Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Lord’s temple acknowledged that no earthly dwelling could hold the God of creation. The wonder of the incarnation, Alistair Begg explains, is that an uncontainable God took on flesh and became Emmanuel, “God with us.” God’s plan has always been a person, not a place. Jesus’ glory outshone that of the temple, and His death enables us to draw near to God. Though ascended to heaven, Christ still dwells among His church, a new temple of “living stones” unified by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Friend,
Learning how to swing a golf club successfully is not easy, but it is straightforward. One of my heroes, Byron Nelson, entitled his autobiography How I Played the Game. In 1945 he won 18 tournaments, 11 of them consecutively. The key to his success lay not in spectacular displays of individual talent but in his ability to “do the basics” well and with consistency. As in golf, so too in marriage: it is not easy, but it is straightforward, and learning to “do the basics” is vitally important.

Paul’s appearance before the Sanhedrin in Acts 22 provides a glimpse of the ordinariness of the extraordinary apostle. In this message, Alistair Begg traces the thread that shows how God worked in and through all the details of Paul’s life, including violence, hostility, regrets, and disappointments. Paul’s story reminds us that God continues to work out His purpose for each of us through the good, bad, and ordinary events of our lives.