“That may be true for you, but it is not true for me.” It’s a common phrase heard among people in our culture today. Truth has fallen on hard times. It echoes what Pilate said to Jesus while on trial: “So you are a king then?” He was trying to determine if Jesus was indeed a king. Jesus responds, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” (John 19:37-38)

“Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10b). The Apostle John heard these words of Jesus to the Church of Smyrna in His heavenly vision. They are a call to faithfulness amid a culture hostile to faith. They are fitting words for Christians of all times, but certainly for us. At all times we are called to discipleship—to repent of our sins and to live out our faith according to our daily stations of life.

There is nothing new under the sun, says Ecclesiastes (1:9). Challenges come and go, repeating themselves throughout history, including within the Holy Christian Church. Nonetheless, each age encounters challenges new to those living in it. So it is for the church today.

“Record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham…” Matt. 1:1 Genealogies are about as much fun to read as running into a brick wall. Most of us don’t care much for them unless we need some good bedtime reading to put us to sleep. At first glance, trudging through a long list of names can be rather cumbersome and boring. However, if we pause and look at the big picture, genealogies are quite fascinating and informative.

How do you identify a famous person? What do they need to be known by others? Said another way, what one thing makes them be known wide and far? What is it? They need a name. Without a name their fame won’t stick. 

Without names history would be lost, events would be changed, and learning would suffer.