The letter John wrote to the elect lady and her children was short and to the point. He was impressed with the testimony of their lives and their commitment to abiding in the truth. It is evident that John desired to encourage them in the faith, seeking to equip them to continue their stand for…

Matthew 28:6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Jesus had told his disciples in John 10:17-18 that he had the choice to lay down his life and the authority to take it up again. When Jesus gave up his Spirit (John 19:30) he laid down a perfect, sinless life that…

2 Kings 6:16-17 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire…

To be persistent means to continue unceasingly and continuously. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray continually. In Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable that shows us what persistence can do. Luke 18:1-8 (NIV): Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said:…

The story in Acts 12:1-17 illustrates how God works in response to the prayers of his people. Though all appeared hopeless for Peter, the body of believers did all that they could for him – they prayed. What made the prayers of these first century Christians so effective? Their secret is found in verse 5….

You have probably heard what has been called “The Lord’s Prayer”. Jesus gave us this prayer to show us how to pray. Incidentally, just because we call this prayer “The Lord’s Prayer” doesn’t mean that Jesus prayed it for himself. He had no reason to ask for forgiveness because he never sinned. Instead, it is…

1 John 5:4-5 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. There is something within the Christian which makes him or her able to overcome the world. The term “world” comes from the Greek word kosmos and refers to the world apart from…

Good morning! It’s a beautiful day in the mountains around Cloudcroft, 9,000 ft. above stress level:) Yesterday we tested our live-stream capabilities as we attempted to live-stream our sermon on our Facebook page. Since this was a trial run I did not tell everyone we were doing it because we were not sure how well…

Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. This is a triumphant confession of fearless trust in God, though…

1 John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. Here, John has in mind a natural law of human life. Family love is a part of nature. The child naturally loves his parents; and he just as naturally…