and...

“That is why the Lord says, ‘Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.’ Return to the Lord for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.” 

Joel 2:12-13

The book of Joel, the second of the minor prophets, is such a beautiful book. It’s not long, only thre...

“O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?” asks the Lord. “For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight. I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces - to slaughter you with my words, with judgments as inescapable as light. I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings. But like Adam, you broke my covenant and betrayed my trust...

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” - Daniel 3:16-18

The book of Danie...

“The next generation will live into the words we speak over them, so we should consider what words we are speaking over Gen Z. We, older generations, are responsible for raising, stewarding, and discipling the next generation, and right now, they are hearing from us, “We don’t like you.” - An excerpt from What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God. 

We’re in a bit of a tale as old as time moment. There is a lot of discussion...

“As Scripture reveals, the kind of wisdom we drink in ultimately guides our choices. It conditions our thoughts and molds our character and habits to become who we are. It influences the longings and desires of our heart and the ways we seek to find meaning. The right question then becomes, what kind of wisdom are we currently being guided by?” - An excerpt from The Man You’re Meant to Be. 

There’s a lot of talk lately abou...

“So now, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will end the captivity of my people; I will have mercy on all Israel, for I jealously guard my hold reputation! They will accept responsibility for their past shame and unfaithfulness after they come home to live in peace in their own land, with no one to bother them. When I bring them home from the lands of their enemies, I will display my holiness among them for all the na...

“Joy has left our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning. The garlands have fallen from our heads. Weep for us because we have sinned. Our hearts are sick and weary, and our eyes grow dim with tears. For Jerusalem is empty and desolate, a place haunted by jackals. But Lord, you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation.” Lamentations 5: 15-19

The book of Lamentations picks up right whe...