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
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
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
Improve Your Sermon Preparation
Bible teachers and preachers are a gift to the body of Christ, but they have also received a gift and a calling from the Lord, one they must steward well…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 30, 2019
Easter Tips For Pastors
Our Good Friday services have developed into a significant part of our church calendar, and Easter Sunday is our largest gathering of the year. I have learned a lot about…
Nate HoldridgeJanuary 9, 2019
Not counting little fender benders here and there, I have been in two major car accidents. Every day, I feel fortunate to be alive. In both collisions, however, I saw…
Nate HoldridgeDecember 17, 2018
Walk In Your Father’s Light, part 2 (Ephesians 5:14-16)
Paul, wanting to urge the church to walk in the Father’s light, uses a quotation to exhort his readers. Many think the quote is a mashup of a few exhortations…
Nate HoldridgeDecember 7, 2018
Walk In Your Father’s Light, part 1 (Ephesians 5:7-14)
Not only is our Father a God of love (Ephesians 5:1-6), but He is also a God of light (Ephesians 5:7-14). In the passage before us, Paul tells us we…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 30, 2018
Walk In Your Father’s Love, part 2 (Ephesians 5:3-6)
Paul has just instructed his readers to imitate the love of God as demonstrated in the sacrificial cross of Christ (Ephesians 5:1-2). Our love is to be one which lays…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 23, 2018
Walk In Your Father’s Love, part 1 (Ephesians 5:1-2)
In other New Testament passages, believers are told to imitate God, to work towards godliness, because of the new nature Christ has implanted within them or because the Holy Spirit…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 16, 2018
The New You (Continued)/ Hardworking, Edifying, And Kind (Ephesians 4.28-32)
(cont’d) Third, Paul told them to be hardworking — “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 9, 2018
The New You: Truthful And Free Of Anger (Ephesians 4:25-27)
After reminding the Ephesians of what they had learned from Jesus, namely to put off the old and put on the new, Paul explained five areas to take off and…
Nate HoldridgeNovember 2, 2018
Remember What You Learned (Ephesians 4:20-24)
Paul now reminds the Ephesian church what they had learned by first telling them who they had learned. They had learned Christ! (4 Minutes / 700 Words)
Nate HoldridgeOctober 26, 2018
United To Your New Self — Who You Are Not (Ephesians 4:17-19)
The transformation of the caterpillar into a butterfly stands as a poignant illustration of the truth Paul next communicates to the Ephesians. He dreams of the Ephesians living in the…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 19, 2018
When I was a boy, I loved to play with model trains. I remember learning about the engine, the car that pulled everyone else, but also the caboose, the car…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 17, 2018
When the people of Israel returned from their captivity in Babylon, significant challenges awaited them. They had small numbers and resources, but big obstacles and enemies. To rebuild Jerusalem and…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 15, 2018
The Maximal Functionality Of The Church (Ephesians 4:13-16)
Paul demonstrated how the word of God is meant to interact with the body of Christ to build it up for a life of ministry. Much of this ministry is…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 12, 2018
No two people are alike, and if by some miracle they are, they won’t automatically like each other for it. We are people with brokenness, sinful desires, and bad histories,…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 10, 2018
Enjoy Christ’s Gift (Ephesians 4:11-12)
God has, Paul told us, given each believer enabling grace. If the blood of Christ covers us, we are part of the larger body of believers. From His exalted seat…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 5, 2018
Marriage Principles From Non-Marriage Verses — 2. The Spirit Transforms Us (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Christina and I are not the same people we were in 2002, the year we stood before God and witnesses and declared our covenant of love for one another. As…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 3, 2018
Become A Free Slave (Romans 6:15-23)
I call it the Africa Decision Myth. I’m sure you’ve heard, or maybe even said it, before. The idea is simple: if God asks me to go to Africa, I…
Nate HoldridgeOctober 1, 2018
Appreciate Christ’s Generosity (Ephesians 4:7-10)
Even though the church is unbreakable and one, we are diverse and varied. Paul tells us “grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s…
Nate HoldridgeSeptember 28, 2018
Marriage Principles From Non-Marriage Verses — 1. Our Identity Is In Christ (Colossians 3.3-4)
