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Hearing the gospel is only the beginning. What will we do with the good news we’ve been given? In “What to Do with the Gospel,” Mike Alop reminds us that the message of Jesus is more valuable than anything we can own: it is God’s power for salvation. We are stewards of that treasure, entrusted with a message we did not create and are not free to reshape to suit our preferences. Our response has four connected parts: hold on to it, guard it, live it, and proclaim it. We hold firmly to the truth when obedience is difficult and guard our hearts against the doubts, pressures, and distractions that can crowd it out. We also allow the gospel to transform our everyday conduct. Our example alone cannot bring someone to Christ, but it should never become a reason for someone to reject Him. And this good news is not ours to keep to ourselves. Like the Samaritan woman who invited her neighbors to meet Jesus, we can begin by sharing what He has done in our lives. We do not need to know everything before we point someone to Him. We are the messengers; Jesus is the message—and He is the one who saves. Scripture: Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1–4; 2 Timothy 1:14; Luke 8:12–14; Philippians 1:27; Matthew 28:18–20; John 4:29.

We can’t stop the clock. But we don’t have to live in fear of it. In “Counting Our Days,” John Mulligan turns to Psalm 90 to consider what it means to use our time wisely. The psalm faces the brevity and hardship of life honestly, then offers a prayer: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Counting our days isn’t about dwelling on how little time remains. It’s about recognizing the value of the time we’ve been given—and choosing how to use it. Making each day count doesn’t mean filling every moment with activity or exhausting ourselves trying to accomplish more. It means remembering our Creator now, choosing what matters, and looking for opportunities to honor God and bless others. A difficult person or an unexpected interruption may be the very opportunity we have to show Christ’s love. For those who belong to Jesus, passing time is more than a countdown to loss. Our eternal home still awaits us, and our greatest joy is not confined to this life. We can use today with purpose and look toward His return with anticipation rather than dread: “Come, Lord Jesus.” Scripture: Psalm 90:9–12; James 4:14; Ecclesiastes 12:1; Ephesians 5:15–16; 1 Corinthians 16:22; Revelation 22:20.

Death brings real grief, even for those whose faith is strong. Jesus does not ask us to pretend otherwise. But His death and resurrection change what lies ahead: those who belong to Him can face death with hope rather than despair. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, Paul addresses believers worried about loved ones who had died. Would they miss the Lord’s return? His answer is a promise: the dead in Christ will rise, and together with those still living, they will be with the Lord forever. Death is not the end of their story. That hope makes room for sorrow. We still miss familiar voices, shared meals, and the presence of someone we love. Faith does not make those losses trivial, and comforting others should never mean rushing them past their tears. Christian hope assures us that grief and separation will not have the final word. Paul describes believers who have died as having “fallen asleep,” pointing to the certainty that Christ will raise them. Drawing also from Philippians 1:23, John Mulligan emphasizes the comfort of being with Jesus beyond death. Our assurance rests not in earthly security or vague optimism, but in the Savior who has overcome the grave. When questions about another person’s standing before God remain, we can trust Him to judge rightly without offering assurances we cannot know. The passage ends with a responsibility: “Encourage one another with these words.” Through worship, prayer, Scripture, and life together, the church helps keep this hope before us. Christ’s promised return calls us to live faithfully now—to resist discouragement, turn from sin, and encourage one another as we look toward life with Him forever. Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; Philippians 1:23.

Our desire to be first can leave us trapped by the need to be noticed, thanked, or placed above someone else. Jesus offers a different kind of freedom: a life centered on serving rather than promoting ourselves. While Jesus spoke about His coming death and resurrection, His disciples argued about who was the greatest. Later, James and John asked for places of honor, and the other disciples became indignant. Jesus answered their rivalry by redefining greatness: whoever wants to be first must become the servant of all. His own life showed what that meant. He came not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. The same struggle can appear in our relationships and church life when recognition becomes more important than the people we are helping. Jesus calls us to serve even when no one notices—giving someone a ride, encouraging a person who is hurting, or quietly helping someone through a difficult time. Service becomes “spiritual therapy for selfishness,” turning our attention toward others and bringing a satisfaction that self-promotion cannot provide. Philippians 2 calls us to put aside selfish ambition, look to the interests of others, and adopt the humility of Christ. Freedom comes when we no longer need to be first and can serve knowing that Jesus sees. And when we fall short, there is grace: Jesus patiently continued working with His disciples, and He continues working with us as we repent and grow.

