The book of Hebrews was written to people who knew the Old Testament well, who had followed its teachings for generations. God had been creating a picture of Jesus for centuries so He would be recognized when He came to earth. But people then, and even still today, clung to the old traditions and ways of life. They wanted to follow the shadow rather than the reality.But as we look carefully at the pictures God had painted of Jesus in the perfect lamb to be sacrificed at Passover, o...

This study looks at two letters the Apostle Paul wrote to his protégé, Timothy—letters to a young man whom Paul regarded as a son. Paul had trained Timothy to be a pastor, and from these letters we know Paul had left Timothy as his replacement in the church at Ephesus while Paul moved on to another country. Timothy apparently felt inadequate to replace Paul in this role. After all, who wouldn’t feel this way if replacing such a highly-educated man as the pastor of one of the first churches...

Ephesians has always been the “grand symphony” of the Scriptures. Beginning with verses 3-14 of the first chapter—a section which in the original language is written as a single sentence—it soars in its majestic description of what Jesus has done for us in His marvelous gift of salvation. Then the remainder of the book is our own glorious partnership with the “Lord of the Dance” as we step through life and all it would do to keep us from our waltz with the King of Kings. Guided by Him as t...