24 When they had come to Capernaum,[a] those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” 

25 He said, “Yes.” 

And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated…

TITLE: SIDE BY SIDE: Walking with others in wisdom and love 

PUBLISHER: Crossway 

AUTHOR: Edward T. Welch 

AUDIENCE: I would say it is most likely best applicable to small groups or Sunday School classes, but it is clearly general enough…

If 2020 started off fast, it seems like 2021 is trying to give it a run for its money! 

As promised, we launched a new co-ed Bible Study group on January 17th.

The study was on the Gospel of Luke. 

…

Believing the gospel is necessary to salvation. Most Americans and Western Europeans have been warned this is true. But what is this “gospel”? There are so many denominations within Christianity. There is an allure of the “truths” of other religions…

If you wonder if God is real, you aren’t alone. I’ve heard countless stories of people who found themselves in a broken state desperate for an answer crying out either literally or in their heads asking, “God, if you are…

Comparison is a killer, isn't it? 

Consider the following quotes on comparison: 

“Judgment…is one of the ego’s tools to foster separation through comparison.” 

― Peter Santos 

Judgment isn't the issue, is it? Judgment that is rooted, not in God's Word…

Each day we face unknown futures, futures that depend on decisions we make throughout the day, and because of this we can desire to know how things will turn out. When I was younger, I'd stay up late and watch…

Do you hunger for more of God? Do you want to know Him? Do you wish you knew Him better? Or, do you wish you were better connected to Him in some way? 

We can get so caught up on…

Scripture says that in the day of Jesus' reign, His "people will volunteer freely in the day of (His) power" (Psalm 110:3). The Psalmist foretold of a day when the Messiah would exalted by the Father, ascended to the throne…

God calls us to trust Him, to trust His Word. He sent Jesus who kept every promise of His Word regarding the Messiah, the Christ, the one who would set things right from man's sin and Satan's lie. 

It is…

The Word of God is like a surgeon's knife that opens our heart and lays it bare on the table before our eyes. It shows us exactly who we are. We don't like to see the sin that is clearly…

On the cross, Jesus absorbed the wrath of God and man. The anger that burned in God toward the sin and corruption of man was poured out on Jesus. He took it all for those who would put their faith…

We all do little actions throughout the day. Almost all of these actions happen without much thought. Even our thoughts qualify as actions and yet we do not give much thought to even what types of thoughts we had. But…

It is a true statement that God desires our personal obedience over our ministry, but not an obedience that is disconnected from our heart. God is ultimately after our heart. 

So often we want to "do ministry" to present it…

Today is the day you may come face to face with the realization that a lifetime of working FOR God, to impress Him, is rubbish compared to the gift of knowing Jesus Christ personally (Phil.3:7-8). Today may be a day…

#wedohardthings 

Today, the hard thing you may be called to do is love someone who believes differently than you do. They may be angry or prideful. Acting out of that anger or pride and hurt they may do or say…

God is still building His house. 

I am grateful! 

#divinearchitect 

I will be starting a new Bible Study group mid-January. 

Information will be posted on the calendar at www.nnccmpls.com. 

If you are interested in joining, I will need to connect…

#wedohardthings 

As we prepare to head into 2021, there is a battlecry on our hearts in the Strong household. We spent 2020 focusing on relationships. The last quarter we talked about the responsibility we each have to think about whether…