When the angel Gabriel came to Mary, she was living up in the north of Israel, in the town of Nazareth a few miles from the Sea of Galilee. When she realized the amazing thing that God was going to do in her, she went away from her hometown.
Read MoreWhat would it have been like to grow up knowing that an archangel had announced your birth...knowing that you have the unique and perilous calling of a prophet? That's what John the Baptist knew his own destiny.
Read MoreThe oracles of a prophet seem like such a mysterious and radical concept. It's the kind of wild, supernatural work of God that we usually try to leave behind in our modern world. It's just a little too "out there" and uncomfortable.
Read MoreWhen was the last time someone caught you doing something wrong? Did you get embarrassed? Angry? Did you start to argue? Make a joke? Hide? Or do you get sad and quiet? Did you repent?
Read MoreAfter his baptism, Christ was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to face the temptations of Satan. Meanwhile, the counsel of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, the most powerful religious leaders in the country, sent more priests to question John the Baptist.
Read MoreThe time had come for the most important work in human history to begin...the ministry of Christ. But He didn't go it alone. During His final days at John the Baptist's encampment, John continually pointed out to his own followers that Jesus was the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. This lit a fire under some of the men and they went to Jesus, seeking Him as their rabbi.
Read MoreAfter the Lord and His disciples left Jerusalem, they went out to the hilly region of Judea. Jesus spent time with His disciples there and they baptized those that came to Him. John the Baptist was baptizing people in an area called Aenon. There was plenty of water there and many people journeyed to him as well. His disciples began discussing something that they thought was a real problem.
Read MoreAs Jesus made His way through Galilee to tell the people of the region the Good News of the Kingdom of God, He traveled to His home town of Nazareth. They had waited for so many years through history for the Kingdom of God to come.
Read MoreIt is a rare thing for someone to truly have all the answers. In fact, in the vast realities of science and the social world of human behavior, it would be impossible for anyone to be able encompass all that is in one, finite little mind, now matter how smart they are.
Read MoreAs Jesus preached to the people throughout the region of Galilee, the powerful religious leaders began rejecting His message. But it wasn’t just the religious leaders that refused to hear the message of God through John and Jesus.
Read MoreIt was at about that time when Herod the Tetrach heard about all the things that were happening with Jesus. As the Lord and His disciples journeyed around the countryside, new stories emerged about people being freed from illnesses and disabilities and demonic oppression.
Read MoreJesus left Tyre and the Mediterranean coastline to travel back towards the Sea of Galilee. He took a long, winding route through the region of Sidon. It took Him twenty-five miles north and then southeast through Gentile territory, and then through the region ruled by Philip, Herod’s brother.
Read Moreesus and His disciples journeyed from Bethsaida to Caesarea Philippi. It was on the north side of the Sea of Galilee. It was Gentile territory, complete with a shrine to a pagan god. It was also outside the territory of King Herod.
Read MoreIt was morning, and Jesus and His disciples were walking from the town of Bethany on the Mount of Olives across the valley into Jerusalem. As they went, the Lord explained that because of their faith in Him, His disciples could feel confident that God would answer their prayers in breathtaking ways…they could cast a mountain into the sea if they only believed.
Read More
