This is an excerpt from Chapter 6 in Sinner Saint: A Surprising Primer to the Christian Life (1517 Publishing, 2025). Sinner Saint is available today from 1517 Publishing.
On its journey from Byzantium to Constantinople to Istanbul, this special place helps us understand the broader arc of Christian history, which goes on until Christ's return.
We needn’t fear statistics and studies as palm readings into a certain future. God is God, and his Spirit is alive through his Word.

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If you want to stay out of jail, look to the law. If you want into heaven, look to the promise. If you want to earn a paycheck from your boss, work. If you want to receive salvation from your God, believe.
Our God-given faith, despite our lack of sight, has made us sons and daughters of light who walk in the light even during dark times.
Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. But if you pause the story...then it is not just about Jesus raising Lazarus.
When the story begins in creation and ends in restoration, all the moments in between are filled with the working of God.
Jesus sits by the well as a shepherd, coming to offer this woman a life-giving stream.
Jesus promises to work for you, forgiving your sins, but He also promises to work through you, forming you into a witness to the world.
But this is not a story of Jesus being taken many places. This is a story of Jesus remaining in one place and deepening in His love of the Spirit and the Father.
Ultimately the Christian life isn't about progress, it's about promise--the Pilgrim's Promise.
Faith is a gift from God. It’s not flashy or boast-worthy. It’s total dependency on the God who saves utter fools.
God interrupts Peter, but not only to quiet him. He also directs Peter to listen to someone else.
Christianity has never been about getting people to clam up and look the part. It’s about Christ calling sinners to himself.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus establishes a whole new standard for what it means to live as one of His people.