In 1 Peter 1:10–12, salvation is not a familiar idea to take lightly. It is the wonder prophets searched for, apostles proclaimed, and angels still long to look into. Peter writes to Christians facing persecution, grounding their hope in a salvation that was never an afterthought. Old Testament prophets received the promise of grace and searched their own words, trying to understand the Messiah: who He would be, when He would come, and how His sufferings would lead to glory. They knew they were serving a future generation. That same gospel came through the apostles by the Holy Spirit and will be preached until Christ returns. It is not a suggestion but a commission, carrying outward through generations. Scripture is not an emergency alarm to reach for only in hardship; it is God speaking. Even angels stand in awe. The cherubim over the mercy seat looked down on the blood of sacrifice, pointing toward Christ. Holy angels do not need salvation, and fallen angels cannot receive it. Yet sinful human beings are offered mercy: the sinless Son takes the penalty sin deserves, and those who repent and trust in Him are clothed in His righteousness. The Wonderful Exchange makes forgiveness possible without setting aside God’s justice. Grace cannot become permission to keep sinning. Forgiveness without repentance is cheap grace. Real repentance is not willpower, ritual, fear of consequences, or behavior modification; it begins with a changed heart that sees sin as increasingly detestable and turns back to God. Salvation should create hunger for others to know the gospel, devotion to God’s Word, service, obedience, and a life that carries its good news forward. If heaven rejoices when one sinner repents, salvation should remain just as precious and astonishing here.

In a world crowded with political voices, influencers, trusted friends, and constant uncertainty, Jesus and the apostles remain the voices Christians most need to hear. Jesus did not leave His followers without direction when He returned to heaven. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit empowered the apostles at Pentecost, giving them the authority to teach, perform signs that confirmed their message, lead the early churches, and write with God's authority. Their role was not self-appointed or granted by popular approval; they had followed Jesus, witnessed His work, received the promised Spirit, and were entrusted to carry His teaching forward. The first believers understood this. After thousands were baptized, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching. As the gospel moved from Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria and toward Rome, the apostles established and guided churches, confronting error and showing believers how to live. Their letters were shared among congregations, preserving the truth revealed through the Spirit. The church is built on Christ as its cornerstone and on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. That authority has no expiration date. Pensions, investments, jobs, and institutions can fail, but the apostles' teaching remains a sure guide until Christ returns. God still speaks through their writings. Reading Scripture is not merely gathering information; it is listening to God, learning to live out His purposes in every season of life, and receiving direction for thoughts, priorities, relationships, and conduct. The destination is not simply comfort, retirement, or another earthly milestone, but the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ. His grace makes that welcome possible, and His apostles continue to guide believers home. Keep the Word close, refuse to coast on a past decision, and live each day under the direction of the One who still speaks through those He sent.

The Fall of Judas and Rise of Paul — John Mulligan — Jesus chose both men, but their lives moved in opposite directions: one let a cherished weakness rule him; the other, confronted by Christ, gave his whole life to Him. Judas had the same access as the other apostles. He heard Jesus teach, saw the miracles, witnessed His compassion and prayer, and knew who He claimed to be. Yet greed remained an unlocked door. As keeper of the money bag, he stole; then he sought out the chief priests and traded Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Remorse after the betrayal did not become repentance. Rather than taking responsibility and turning back, he gave himself further to despair. Being chosen is an honor, but it is not a substitute for continually choosing Jesus. Saul began even farther from faith. He approved Stephen's death, ravaged the church, imprisoned Christians, and set out for Damascus with murderous threats. Then the risen Christ stopped him. Blinded, humbled, taught, and baptized, Saul became Paul: Christ's chosen instrument to carry His name to Gentiles, kings, and Israel. The persecutor became the tireless apostle—planting churches, strengthening believers, enduring beatings, prison, hunger, and danger, and writing much of the New Testament. Convicted by Jesus, he could not go back to darkness. The contrast is personal. Satan watches for the weaknesses left unguarded—greed, pride, lust, dishonesty, gossip, or whatever has gained access before. But failure need not be final. A rescued life is renewed through confession, obedience, and the daily choice of what is best: faithfulness to God, service to others, and Christ over lesser things. Jesus gives grace to change; the question is how each person will live as one who has been chosen.

