Hebrews 6:18 says we can "have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us." You might immediately think of a hope or a dream. As the author…
Nate HoldridgeJune 20, 2019
Our pilgrim has made his decision -- he will leave his home and embark on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship God. He has said enough is enough. The way…
Nate HoldridgeJune 13, 2019
Paul had a roller coaster relationship with the church in Corinth. They loved him. Then they hated him. They admired him. Then they belittled him. Like the ocean tide, the…
Nate HoldridgeJune 11, 2019
You know that good feeling you get when you just click with someone? When you "get" them and they "get" you? Me too. (5 Minutes/1300 Words)
Nate HoldridgeJune 6, 2019
Humankind is good at many things. One of them is adding complexity to nearly everything. This can be good in many areas: we've got mouths to feed, after all. But…
Nate HoldridgeJune 4, 2019
Humanity was supposed to wear a crown — not one made of gold and jewels, but of God's glory and honor. We were supposed to be a regal people, free…
Nate HoldridgeMay 28, 2019
The temple pulsated with life during Israel's feasts. When the people ascended to God’s holy house, the electricity was tangible. Worshippers left the quiet of their towns and villages to…
Nate HoldridgeMay 23, 2019
Creeping, slowly and steadily, unbelief was ready to pounce on the early Jewish believers. They were, after all, outcasts in their culture, for their acceptance of Jesus as Messiah made…
Nate HoldridgeMay 21, 2019
The ancient Israelite approached God with blood sacrifice, for without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22). One offering, however, was different. The grain offering…
Nate HoldridgeMay 16, 2019
Jesus Christ is currently in glory, in a dimension we refer to as "up there" or "heaven" or "God's throne room," but impossible for us to fathom. From that reality,…
Nate HoldridgeMay 14, 2019
Israel's priests had work to do. These men didn't just sit around offering "thoughts and prayers" for the peeps. Nah, dudes worked, and one job they had was to keep…
Nate HoldridgeMay 9, 2019
Hezekiah was an excellent king of Judah. A descendant of David, he bore similar traits to his ancestor in that he worshipped God and delighted in God's law. At one…
Nate HoldridgeMay 7, 2019
Our world whirls and spins without thinking. On hyperdrive, society cruises ahead at breakneck speed. We move fast to get what we want fast. Like Veruca Salt, we want it,…
Nate HoldridgeMay 2, 2019
Get Help For Your Weaknesses From Your High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Even a cursory glance at the Psalms shows us that God wants to help his people. Time and time again, in their national prayer book, on inspired by God's Spirit,…
Nate HoldridgeApril 30, 2019
Jesus, man, sometimes he drops some wild stuff. The Spirit had come upon some of the Old Testament saints. They did some great things for God. David killed the giant.…
Nate HoldridgeApril 25, 2019
Jeremiah, like most of the prophets, was a solitary pillar of truth in a wasteland of doctrinal deception. He stood for the truth of God, saying hard things during hard…
Nate HoldridgeApril 23, 2019
For Whom Does Your Heart Burn? (Hosea 7:4-7)
Ready. Set. Go. The people of Israel, during Hosea's prophetic work, were primed and prepared for rebellion. Their hearts, like a preheated oven ready to bake, were predisposed to chase…
Nate HoldridgeApril 18, 2019
Jesus, famously, said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Millions, since he said it, have craved that rest.…
Nate HoldridgeApril 16, 2019
Recently, I attended a large pastor’s conference with church leaders from all over the world. During one of the allotted sessions, they held a question and answer session with senior…
Nate HoldridgeApril 11, 2019
Though we do not know what trial Paul endured in Asia, the Corinthians knew, and what we do understand is that he was "utterly burdened beyond strength." The man was…
Nate HoldridgeApril 9, 2019
United For Unity — The Close (Ephesians 6:21-24)
Paul wanted the Ephesians to pray more effectively for him and his preaching ministry (Ephesians 6:18-20). Here, he concludes his letter by telling them Tychicus is coming. Tychicus would report…
Nate HoldridgeApril 5, 2019
While writing to the church about the proper handling of liberties, Paul encouraged his readers to develop a lot of dead friends. What I mean is, he thought the endurance…
Nate HoldridgeApril 3, 2019
Take Up A War Cry (Ephesians 6:18-24)
We wrestle not against flesh and blood. Our fight is in the spiritual dimension and realm. The nations and generations are under the sway and delusions of the wicked one.…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 29, 2019
The Lord wants to move his people forward, upward, onward. He has a plan for each one of you. Recently, I've seen this in a fresh way in my own…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 27, 2019
At Calvary Monterey, we emphasize our small group ministry, believing it necessary for Christians to gather together outside the large weekend meeting. Though Sundays are of immense importance, nothing can…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 25, 2019
Take Up Your War-Clothes (Ephesians 6:13-17)
To win the spiritual war, we must put on Christ's war-clothes. Paul lists six pieces of the spiritual armor. Paul was, remember, imprisoned as he wrote. He had seen Romans…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 22, 2019
Have you ever been presented with a report or news which floored you? Has an impossible situation ever been thrown in your lap? Have you ever been given news, a…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 20, 2019
