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Welcome to
TRAIN AND TELL MINISTRIES
Equipping believers to go and tell the gospel — daily devotionals, training, and resources.
Welcome to the Hope In Christ blog!
This is a place designed to help you grow in Christ. More than anything, we desire you develop a life-giving union with Jesus and learn to become confident in sharing Him with others, so check in often and grow in Christ!
Study 3 – Resist, Tear Down and Stand
The previous study established that Christians live between the cross and glory. Christ has won the decisive victory, but Satan has not yet been finally removed, the flesh has not yet been eradicated, and the world has not yet been brought into its final submission to Christ. Therefore, the Church remains a fighting body, armed not with the weapons of the flesh but with the weapons of righteousness God supplies.
Dr. Michael Stallings
4 days ago9 min read
Study 2 – The Weapons of Righteousness
The first study established something that must never be surrendered: Christ has conquered. The debt against us has been cancelled, the powers have been disarmed, the accuser has been answered by the blood of the Lamb, and there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. But that immediately raises an important question. If Christ has already won, why are Christians still commanded to fight?
Dr. Michael Stallings
7 days ago9 min read
Spiritual War pt. 1 – Christ Conquered: We Share His Victory
The previous study established that spiritual warfare began long before we were born and will continue after we die. We did not create this conflict, and salvation does not initiate it. We are born into a world already marked by rebellion, deception, accusation, death, and spiritual opposition. The difference salvation makes is not that the warfare suddenly begins, but that through Christ our position in the conflict is radically changed.
Dr. Michael Stallings
Sep 108 min read
Spiritual War?
Spiritual warfare is happening whether you know it or not. Whether you have been trained for it or not. Whether you believe in it or not. Whether you are saved or lost, spiritually mature or spiritually ignorant, the conflict does not wait for your awareness before it begins. Spiritual warfare did not begin when you became a Christian, and it will not end when your earthly life is over. We entered a conflict that was already underway long before we arrived.
Dr. Michael Stallings
Sep 76 min read
Why Should I Give to Efforts for the Poor?
One of the most important tensions a Christian must learn to understand is this: if Christ has completely paid for our sin, why do we still struggle with sin? This question has come up several times, and it is crucial because misunderstanding it can either produce false assurance or a guilty conscience that never rests. Scripture does not teach that Christ's atonement was incomplete, nor does it teach that salvation instantly eliminates every sinful tendency inherited through
Dr. Michael Stallings
Sep 35 min read
What Does John Mean by Sin?
One of the most important tensions a Christian must learn to understand is this: if Christ has completely paid for our sin, why do we still struggle with sin? This question has come up several times, and it is crucial because misunderstanding it can either produce false assurance or a guilty conscience that never rests. Scripture does not teach that Christ's atonement was incomplete, nor does it teach that salvation instantly eliminates every sinful tendency inherited through
Dr. Michael Stallings
Sep 27 min read
No Excuses
There is a significant difference between admiring Jesus and following Jesus.
A large crowd was around Jesus. The crowds were drawn to His teaching, His miracles, and His authority. But Jesus knew that following Him was going to cost something. So when a scribe declared, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go!” Jesus did not respond by making discipleship sound easier.
He told him the truth.
Dr. Michael Stallings
Sep 15 min read
The return of the unclean spirit
The return of the unclean spirit in Matthew 12 is one of the more sobering warnings Jesus ever gave. The point is not merely a teaching aspect of demonology – it is emptiness and progressive intensity of darkness through demonic occupation and influence without true transformation.
Dr. Michael Stallings
Aug 313 min read
Faith Expressing Itself Through Love
This passage helps us in daily life because it can be a battle. David is not speaking in abstract concepts–he was in dire straits for years as Israel’s King Saul tried to end his life. (This Psalm is also found in 2 Samuel 22 almost word for word.)
This passage is so helpful to remember during prolonged battles–no matter if it is financial, medical or relational–every situation applies. The verbs are active and personal: You will light… I can run… I can leap… He makes… He tr
Dr. Michael Stallings
Aug 264 min read
The Prayer That Flows from Our Position in Christ
Paul’s prayer for the Colossians is remarkably ordered. He does not begin by praying that their circumstances will change. He prays that they will know God’s will, possess wisdom, understand spiritual realities, and then live accordingly. His prayer moves from k
This passage is so helpful to remember during prolonged battles–no matter if it is financial, medical or relational–every situation applies. The verbs are active and personal: You will light… I can run… I can leap… He
Dr. Michael Stallings
Aug 254 min read
the Path-Maker, strength giver
This passage helps us in daily life because it can be a battle. David is not speaking in abstract concepts–he was in dire straits for years as Israel’s King Saul tried to end his life. (This Psalm is also found in 2 Samuel 22 almost word for word.)
This passage is so helpful to remember during prolonged battles–no matter if it is financial, medical or relational–every situation applies. The verbs are active and personal: You will light… I can run… I can leap… He makes… He tr
Dr. Michael Stallings
Aug 244 min read
Natural to Be Offended, Supernatural to Be Like Christ
David Knew He Needed God
David understood something about himself that every believer eventually must recognize: he could not even see everything within himself that needed to change.
Psalm 19:12 asks:
“Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults.”
That is a remarkable prayer.
David understood that there could be sin operating within him that he did not recognize. He was not merely asking forgiveness for the sins he could name. He was asking Go
Dr. Michael Stallings
Aug 209 min read
With You Always
These are the final recorded words of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel – not a farewell, but a promise. “I am with you always.” The One who was born Immanuel – “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) – ends His earthly ministry by reaffirming His abiding presence. Matthew begins with the declaration that God has come to be with us, and it ends with Jesus declaring that He will remain with us. He is not absent. He is not distant. He has not commissioned His people and then left them to accompli
Dr. Michael Stallings
Aug 184 min read
The Risen One
In this simple yet weighty statement, Jesus refers to Himself as Master (kyrios), a term that signifies authority, ownership, and relational leadership. As disciples, we are not His equals—we are His followers, learners, servants. The term “master” was used in both social and spiritual contexts in the ancient world. In Jesus’ case, it denotes not only rank, but the right to command and shape the lives of those who belong to Him.
Dr. Michael Stallings
Aug 72 min read
Deliverer
In this simple yet weighty statement, Jesus refers to Himself as Master (kyrios), a term that signifies authority, ownership, and relational leadership. As disciples, we are not His equals—we are His followers, learners, servants. The term “master” was used in both social and spiritual contexts in the ancient world. In Jesus’ case, it denotes not only rank, but the right to command and shape the lives of those who belong to Him.
Dr. Michael Stallings
Aug 62 min read
Teacher from God
In this simple yet weighty statement, Jesus refers to Himself as Master (kyrios), a term that signifies authority, ownership, and relational leadership. As disciples, we are not His equals—we are His followers, learners, servants. The term “master” was used in both social and spiritual contexts in the ancient world. In Jesus’ case, it denotes not only rank, but the right to command and shape the lives of those who belong to Him.
Dr. Michael Stallings
Aug 52 min read
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