An inner circle normally exists to protect its leader; with Jesus, the protection ran the other way. The question is how the twelve related to Jesus. They began as disciples, followers who imitate, then became apostles, people sent on a mission, handpicked. First, the twelve learned from Jesus. In Matthew 13, after the parable of the sower, the disciples alone asked why He taught in parables and heard: “the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.” He fed them truth, rebuking their little faith to mold them. In Matthew 14, the feeding of the five thousand revealed compassion. The disciples wanted to send the crowds away to buy food; Jesus, moved with compassion, answered, “You give them something to eat,” then multiplied five loaves and two fish. On the lake, He walked on water and caught sinking Peter with “You of little faith... why did you doubt?” — a lesson in trust. His lifestyle modeled dependence: He withdrew alone to pray. Second, the twelve lived for Jesus. In Matthew 28, the eleven obeyed His command to meet at the mountain even while some still doubted, respecting His authority and receiving the authority He transferred, seeking conversion by making disciples and baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and obeying everything He commanded. Followers are always learning and committed to obedience, and His promise, “surely I am with you always,” is why, with Peter, they answer: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of life.”

Jesus gathered a small, close group around Him, but unlike any other inner circle, He prepared them for a time when the leader would no longer be there. An inner circle is a small group with special access and influence: a president's cabinet, a coach's assistants, the two real friends out of eight hundred. Jesus had His own. As He began preaching that the kingdom of heaven had come near, He picked people out of the crowd, calling Simon Peter and Andrew, then James and John, then Matthew the tax collector, by name. He did not draft them; they left their nets and followed at once. Inside that circle He chose twelve, with Peter, James, and John seeing what the others did not. In Matthew 10 the twelve are named one by one, now called apostles — ones sent with a mission. Jesus gave them authority to heal every disease, drive out evil spirits, even raise the dead, but the power only established their authority. Their real work was teaching: proclaim the same message, that the reign of God has come near, and freely give what they freely received. In John 14–16 Jesus tells the twelve He is leaving, and that it is for their good. Unless He goes, the Advocate, the Spirit of truth, will not come, and He will guide them into all truth. Not everything Jesus said on earth is everything God wants known; Jesus wrote nothing and taught only about three years, so the Spirit would reveal more through the apostles — why John wrote five books of the New Testament, James one, Peter two, and Paul thirteen. Jesus was putting people in place for the first century and for us. Three points close it out. God has not left us alone: He still speaks every time the Bible is opened. Jesus speaks through His apostles' writings, the living word that outlasts grass and flowers. And Jesus is still looking for followers — go into all the world and make disciples, even to the end of the age. No one has been left to figure it out alone.

