SCRIPTURE FIRST
Don't take our word for it.
Open the passage. Read what comes before. Read what comes after. Follow the cross-references. Ask questions.
We're giving you the reference.
The rest is between you and the Word.
MATTHEW 9:9
As Jesus passed by, he saw Matthew sitting at the tax booth. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Matthew got up and followed him.READ MATTHEW 9:1–13
Matthew's call doesn't happen in isolation. Read what leads to it. Then keep reading. See who Jesus sits down with next, and who has a problem with it.
EXODUS 14:14
“The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”READ EXODUS 14:10–31
Israel is trapped between Pharaoh's army and the sea. They're afraid. Moses tells them not to run, not to fight, and not to give in to fear. Stand firm. Be still. Watch what God does.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:21
“Test everything; hold fast what is good.”READ 1 THESSALONIANS 5:12–24
Don't turn two words into a slogan. Paul surrounds them with instructions about respect, patience, prayer, gratitude, prophecy, discernment and faithful living.
DON'T WEAR THE VERSE WITHOUT READING THE VERSE.