in James
James 5:13-20: Prayer: The Powerful Response in Suffering
If you learned you’d be burned at the stake tomorrow, Thomas asks, what would your first response be? Dread, fear, sorrow, anger at the injustice? He works through James’s closing call to prayer as the...
in Apologetics
Jeremiah 25:8-14: Who is God in Suffering
Opening a short series that tackles the hard questions unbelievers raise, Thomas turns to Jeremiah’s prophecy of judgment and exile. Where is God in suffering? And why is the God who judges nations still the...
in James
James 5:1-6: Condemnation when Wealth Used for Evil
How much thought have you actually put into how you use your money? Thomas asks, noting how awkward the subject is precisely because it’s a window into the heart. He works through James’s condemnation of...
in James
James 4:6-12: Kill Self to Gain Life
If you found out you had a life-threatening disease, what would you be willing to pay, or walk, or sacrifice to get better? Thomas asks. He works through James’s call to humble ourselves before God,...
in James
James 3:13-18: Wisdom from Above
How do you act when you’re positive you’re right, whether about parenting, finances, or politics? Thomas asks. He works through James’s contrast between wisdom from above and the earthly, selfish wisdom that just wants to...
in James
James 2:14-26: Saving Faith is Never Alone
How do you know if someone’s claim is actually true? Thomas asks, using a wannabe cook’s boasting about a dish he’s never actually made as his illustration. He works through James’s teaching that faith without...
in James
James 2:1-7: No Partiality
Your actions betray you, Thomas says, describing how what we do reveals what we actually believe far more than what we say. He works through James’s rebuke of a church showing favoritism to the rich...
in 1 Timothy
1 Timothy 1:12-17: God’s Grace Marks the Difference
Have you ever felt your sins are so bad God couldn’t possibly save you, Thomas asks, or swung the other way and assumed grace means your sin doesn’t really matter? He works through Paul’s own...
in James
James 1:22-25: Doers of the Word
When the going gets tough, the tough get going, Thomas says, noting how quick we are to think of ourselves as the tough ones. He works through James’s warning against being a hearer only, someone...
in 1 Timothy
1 Timothy 1:3-11: Only the Gospel Can Produce Love
The damage of using God’s word wrongly is devastating, Thomas says: it destroys families, destroys churches, and keeps people on the road to hell, even though that same word is good and life-giving when used...
in James
James 1:16-18: What is God like in your Trial
Have you ever felt hurt and confused when friends seemed to be excluding you, keeping secrets, making plans without you? Thomas asks. He works through James’s reminder that every good gift comes from a Father...
in James
James 1:9-11: Money as a Means of Grace
Why is money so hard to talk about? James says it’s because money is a window into the heart: it shows what we really trust and treasure. Thomas works through James’s warning that riches fade...
in James
James 1:1: Introduction to James (new series)
James was known to his friends simply as the Just, murdered for loving and upholding God’s law, Thomas says, opening with the account of James’s martyrdom. He introduces the letter of James by way of...
in Baptism
Romans 6:1-5: In Christ You cannot live in Sin
As a husband, Thomas says, he still acts selfishly sometimes and has to ask his wife’s forgiveness, and their relationship is always stronger for it. He works through Romans 6 and what it means that...
1689 BCF, Chapter 8, Paragraph 5: Particular Atonement – Christ Died for His People, His People Live for Him
How many of us love the satisfaction of finishing a project we started? Thomas asks. He works through John 10 and the confession’s teaching on particular atonement, Christ finishing exactly what he set out to...
1689 BCF, Chapter 8, Paragraph 4: Intersession of Christ
Think of the comfort of knowing a friend is praying for you, really taking the time to understand what you’re facing, Thomas says. He works through the confession’s teaching on Christ’s ongoing intercession for his...