In Matthew 16, Jesus refused every compliment about who He was. He left only three options: Lord, liar, or lunatic, and neutrality was never one of them. People call Him a good moral teacher, a great man, one of many religious teachers. Jesus accepted none of it. He pressed His inner circle past the compliments until Peter confessed, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Anything less was not enough. He claimed to be God. "I and the Father are one." To see Him was to see God (John 12:44-45; 14:9). He claimed powers no mere teacher could touch: to forgive sin, judge the world, give eternal life, be sinless, be the object of faith, answer prayer, be worthy of worship, be the way, truth, and life, and hold all authority. Three possibilities remain. First, He is exactly who He claimed to be: Lord. He proved it, pointing to His works (John 5:36) and inviting Thomas to touch His hands and side, until Thomas fell down saying, "My Lord and my God." Second, liar. But liars profit from the lie, and Jesus gained nothing — no money, no fame, only homelessness and a sacrificial life. Liars don't keep influence: when a famous memoir was exposed as fiction, its author vanished. Yet Jesus was tortured and killed for His claims and never changed His story. The teachings and the man cannot be separated. Third, lunatic. But there is no evidence of mental disorder, and delusional people don't command the influence Jesus holds — the most influential figure in history, at the center of the best-selling book ever. Only Christ got the world to believe Him. Neutrality is not an option. Jesus must be accepted or rejected (John 3:16; 14:11). The only question is who reigns in a life: the one who hates us, or the one who died for us. Confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:10), and let Him reign over every thought and word, and when we fall, rise and make Him Lord again.

Respect and Boundaries — John Mulligan and Brian Campos — The Golden Rule sounds simple until the hard person is right in front of you. Luke 6 presses past politeness and asks for something deeper: love that stays firm without becoming harsh. Jesus does not call His people to the iron rule of getting there first or the silver rule of treating others only as they treat them. He calls them to love enemies, do good to those who hate them, bless those who curse them, and pray for those who mistreat them. That is why respect and boundaries belong together. Love is not weakness, and refusing revenge is not the same as having no limits. The point is not surrendering every right or becoming a doormat. The point is refusing to let injury, insult, or conflict dictate who a Christian becomes. That moved from teaching into testimony through Brian Campos's work in the San Francisco County Jail. After being insulted by an inmate in psychiatric crisis, the easier path would have been to fire back and escalate. Instead, he stepped back, gave space, returned later, and saw the situation calm enough for the man to accept help. The moment did not excuse disrespect, but it showed that accountability and dignity can stand together. Reacting gives someone else's anger control. Responding remembers Christ. Boundaries can say no, enforce truth, and slow down a volatile moment without returning evil for evil. The real challenge is not whether difficult people exist. It is whether faith will shape the response when they do.

The Miracles of Jesus, Part 3 — John Mulligan — The evidence for Jesus' miracles is not thin, vague, or borrowed from other religions. The real obstacle is not lack of proof, but what His authority demands. The familiar objection that all religions claim miracle-workers falls apart quickly. Buddhism and Confucianism offer no such claims. Islam and Hinduism may describe supernatural activity, but not public, historically grounded miracles that establish a leader's authority the way Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John do. The world already knew fable, myth, and legend, and the New Testament openly distances itself from cleverly invented stories by grounding its claims in eyewitness testimony. The second objection collapses too. The people who saw these events were not primitive fools dazzled by tricks. They understood birth, death, sickness, and evidence. John 9 turns on that exact point: a man was born blind, everyone knew it, and when he could see, the argument was never that blindness had not been real. The effort was to explain away what could not be denied. That same problem stands behind Lazarus, Thomas, and the feeding of thousands. These are not staged spectacles, but concrete acts of healing, deliverance, and provision. The third objection is the strongest and still fails. Myths trade in exaggeration, vagueness, and long legendary development. The Gospel accounts do the opposite. Early New Testament copies from roughly 90 to 200 AD already contain these miracle reports, and they do so with striking consistency. Mark 2 places the healing of the paralytic in Capernaum, in a crowded house, with friends tearing through a roof to lower him before Jesus. The detail is grounded, local, and stable, not the drift of legend. The evidence presses toward one conclusion: Jesus is rejected more often for personal reasons than evidential ones. The facts are there. The harder question is whether life will be conformed to the One those facts reveal.

