There is an ongoing debate, one I'd call unserious at best, about whether Jesus and Paul actually taught the same things. Some claim Paul's letters don't fully align with the Gospels, or even outright contradict them. The more provocative version of this argument is that Paul essentially invented Christianity as its own religion, something largely separated from the actual ministry of Jesus. Makes me wonder if these folks have ever really sat down with Paul's letters. Jesus i

What does it actually mean to live differently as a follower of Jesus? Paul had a city full of very different people - and a surprisingly practical answer. When you walk into the ruins of ancient Ephesus, the first thing you notice is what used to be there: the Temple of Artemis, once one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Today it's just a handful of columns. But the city itself, the library, the marketplace, the enormous amphitheater that seated tens of thousands -

What the Seven Ones of Ephesians 4 Have to Do with Ancient Christian Unity Maybe you remember it from youth camp. Arms around each other, swaying gently in the firelight, singing: "We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord... and they'll know we are Christians by our love." It's a beautiful sentiment. But have you ever really stopped to consider what you're declaring? We are one. Not "we should probably try to get along." Not "we agree on most of the major stuff." We a