KINGDOM TITBITS

Something is startling about the image in Revelation 5:9. A Lamb, standing as though slain, is the only one in all creation worthy to break the seals of human destiny. Not a warrior. Not a philosopher-king. A Lamb. And yet this Lamb has redeemed people "out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation." The blood changes everything. The Crimson Thread Through Scripture Long before John saw his vision on Patmos, God was telling this story. Picture the garden. Not in its glory, but in its shame. Adam and Eve, suddenly aware of their nakedness, scrambled to cover themselves with fig leaves. Inadequate. Flimsy. A human solution to a divine problem. Then God does something remarkable. Genesis 3:21 tells us He makes garments of skin for them. Skin requires death. Someone had to die so they could be covered. The first blood spilt on earth wasn't Abel's. It was the blood of an innocent animal, shed so humanity could stand clothed before a holy God. This is the pattern. Thi...

Something is unsettling about receiving a letter from Jesus. The church at Ephesus got one. And if we're honest, most of us would rather not. We prefer the affirming nod, the "keep up the good work" pat on the back. But Jesus doesn't do superficial assessments. When He walks through your congregation, and make no mistake, He does—He sees everything. The good. The troubling. The thing you've lost without even realising it is gone. Ephesus teaches us a profound lesson: you can do everything right and still miss the point entirely. The Christ Who Sees "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands'" (Revelation 2:1). Jesus opens with His credentials. Not arrogance; necessity. Before he can say what needs saying, they need to know who's saying it. He's not a distant deity issuing mandates from heaven's throne room. He wa...

The Spiritual Blindness of Unbelief Many among the Jewish people could not grasp how Jesus could declare,  "Before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58). To them, such words constituted blasphemy. They failed to recognize that Jesus was not merely another teacher but the eternal Word made flesh, as John describes in his Gospel. Their rejection stemmed from spiritual blindness, a condition that still clouds hearts today when pride replaces faith. Even at the cross, their disbelief reached its culmination. Yet when the Roman centurion witnessed the earthquake and all that transpired, he declared:  "Surely he was the Son of God!" (Matthew 27:54). What they rejected, heaven affirmed. ("This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased")

How Three Verses Can Revolutionize Your Entire Christian Life Have you ever felt caught between two equally frustrating versions of Christianity? On one side, there's the version that treats grace like a license—a divine permission slip that says God doesn't really expect you to change. "We're under grace, not law," people shrug, as though grace were about lowered expectations rather than transforming power. On the other side, there's the version that acknowledges grace theoretically but lives practically as though everything depends on your performance. You're exhausted, never quite sure if you've done enough, constantly anxious about whether God is pleased with you. Both versions are missing something crucial. And ironically, they're both missing the same thing: a complete understanding of what grace actually does. Let me show you three verses that, if properly understood, can revolutionize your entire Christian experience: "For the grace of...

Rejection stands among the most difficult human experiences. Yet throughout Scripture, a profound pattern emerges: rejection often precedes revelation.  The rejection of Jesus Christ was not accidental but was foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament, pointing toward the divine plan of salvation that would unfold through His suffering.  When we examine Scripture closely, we discover that those who carried divine purpose were frequently misunderstood, mocked, and opposed. Their pain served a purpose, and so does ours. Old Testament Patterns: Shadows of Christ's Rejection Before Christ's arrival, the Old Testament contained prophetic patterns that served as shadows of what was to come. Noah provides a compelling example. By faith, he built an ark to save his family and preserve humanity from the flood, as recorded in Genesis chapters six and seven. As Noah obeyed God's command, he endured ridicule and rejection from those who refused to believe his message. His obedience bec...

When you strip away all the complexity, nuance, and philosophical sophistication, you arrive at the fundamental choice that defines every human existence: life or death. Light or darkness. God or self. Kingdom or chaos. This is not just one choice among many; it is the choice from which all other choices flow. This fork in the road determines not only your destination but also the nature of your journey itself. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19) This Great Bifurcation is not a one-time event. Not a single moment when you choose Team Jesus and then coast into eternity on autopilot. It’s a declaration of allegiance that must be proven, tested, and solidified through thousands of subsequent, smaller choices. This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where the Christian life is either forged into something real or reveal...

The Garden of Gethsemane is one of the most significant locations in Christian history. This ancient olive grove on the Mount of Olives is where believers witness the most profound moment of divine surrender ever recorded. Here, Jesus Christ—fully God and fully man—knelt in deep anguish before His Father and chose obedience over comfort, love over fear, and divine purpose over human pain. The Weight of What Lay Ahead Jesus understood with complete clarity what lay ahead for Him. Within hours, He would face betrayal by one of His closest disciples, arrest under the cover of darkness, public humiliation, brutal torture, and ultimately crucifixion. Beyond the physical suffering loomed something far more devastating: He would bear the sins of all humanity and experience, for the first time in eternity, separation from His Father. The mental and spiritual anguish was so intense that His sweat fell like drops of blood, a rare medical condition called hematidrosis that occurs under extreme ps...