The Miracles of Jesus, Part 2 — John Mulligan — Hard commands like loving enemies and greeting those who mistreat you only carry weight if the one giving them has proven authority. Jesus' miracles are that proof. The Gospels are historical documents, not collections of fables. Luke 3 anchors John's ministry in the reign of Tiberius Caesar and the governorship of Pontius Pilate — real rulers in real history. The miracles recorded across Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John number at least 35 to 37, a body of evidence too large to dismiss as isolated legend. They happen with ease, instantaneously, with no showmanship, no special staging, and no delay. A fever leaves Peter's mother-in-law and she gets up to serve. A leper asks to be cleansed and is immediately clean. These are not the work of a magician or a healer working through trickery. They also display knowledge beyond human reach: Jesus knew what the teachers of the law were thinking before they spoke (Mark 2). Their scope covers every category of human affliction — disease, paralysis, blindness, demonic possession, and even death. Yet they remain dignified, never reduced to spectacle or entertainment. They are always altruistic, done to benefit someone, whether feeding thousands or confronting a man at Bethesda who had been an invalid for 38 years with the question of whether he truly wanted to be made well. The testimony comes from every side. Eyewitnesses, not just a handful of disciples, but thousands who saw the feedings. Named beneficiaries like Bartimaeus, whose healing is recorded with specific detail. Enemies who never denied the miracles but instead plotted to kill the miracle worker — the Sanhedrin after Lazarus was raised did not argue that Lazarus was still dead; they feared that everyone would believe in Jesus. Paul appeals to over 500 witnesses of the resurrected Christ, most still alive and able to be questioned. Faith is not asked to rest on wishful thinking. It is founded on fact. And when Jesus speaks hard words, He does so as the proven Son of God.

Works, Fear and Trembling — Jay Mijares opens Philippians 2:12-13 with a question: what does it mean to work out salvation without turning obedience into self-salvation? From Paul's prison letter to Philippi comes a call not to passivity or panic, but to persevering obedience under God's presence. Paul writes from a Roman prison to the first church he founded in Europe, likely knowing death is near. Against that backdrop, two distortions come into view. Quietism treats salvation as passive trust with no movement toward obedience. Pietism drives moral seriousness so far that it hardens into legalism, judgment, and hypocrisy. Neither can carry the text. The command to "work" points to bringing something to completion, not earning what only God can give. What was started must be carried forward. No one else can do that work for another. Biblical truth is meant to produce obedient action. The issue is not perfection, but perseverance. Then fear and trembling lands. This is not dread of damnation, but a reverent, protective fear of disobeying God and coming under his discipline. It is the kind of fear that remembers the burn and refuses the stove. Yet the command is never left on human strength alone, because God himself energizes the willing and the doing. Sanctification is neither passive surrender nor self-powered striving, but God stirring the soul into action. So the questions remain: passive trust or active obedience, paralysis or action, quitting or pressing on? Perseverance becomes a witness when others see struggle met with a faith that still gets up and keeps going.

Jesus and Miracles — Are Jesus' miracles fact or fiction, and what do they prove about who He is? Drawing from Luke, John, Acts, and Hebrews, the evidence mounts that miracles were never about spectacle — they were God's way of accrediting His Son. The word "miracle" often gets used too loosely, from product names and songs to any surprising escape from danger or positive answer to prayer. Biblically, a miracle is a willful act of God, explainable only by His existence and power. It is perceivable by believers and unbelievers, interrupts the ordinary course of nature, and is given for validation — not for show, but to confirm that Jesus is the Son of God. Scripture presents Jesus' miracles as evidence. Luke writes from eyewitness accounts so Theophilus may know the certainty of what he was taught (Luke 1:1–4). John records signs so that readers may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (John 20:30–31). Jesus gave many convincing proofs after His resurrection (Acts 1:3), Peter declares that God accredited Him through miracles, wonders, and signs (Acts 2:22), and the writer of Hebrews confirms that God testified to salvation by signs, wonders, and various miracles (Hebrews 2:3–4). The Gospels record roughly 35 to 37 miracles: bodily cures, power over nature, exorcisms, and resurrections, including Lazarus after four days in the tomb. Many were public, and each Gospel indicates that even more took place. When John the Baptist questioned from prison whether Jesus was the promised one, Jesus pointed to His works (Matthew 11:2–5): the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised. The point is not merely amazement. Jesus' miracles back up His audacious claims, including "No one comes to the Father except through me." They call for belief, repentance, obedience, and a life re-centered around the One who proved Himself to be exactly who He claimed.