Pastor Ned covers one of the most difficult tenants of Christianity to apply to our own lives: Forgiveness. Do we apply the same forgiveness to others that God has given us?

Matthew 22:29-40 reminds us that everything begins and ends with love. Jesus tells us the greatest commandment is to love God fully and love others as ourselves. During Advent, we see this love lived out as God comes near in Jesus.

God’s love did not stay distant; it entered our world so we could know Him and learn how to love. Advent invites us to receive that love and reflect it to those around us.

Joy enters the world in a manger, not with fanfare, but with the simple cry of a newborn Savior. The angels’ song declares that true joy doesn’t come from our circumstances but from God’s presence breaking into our lives. In this Advent season, we remember that the gift of Jesus brings a joy that is steady, hopeful, and available right where we are. As we wait, worship, and prepare our hearts, may the joy of Christ fill our homes and remind us that God’s goodness is still drawing near.

Luke 2:8-14 reminds us that God’s peace isn’t something we have to earn; it’s something He brings to us.

In the quiet of an ordinary field, to ordinary shepherds, heaven broke through with extraordinary news: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace…” God’s peace arrived wrapped in a person, Jesus.

This peace isn’t the absence of problems but the presence of a Savior who steps into our world, our chaos, our fears, and our everyday lives. Just like the shepherds, we are invited to look up from what worries us and hear the angel’s message again: You don’t have to carry this alone. Peace has come near.

May we welcome His peace today, deep, steady, and stronger than anything we face.

God initiated a series of events in the lives of Peter (a Jewish Christian) and Cornelius (a Gentile, soon-to-be Christian) that would result in a colossal paradigm shift for the early church’s mindset and conduct. Ten years after Christ’s commission, the gospel spread throughout Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. But now it was time for the truth about Christ to reach the nations. The mystery of the gospel, as Paul liked to call it, needed to be uncovered. Namely, God’s heart is for every tribe, tongue, and nation to hear the gospel message. The good news of Jesus is for all people.

Back in Acts 7, Luke recorded the account of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. Saul was there to witness the execution, and persecution would only increase as the early church grew. But the Lord was not shocked by this persecution; He was still ruling and reigning over all. He had a plan and a mission to spread the gospel beyond Jerusalem's borders. The Lord would use this persecution to further the gospel as the church continued to spread to the ends of the earth.

In the book of Acts, the first part primarily focuses on the apostle Peter, and all God did through His ministry to propel the gospel to the ends of the earth. After a quick detour to demonstrate the power of God through the conversion of Paul, Luke turns his attention back to Peter, here in Acts 9, for a few more episodes before he pivots completely toward the telling of the ministry of Paul.

Persecution of the early church was increasing in the book of Acts. The leaders in the early church had been imprisoned, beaten, and threatened with murder, but so far none of them had been put to death. However, all of the opposition boiled over in Acts 6–7. The religious leaders took extreme measures to stop the spread of the gospel. Stephen’s account teaches us that even through suffering, God is sovereign and on His throne. Stephen preached the gospel faithfully, yet the religious leaders responded with hate and murder. Our calling is to trust God’s goodness and care over our lives at all times.