Family Persecution Because of Christ

The oldest written account of the Resurrection predates the gospels by decades and contains astonishing details. Most surprisingly, this compelling proof came from the worst enemy of the Church. 

Atheists and doubters accused Christians of inventing the Resurrection, copying ancient mythologies of dead heroes or gods. But the Resurrection of Jesus is a historical event so dramatically different that is cannot be compared to anything that came before or since. 

Some arguments raised against the Resurrection of Christ seem plausible at first, but actually they are illogical. Meanwhile, the followers of a modern rabbi insist that he is the promised Messiah, not Jesus. But how well does he compare to Jesus of Nazareth? 

Friends, I always love preaching on the Feast of the Holy Family because I think the biblical message here is very surprising. We say the Bible is associated with family values, and indeed it is, but they're probably not the ones we would automatically think of. We see this in th ... Show More

Part 87 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that 1 Peter is relevant wherever Christians are fearful of persecution. Peter tells believers how to endure for Jesus. So we need this letter today. It is warm and encouraging. Peter had known wha ... Show More

Homily from the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph The Holy Family was holy, but not without struggles. Jesus entered into this broken world by entering into the reality that all of us have experienced: family life. He did not insulate Himself from the harsh real ... Show More

The story of the Bible is that God is a good, loving, and providing Father. Christians are a family, which is why the Bible refers to us as “brothers” and “sisters”. The Kingdom is the Father’s culture. Heaven is the Father’s House. Sin is wandering and running from the Father so ... Show More

Friends, why was the story of Jesus with the little children, versions of which appear in the three synoptic Gospels, so vividly remembered by the first Christians? I think they intuited that it got very close to the heart of Jesus’ teaching. The way Mark sets up his account of t ... Show More

In today's verse, Jesus tells Peter that although Satan has requested to sift him like wheat, Jesus has prayed for Peter's faith not to fail. He instructs Peter to strengthen his brothers after he has turned back to Him. This verse highlights Jesus' concern for Peter's spiritual ... Show More

John 15:18-27Before ascending to Heaven, Jesus prepared His disciples for the reality of following Him. He never promised an easy road—instead, He warned of persecution and hardship. As believers, we are in this world but not of it, called to live differently from those who don’t ... Show More

Friends, on this Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, our Gospel from the sixth chapter of Mark is Jesus sending the Twelve out on mission. These are the very earliest moments of the Church—in a way, the “pre-Church”—so it’s important for us to pay attention to what the Lord tells ... Show More

Friends, our Gospel this Sunday is taken from the tenth chapter of Mark, and it is high-octane spiritual business. Something pivotal is being laid out for us in this passage, and it has to do with power, suffering, and a willingness to go where Jesus goes.