The Blog of Journey Church

There is a temptation that seems to visit every generation of Christians. It is the temptation to believe that if only the world behaved more like Christians, then the Kingdom of God would somehow be established by better manners, stricter morals, or louder demands.

Yet this was never the method of Christ.

Jesus walked among tax collectors, ...

“But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a hindrance to Me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.'” – Matthew 16:23 (ESV)

We hear Christ say, “Get behind Me, Satan,” and immediately imagine that Peter has somehow become the enemy of God. Yet such a c...

“And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two.” — Matthew 5:41

We hear the phrase “go the extra mile” so often that it has almost become a cliché. Coaches use it. Employers encourage it. Parents repeat it to their children. We use it to describe someone who works hard, exceeds expectations, or gives excep...

“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” — Genesis 4:7

There are passages in Scripture that command our attention, and there are others we quietly pass over. The story of Cain and Abel occupies only a handful of verses in Genesis. We ...

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” — Ephesians 6:4

“Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” — Colossians 3:21

At first glance, these verses can seem almost contradictory to other passages of Scripture. If parents ar...