Jesus' earthly ministry was not just to teach us about the kingdom of Heaven, but to equip us to lead others to the kingdom after His return to Heaven. There is a point before Jesus' crucifixion that He sends out His twelve disciples and another unnamed seventy after them to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick. They went before Jesus to prepare the hearts and minds of the people to receive the truth Jesus was coming to share. We are called to prepare the way for Chris

We know why we follow Jesus, but what does taking up our cross look like? What does it mean to deny ourselves while also loving ourselves? Check out a list of ways you might pick up your cross and discover what this act of faith is not. Jesus carried the cross out of love and obedience not self-hatred. Following Jesus is the greatest act of self-love. While taking up our cross is always an act of surrender, surrender isn't always sacrifice or painful. It does always lead to g

There is not one appearance of righteousness. Those intent on rejecting God and His wisdom will not be pleased by any package He presents in. John the Baptist and Jesus' ministries looked different outwardly, but inwardly, served the same God and purpose. Our differences are purposeful and used by God to reach different people in different ways. When you serve the same God, diversity is not the opposite of unity. It is the expansion of it.

Jesus touches the untouchable. Despite the example of love and inclusion that Christ gives us, some Christian communities still treat certain groups of people as unclean. But the church is not only for the saved or clean. The church is for everyone to come to the Healer who heals all ailments. Those whose sins are many have love for Christ a plenty. When we see His capacity to love and forgive us, our capacity to love and forgive others grows.

Satan has a playbook. He attacks when we're isolated and hungry. He uses our hunger--regardless of if we hunger for food or something intangible--to get us to fill ourselves with false nourishment. He seeks to make us question our identity as children of God, because if we question our identity, then we also question whose authority we're under. If we question our identity and the authority of God, we question the validity of the word of God, which is our greatest weapon in s

God's plan for human relationships is first modeled in how our relationship with Him is formed. Love awakens a responsive submission. God never called His daughters to submit to lost or abusive men. He calls us to submit to a husband who is already submitted to Him. When a man pursues us like Christ pursues the church, leads and loves us like Christ--to the best of his human ability--that is a husband worth submitting to.