Apostles' Creed
“We believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.”
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Haggai: First Things First
Haggai challenges us to consider what we value most. As Taylor says, “Preoccupation with such concerns (as food, clothing, shelter, etc.) can lead to a type of personal decision making that focuses first on meeting temporal human needs and offers God only what is left over after essential matters of personal security and comfort have first been decided.” This is the condition Haggai finds the Israelites in, and the irony of it is their neglect of the LORD is exactly what has led to their lack of security, clothing, shelter, etc. (1:9-11). Since we are a people created to depend on the LORD and a people in covenant with him, we cannot expect true prosperity while neglecting him. Communion with God is the principal blessing of life. There is nothing better. Prioritize other things over it, and they’ll kill you. God is worthy of worship; his very purpose in having them build the temple is that he may be glorified (1:8). Where this is neglected, judgment follows.
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Ephesians: Gospel-Driven Unity
When God created the world, He created it diverse. He made a sun and a moon, land and water, earth and sky, animals that crawl, animals that swim, humans that were male, humans that were female, different ethnicities, and so on. The goal of all this was that the diverse parts of creation would come together as a sort of symphony, worshipping Him. Since then however, our differences have become a cause of division. Whether it’s gender, race, political views, or nationality, conflict is all around us. In the book of Ephesians, Paul proclaims the good news of what God has done in Christ to restore the unity He originally intended. He then spells out for us how that good news enables us to live unified lives with God and one another despite our differences. The gospel is the thing that creates unity, and it’s the only thing that can ultimately drive real unity.
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