Consider the phrase: “Christ who is your life.” Christina and I have found that we cannot be one another’s life. Her life is not hidden in mine; nor is mine…
Nate HoldridgeSeptember 26, 2018
Believe In The Church’s Unbreakable Oneness (Ephesians 4:4-6)
Paul dreamed of the church. In so doing, he introduced a beautiful truth: the universal church is one because the Triune God is one. (3 Minutes / 500 Words)
Nate HoldridgeSeptember 21, 2018
Adopt The Right Attitude For Body Life (Ephesians 4:1-3)
Paul saw the church as a body. When healthy, the body can run and jump and move with ease. When sick, the body is hindered from moving the way the…
Nate HoldridgeSeptember 14, 2018
The Result Of Connection To Christ’s Love (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Paul concluded his prayer, and the first half of his letter to the Ephesians, by predicting the result of a people who've been united to the love of Christ: glory…
Nate HoldridgeSeptember 7, 2018
A Prayer for God to Fill Every Part of You (Ephesians 3:19)
Paul now concludes his prayer for us to become more fully united to the love of Christ. One facet of this telescoping prayer remains: for us to “be filled with…
Nate HoldridgeAugust 30, 2018
When You Are Rooted And Grounded In Christ’s Love (Ephesians 3:17-19)
Paul, longing for the church to become fully united to the love of Christ, has prayed for the Spirit to build up our inner person and for Christ to settle…
Nate HoldridgeAugust 23, 2018
My Sermon Preparation Process (for Bible Teachers)
Learning another pastor's teaching preparation process has always edified me, so this post is for pastors who would like a glimpse into my routine. Here's a bit of what I…
Nate HoldridgeAugust 11, 2018
United To Christ’s Love — A Prayer (Ephesians 3:14-16)
4 Minutes / 700 Words
Nate HoldridgeAugust 2, 2018
United To God’s Plan — Enjoy It (Ephesians 3.11-13)
3 Minutes / 600 Words
Nate HoldridgeJuly 26, 2018
United To God’s Plan — Serve The Mystery (Ephesians 3:7-8)
3 Minutes / 600 Words
Nate HoldridgeJuly 12, 2018
How To Win The Daily Battle With Sin (Romans 6:12-14)
13 Minutes / 2600 Words
Nate HoldridgeJuly 10, 2018
United To God’s Plan — A Revealed Mystery (Ephesians 3:6)
600 Words / 4 Minutes
Nate HoldridgeJuly 5, 2018
United To God’s Plan — Personally (Ephesians 3:1-5)
4 Minutes / 800 Words
Nate HoldridgeJune 28, 2018
Consider How Alive To God You Are! (Romans 6:5-11)
15 Minutes / 3000 Words
Nate HoldridgeJune 26, 2018
United To One Another — What We Are (Ephesians 2.19-22)
Paul has previously demonstrated how the Gentile world was outside God’s program, looking in on what He was doing with Israel. The promises and covenants and hope attached to the…
Nate HoldridgeJune 21, 2018
United To One Another — What Christ Did-Three Things (Ephesians 2.14-18)
Beautifully, Christ has killed the hostility, breaking down the wall of division by His blood. Gentiles can now be brought near by His blood. There is no level of divide…
Nate HoldridgeJune 14, 2018
Get Connected to Newness of Life! (Romans 6:1-4)
Our culture is fascinated with new. We want the best, the most up to date, the latest in innovation. In some area of life, we long for newness. We crave…
Nate HoldridgeJune 12, 2018
United To One Another — What Christ Did- Destroyed The Hostlility (Ephesians 2:13-16)
who were once far off” — have been brought near by the blood of Christ. It is the blood of Christ at Calvary which levels the field, for none gain…
Nate HoldridgeJune 7, 2018
United To One Another — We Were Outside God’s Program (Ephesians 2:11-12)
Paul went on to detail three disadvantages the nations (the non-Jewish world) were under before Christ came and died on His cross. He attached an exhortation to these disadvantages —…
Nate HoldridgeMay 31, 2018
United To One Another — What We Were, Ephesians 2:11-12
Paul believed sin caused double alienation. In his view, sin divides us from God and one another. The entirety of Ephesians 2 demonstrates how God has dealt with that double…
Nate HoldridgeMay 24, 2018
United To God — What We Are (His Workmanship), Ephesians 2:10
Paul has taught us what we were in our past life, along with what God has done to give us new life (Ephesians 2:1-9). Next, he shows us what we…
Nate HoldridgeMay 17, 2018
United To God — How God Did It, Ephesians 2:8-9
We have taken time to learn why and how God worked to save His people, but how did God perform this gracious salvation? We’ve seen what we were and what…
Nate HoldridgeMay 10, 2018
United To God — What God Did, Ephesians 2.5-6
We have now observed why God saved us, but what did God do to rescue us from our previous condition? Spiritually dead, followers in every way, and under the judgment…
Nate HoldridgeMay 3, 2018
United To God — Why God Did It, Ephesians 2.4-5
Up to this point in our passage, Paul has explained to us the utter lostness of humanity (see Ephesians 2:1-3). We were dead. We were followers. We were children of…
Nate HoldridgeApril 26, 2018