(The following is the August 16 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read 2 Corinthians 13 and pay close attention to verses 11-13.) Paul spent much time with the Corinthian church in person and via correspondence. As a high-maintenance congregation with many troubles and strained interactions with Paul, the relationship between him …
Tag: Church
Attending Church Isn’t Enough; Encounter Christ
(The following is the March 22 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Luke 13 and pay close attention to verses 10-13.) Once when Jesus taught in a synagogue, he encountered a woman who had endured a disability for more than eighteen years. “She was bent over and could not straighten up …
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Book Review: “Deacons: How They Serve and Strengthen the Church” by Matt Smethurst
I have served as a deacon for decades across two churches. Long before becoming a deacon, the church in which I grew up elected a friend and me to serve as "junior deacons" while we were high school teenagers—a non-voting position meant to expose us to the role and encourage our growth. From that time …
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A House Divided Against Itself
(The following is the February 13 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Mark 3 and pay close attention to verses 22-30.) When religious leaders claimed that Jesus cast out demons by the power of the ruler of demons, he pointed out their illogical reasoning: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If …
Every Generation Has a Place in the Church
(The following is the October 11 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Titus 2 and pay close attention to verses 1-8.) Paul gave Titus instructions for men and women in the church, both young and old. Each has a vital role to fill: Older men are “to be self-controlled, worthy of …
