Even as Hebrews prepared the first century church for persecution, so it is also relevant to today's church as it faces an increasing assault on God's law.

The socio-cultural milieu before the writing of Hebrews created difficulties for the Jewish converts to the Gospel, who were deemed to be traitors.

Were the clean and unclean laws abolished at the cross? A closer look at the pertinent New Testament scriptures reveals God's intent.

When Hebrews was written, the newly converted Jew to the Way encountered persecution from the established religion and culture similar to what we experience.

The book of Hebrews' audience consisted of converts from Judaism, suffering estrangement from family and community, excommunicated from the temple.

The conversion of Cornelius is nearly as pivotal as the original Pentecost because the Gentiles are given the same portal of salvation offered to Israel.

Hebrews was written to fulfill several needs of the first-century church. One of the most critical was to explain God's opening of eternal life to the Gentiles.

God made the gospel available to the Gentiles to provoke Israel to jealousy. The key to breaking down the enmity and animosity is to put on Christ.

We dare not 'do away' anything that is part of God's mind, or we will not be in His image. Acts 15 did not give Gentiles exemption from keeping God's Law.

The founding of the United States and the other nations of modern Israel was not random or accidental, but purposely orchestrated by our Creator.

God, following a pattern, routinely calls the lowly and weak to guard against pride. God will transform the weak of this world through His Holy Spirit.

The martyrdom of Stephen had the paradoxical effect of spreading the Gospel into Gentile venues, enabling individuals like Cornelius to be added to Christ.

Though the United States was not established as a Christian nation, the founding Fathers established a legal system based upon biblical ethical standards.

After the change from the Aaronic to the Melchizedek priesthood, it was also necessary to change the Covenant. The flaw was not the law, but the heart.

Mechanically keeping the law is only the beginning of righteousness. By emphasizing principle, Christ came to magnify, not to destroy God's law.

Scripture takes a very stern view of sin because it is failure to live up to God's standard and destroys relationships, especially our relationship with God.

To destroy the concept of home is to destroy the nation or church. The centrality of the family or household is the heart of the church and the nation.

'Affluenza' describes the bloated insensitivity caused by trying to keep up with the Joneses, the stress caused by doggedly pursuing the American Dream.