Q&A: What are ways to glorify God besides singing in church?
I told my coworker that my purpose in life is to glorify God. He said, “So does that mean just singing in church?” How do I answer him? There are so many ...
Bible study: Freedom in service
When it comes to serving Jesus, there is no one right way to thank Jesus for his gift of salvation. Yet sometimes we get the idea that our service is not very i...
Q&A: I have no special gifts, and I mess up all the time. Does God really need me?
I have no special gifts, and I mess up all the time. Does God really need me? On the Last Day, Jesus will say to us, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father...
Bible study: Spiritual gifts
Some Christians believe they have not been given spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:7 reminds us of the opposite, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spi...
Q&A: How do I overcome the feeling that my life has no purpose and I don’t make a difference?
How do I overcome the feeling that my life has no purpose and I don’t make a difference? Many wrestle with that important question in life: “What am I...
Bible study: Rejoice in your status!
Low self-esteem seems to be an issue today. But can anyone truly have high self-esteem? If you think about it, no. My “self” is the problem because I know t...
Q&A: My friend died and was not a professing Christian. What do I say to the family?
My friend died and was not a professing Christian. What do I say to the family? What a tragedy when someone passes away who doesn’t believe in Jesus. “Whoev...
Bible study: Baptismal blessings
Baptism connects us to our Father in heaven and makes us part of his family. The church has described Baptism as “an individual application of the Word” and...
Q&A: How can my mother and I forgive my father for being unfaithful and causing my parents to divorce?
My parents got divorced because my father was unfaithful to my mother. How can my mother—and I—truly forgive my father? Thank you for reaching out. I am ...
Q&A: Why were demon possession, gifts of healing, and gifts of tongues more prevalent in biblical times?
Why were things like demon possession, gifts of healing, and gifts of tongues more prevalent in biblical times than they are now? Let’s discuss demon possessi...
Bible study: Gifts of tongues and miraculous healing
The gift of speaking in tongues refers to the spiritual gift of either speaking another language such as the disciples at Pentecost did (Acts 2) or speaking a l...
Q&A: Is Christianity the only religion that gives the certainty of heaven?
Is Christianity the only religion that gives the certainty of heaven? I want to understand so I can better share the gospel with others. The parable of the blin...
Bible study: Jesus is everyone’s Savior
Justification is the doctrine by which the church stands or falls because the Christian faith is lost without it. We use four different adjectives to define the...
Q&A: If people go to hell, isn’t it their fault because God gave them free will and they rejected him?
If people go to hell, isn’t it their fault because God gave them free will and they rejected him? Free will a misnomer The use of free will is a misnomer in...
Q&A: Why are the 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension important for the disciples and for us?
Jesus finished his work of paying for the sins of the whole world by dying on the cross. But how can we be sure our sins are paid for? On the third day, Jesus ...
Q&A: Can you explain Jesus’ words to the wailing women he met on his way to be crucified?
Jesus had just handed the crossbeam to Simon of Cyrene who would carry it the rest of the way to the site of crucifixion. Noticing the women who were wailing al...
Bible study: Love one another
For many, Valentine’s Day has become a Hallmark holiday filled with sappy sentiment and red hearts . . . everywhere! The exact details of the original St. Val...
Q&A: What if spouses don’t “love” each other anymore?
What does the Bible have to say about spouses who don’t “love” each other anymore? It seems fairly common nowadays that spouses talk about how they have...
Bible study: Above all things!
The First Commandment states: “You shall have no other gods.” Martin Luther’s explanation says, “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things...
Q&A: Is it wrong to have a cross with Jesus’ body on it?
Since God forbade “graven images” in the Old Testament, is it wrong to have a cross with Jesus’ body on it? God commanded Israel, “You shall not make fo...
Q&A: Is our time of grace really unchangeable?
Our “time of grace” refers to the time we are alive to come to know Jesus. Is that fixed date really unchangeable? Or do our actions impact it? The answer t...
Bible study: The comfort of God’s providence
God’s providence means that everything happens according to God’s design (even permitting evil to work for the good of his people). It also refers to wh...
Bible study: Precious grace
The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote about “cheap grace.” By cheap grace, he meant that too many preach forgiveness without repentance and grace ...
Q&A: I know that we are saved by grace apart from works, but how can it be that easy?
I know that we are saved by grace apart from works, but that seems too easy. How can that be how it works? What is grace? Grace is God’s undeserved love. Ther...