Repentance is different from remorse or being afraid of punishment for sins. Remorse or guilt wears off and soon you are back to where you started. Being sorry does not change your old ways. It merely leads you to make a confession when you are feeling guilty or sad. But...

Jesus made a public declaration in today’s theme scripture. Anyone who does not acknowledge Jesus publicly will not be acknowledged before his Father who is in heaven. You have to accept Jesus Christ as your savior, and this must be done publicly. It is not a shame to invite Jesus...

Through the amazing act of baptism, we are given a newness of life. When we are baptized, our old self is gone. It is buried as we go under the water, and when we come up out of the water we are raised up to a new life. Baptism provides...

Thirty years of preparation for Jesus’ ministry came to a climax in this defining and decisive moment in time. The past thirty years find their focus in the uniqueness of this event; Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance (Mark 1:4). It was...

Today’s passage is Jesus sharing the Passover meal with his disciples, shortly before he was arrested and crucified. Passover commemorates the deliverance from slavery that God accomplished for the Jewish people in the Exodus. It required killing a perfect lamb for the Passover meal. The lamb’s blood was wiped on...