“Christian, what do you believe?” In gatherings of the church, such questions are typically followed by recitations of the Apostles’ or Nicene Creeds. While some may balk at the inclusion of creeds in a worship service, many Christians have found these short summaries of core Christian doctrine helpful for unifying…

Greetings all! You made it through the first full week of September. My family is now full swing in the routine of school and school-year activities. It’s busy, but it’s a good busy – full of opportunities for hard work, physical activities, and joyful fellowship. This is the first full…

We recently released a brand-new series for the Olive Tree App entitled Expositions of Holy Scripture. This series consists of a number of volumes of sermons by the 19th century Baptist minister Alexander Maclaren. We’d like to share with you a little bit more about the author of these Expositions,…

One of the most profound statements on God’s unbreakable and inseparable love for his people in Christ is Romans 8:38–39. In these two verses Paul basically states that there is nothing that can separate us from God’s love in Christ. According to Grant Osborne, this results in the “absolute security…

The words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount are some of the most well-known among his followers, and even among those who don’t recognize him as Lord. His original listeners were astounded by his teaching as well. Matthew tells us that they “were amazed at his teaching, because…

Revelation 4–5 provide a vision of what the apostle John saw as he was transported to heaven. The vision consists of a worship service as angels, elders, and creatures surround the throne of God and worship the one who sits upon it. In chapter 5, the vision shifts from the…