This post is adapted from The Bedrock of Christianity: The Unalterable Facts of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection by Justin W. Bass. *** The earliest followers of Jesus did not just claim that Jesus rose from the dead but that his resurrection was the...
Justin Wise teaches the first step to digital ministry (0:10), and the Faithlife motion graphics team showcases an animation inspired by Isaiah 55 (4:00). Establish your church’s social media presence Did you know that you can see reviews of a...
As the novel coronavirus continues to spread, it’s not only impacting church gatherings across the nation (many are scrambling to get their churches online fast), but some states are shutting down everything except groceries, pharmacies, and take...
Because Black Church history is family history, it’s important for us to continue learning from our African American brothers and sisters all year long. Since Black History Month is coming to an end, we’re highlighting five books to help you...
The start of a new year invites us to stop and reflect, doesn’t it? We think about the healthy habits we need more of . . . and the unhealthy ones we need less of. About balance and healthy rhythms. As I thought through how to achieve a healthier...
It’s difficult for parents to find things for their kids to watch on TV. What sources do you trust? How do you vet programs? Do you prescreen all the material you give to your kids, or find reviewers you trust to give you a summary? There are a...
The brand-new Bible Study Magazine Podcast launches today. The theme of the first season is “Biblical Literacy”—how to achieve it and how to promote it. Many people Faithlife serves have already achieved biblical literacy; they know how to get...
Reading takes you to new worlds, immerses you in unfamiliar cultures, even transports you in time. But it’s more than an experience. It teaches, informs, challenges, and engages. It expands vocabulary, improves memory, and sharpens concentration. It...
By John Stott, adapted from The Radical Disciple. In the introduction to his book Knowing God, Dr. J. I. Packer writes that we are “pygmy Christians because we have a pygmy God.” We could equally say that we are pygmy Christians because we have a...
Leadership does not begin with a title or position. It begins the moment you are concerned more about others’ flourishing than you are about your own. — Andy Crouch, Strong and Weak Leadership means risk. One of the most significant risks a leader...
The final days of Jesus’ earthly ministry are surrounded in truth and eternal significance from which we’ll never stop learning. In his devotional And the Angels Were Silent from the Chronicles of the Cross Collection, Max Lucado presents an Easter...
You’ve heard the skeptics: “We can’t trust the biblical manuscripts.” And sadly, many people believe them without actually knowing the facts. So what do the experts really say? The new Faithlife original film Fragments of Truth tackles...
The Bible repeatedly attests to its own inspiration, authority, and reliability. But in recent decades, skeptical scholars have challenged the assumption that the Bible we read today is the same as it was written thousands of years ago. The Gospels...
Do a quick Google image search of “Nativity scenes.” Really, go search and scroll for a bit and come back. Did you notice anything? At least half of them show an angel or more present at the manger. The only problem: Scripture doesn’t report...
All too often, the job of making visitors feel welcome in your church is relegated to a couple of faithful volunteers who stand by the entry each Sunday morning, extending the right hand of fellowship with a friendly smile. You know who I’m talking...
“What’s your calling?” How you answer that question could change the way you see your entire life. The answer—and the process of learning how to answer—helps us find our place within the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:4–30)...
What if taking the Bible “literally” doesn’t mean what you think it means? In The Lost World of Genesis One, Dr. John Walton of Wheaton college affirms that Genesis 1 is talking about a literal seven days of creation—but he also...
A couple weeks ago, you couldn’t go on Facebook without seeing someone link to this plugin that calculated your most-used words. It runs through everything you’ve ever posted on Facebook to determine what words you say the most. The...
One of the hardest things for me to wrap my brain around as a Christian is how a God who defines himself as love (1 John 4:8) and defines the greatest form of love as laying down your life for someone else (John 15:13) could lead Israel on a...
It’s one thing to talk about engaging, interacting with, or “reclaiming” culture. Putting our theories into practice is another thing entirely. In Every Square Inch: An Introduction to Cultural Engagement for Christians, Dr. Bruce...
The November/December issue of Bible Study Magazine features Nabeel Qureshi, bestselling author of Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. Qureshi was raised in a close-knit Pakistani-American family devoted to Islam—so when he became convinced of the truth...
In The Lord and His Prayer, N. T. Wright discusses the Lord’s Prayer phrase by phrase to show how understanding the original setting of the Lord’s Prayer can rekindle your own prayer life. Here are six insights from Wright’s...
Recently, I read Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt in print. It’s a quick read, but in 231 pages, Platt makes 177 references to Scripture and 15 references to other works—in the endnotes. In popular...
After 40 years of marriage, John and Noël Piper wrote This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence, where they share many of the insights they’ve gained over decades of pursuing Christ together, and offer biblical insight into the purpose...
My wife, Linda, was asleep, and I was watching the National Memorial Day concert on the Mall in Washington D.C. I sat in my living room, lights out, weeping. I didn't get it. Why was it bothering me so much?
Today’s guest post is by Luke Gilkerson, the educational resource manager at Covenant Eyes. Luke is the author of multiple books on biblical sexuality and he blogs at CovenantEyes.com. He came to me a few days ago and told me his nagging...
Homelessness is one of the most widely recognized faces of poverty. Wherever you live and whatever your socioeconomic status, chances are you’ve encountered homeless people. Maybe you avoid them out of fear that someone desperate enough to ask...
Few Bible study tools so effectively prick the conscience, focus the attention, and calm the spirit as a well-crafted daily devotional. A daily devotional is not designed to change your mind; it’s meant to change your heart. There are...
Last week, I wrote about how to choose a Bible translation, recommending that you pair a highly precise translation with a highly readable one when you study. This week, I’d like to give you a quick guide to 11 of the modern English...
John Wesley said, “Christianity is essentially a social religion . . . to turn it into a solitary religion, is indeed to destroy it.” But living as part of a faith community can be difficult. Differences in personality, upbringing...