The book of 1 Peter is written to Christians, encouraging them to shine as lights among a wicked world, especially by doing what is right in their daily lives. The story of Naaman being healed by water can be related to 1 Peter 3:21, but a minor character in the story embodies the message of…

The book of Hebrews is written to encourage Christians to not lose their faith. It does this by reminding them of fundamental teachings of Jesus (and their failure to retain them), and a call to endure through trials. A key figure in the book is an obscure man named Melchizedek. We look at his story…

The Bible does not hide from the topic of slavery. We look at Philemon, a Christian slave owner of Onesimus, also a Christian. Then we turn to the story of Joseph (in Genesis), who was sold as a slave but rose to power in Egypt and saved his extended family from famine.

These books have long been called “the pastoral epistles” – not because Titus and Timothy are pastors, but because they are sent to instruct others how to take care of a “flock” of “sheep” (meaning a church. Also, we look at the story in Exodus 18, where Moses’ father-in-law gives him some advice.

1 & 2 Thessalonians are separate letters written at different times, but they both have the same major themes: Christ will return, therefore live faithfully and work hard. Matthew 24 is also about Christ’s return, and more. We focus on how to properly discern the chapter.

The book of Colossians uniquely focuses on the “preeminence” or Christ (meaning his “first-ness”). The consequence of this is that Christ, and His word, are all anyone needs – not additional religious practices or Jewish rituals. We also look at the story of Cornelius, which makes a similar point as Colossians 3:11: “Here there is…

Philippians is a book (or letter) filled with encouragement. It’s also more approachable than Paul’s other books; he uses much simpler wording here. The church in Philippi started about a decade before this letter, in Acts 16. We look at one of those stories, where the jailer is converted.