As a father, a daddy, Jairus was in great distress. His twelve-year-old daughter, the joy of his life, was on her deathbed. Sickness had overwhelmed her body, and her body…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 18, 2019
Take Up a Wartime Mentality (Ephesians 6:10-12)
When one sits down to read the Bible, they will often begin in Genesis. There, the story unfolds with the beauty and extravagance of God’s creation. He speaks light into…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 15, 2019
Perhaps, after reading and studying Romans 7, you feel Paul has put the perfect words to your current struggle. There, he eloquently described our ongoing battle with indwelling sin. That…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 13, 2019
Job, in the midst of a massive trial, had three friends who attempted to confront him with "their truth," which were all lies, and Job knew it. Though his perspective…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 11, 2019
United In The Workplace — Leaders (Ephesians 6:9)
Paul shifts his exhortations for the workplace from the slaves to the masters, from the working class to management. “Do the same to them,” he says. He had just written…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 8, 2019
A point comes in any church's life where atrophy sets in. The passion and joy and labor begin to dry up as people begin to grow discouraged in the mission.…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 6, 2019
He continues to quiet storming seas. He still settles the weary heart and soul. He is constantly in the business of taking unrest and bringing his people to a settled…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 4, 2019
United In The Workplace — Workforce (Ephesians 6:5-8)
The church, for every generation, consists of all types of people. Some have been enslaved, others have been upper class. Some have been laborers, others have been thought workers. Some…
Nate HoldridgeMarch 1, 2019
Goodness and gladness. Justice and joy. No human alive is perfectly balanced, but the everlasting reign of Jesus Christ will always be wholly righteous and overwhelmingly glad. From his uprightness…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 27, 2019
When Christ ascended, he gave his church various means with which to remember him. Partaking of the Lord's Supper, or communion, is a significant way we are called to remember…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 25, 2019
United in the Workplace — Slaves and Masters (Ephesians 6:5-9)
The situation of Paul’s day was horrific. Slavery teemed throughout the Roman world. Some estimate as much as half the empire was enslaved, a fact which was cause for concern…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 22, 2019
Each week at Calvary Monterey we hold an hour-long staff chapel. Currently held on Wednesdays after lunch, Staff Chapel is an opportunity for the staff of our church to gather…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 20, 2019
The Song of Solomon is the greatest love song ever written. In it, romantic love is evidenced from start to finish, from the beginning of life to the very end.…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 18, 2019
United In The Home — Fathers (Ephesians 6:4)
One might read Paul’s words to Christian children in Ephesians 6:1-3, particularly his exhortation to obey their parents, and wonder if the Christian home is a cold and harsh place…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 15, 2019
Who doesn’t love a good chase scene? It seems each generation of movie directors ups the previous one with grander and longer and edgier chase scenes than ever before. A…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 13, 2019
Arduous in every way, Ezra’s journey was about to commence. Pain, heartache, and difficulty awaited every traveler he'd recruited. Hundreds of miles and millions of enemies lay between them and…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 11, 2019
United In The Home — Children (Ephesians 6:1-3)
Paul had a vision of the church as a body. Individual members, marriages, and households comprised this living, breathing organism. He envisioned and exalted and enthroned Christ as the head…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 8, 2019
Modern parents can learn much about their role by learning how the apostles led the early church. They considered their role a parental one, for they were spiritual fathers caring…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 6, 2019
King David was not King Hezekiah’s dad, not even close. Though they were related, Hezekiah was over a dozen generations removed from David, hundreds of years separated the men and…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 4, 2019
Husbands and Wives: A Recap (Ephesians 5:32-33)
The oneness of men and women in marriage, in a mysterious way, hints at an important truth. In the same way husbands and wives become one, so also Christ and…
Nate HoldridgeFebruary 1, 2019
Job, the sufferer. Christians shudder when they pick up his tale. A man at ease, and then the ease evaporated. Pain and misery flooded in. A human tested. (3 Minutes/400…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 28, 2019
Husbands – Sacrificially Love, Part 3 (Ephesians 5:28-31)
Paul continued his exhortation to Christian husbands by pointing to the oneness married couples have with one another. They are one flesh, made so by God. Paul went back to…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 25, 2019