Truth

Certainty and faith, fear and calling – the story of Saul’s transformation and encounter with Jesus has it all. The perspectives of Saul and Ananias give a great challenge for today’s church in regard to the mindsets of religion.

The church’s inclusive invitation and exclusive truth claims have prompted resistance from religious and secular alike. When it comes time to prove the power of this message, however, the ancient church’s evidence is the same as ours: healed lives.

In our fast-paced, hyper-online world, loneliness poses a growing challenge to human flourishing. Whatever new form this ancient problem takes, this psalm reminds us that we are ever held in God’s hands.

“Best things dwell out of sight,” Emily Dickinson once wrote. It can be hard to believe what we cannot see, but so much of our life—our loves, our principles, our hopes—cannot be seen. Paul ends the letter to the Ephesians with a reminder of an invisible world beyond our vision, where good and evil struggle, and where the grace of God will ultimately win.

How can we as modern people trust that the Bible, written by humans, is true? How can we believe all that it says about us and God? How do we find real peace, comfort, and courage in a world often punctuated with pain? The answer to these and many other questions lie in what Jesus taught his followers about the Holy Spirit.

As Jesus’ life neared its end, his disciples worried about what would come next. Jesus’ answer that he alone is “the way” is not some theoretical truth, but rather a deeply loving and practical response to the doubts of our hearts.