Does the doctrine of the Trinity make you think of some theologian or Bible scholar speaking fancy words? Well, I got news for you. The doctrine of the Trinity is not just something in our confession of faith. It is the way God reveals Himself to us in His Word. Even more important it’s the foundation of our salvation, our fellowship with God, and our daily comfort as Christians. Every believer already depends upon the Trinity every single day, whether recognizing it or not.

Paul's confidence was never in polished speech or impressive language. His confidence rested in the power of the gospel. The message is what saves people, not the messenger's ability to sound eloquent. That should be the desire of every shepherd and every believer sharing the gospel. We are not called to impress people. We are called to feed people….

Beloved, have you ever thought about the difference between God preserving us and our perseverance? When we understand the difference, this can bring great comfort to the Saints, because our perseverance does not rest in our own strength. Or the ability to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. It rests in the faithfulness of God. The Bible teaches us that every true believer is preserved by God. And, because God preserves His people, they will persevere to the very end. We remain faithful because our God is faithful. Our perseverance is not the cause of our salvation; it is the evidence that God is preserving us.

Brothers and Sisters, sometimes I think we forget just how much we need the gospel every single day. We tend to think the gospel is mainly for those who have not come to Christ yet. Those who need the gospel to be saved. They certainly do and we should pray for the lost and tell sinners there is forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ. However, sometimes we act as though the gospel got us through the front door. Now it is up to us to navigate the rest of the house. Beloved, that is just not true.

One of our great comforts we have is knowing that our salvation does not rest upon the strength of our grip on Christ, but upon Christ's grip on us. There is an important difference between God's preservation and our perseverance, and understanding that difference can bring tremendous peace to our hearts. Because God preserves His people, we are able to persevere. Those two truths always belong together. Preservation is God's work. Perseverance is the believer's response. Yet even our perseverance is made possible by the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

As we enter the month of July, I have been thinking and praying about the believers in the city of Berea and the beautiful testimony that God gives of them in Acts 17:10-15. I ask myself how I can be more like them, be more Berean.

The people there responded in a way that every Christian should desire to imitate. So I asked myself how can I do that, be more like the Bereans? I came up with four areas I should work on in my life.