“When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 18:5, NKJV).

“…I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19, ESV). My patient was in her 80s and medically stable, but her countenance troubled me. Upon checking in on her again, she burst into tears, confessing she was terrified to die. Her daughter sat at her bedside and tried reassuring her mother. I asked them if I could pray with them, and they agreed. I praised God for the Physician of physicians and proclaimed the gospel in prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. My patient didn’t have a church home and asked me to call the chaplain so she could also speak with him. Before I left, I gave her a wooden cross a professor had given me and told her to pray when the fear and darkness crept back because, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18, ESV). The next day during rounds, the attending, the intern and myself—a medical student—saw the patient together. As the attending wrapped up the medical conversation, the patient’s daughter thanked me for praying with them the day before and exclaimed, “Guess who got baptized yesterday!” I looked at my patient; she was beaming. I praised Jesus and gave her a hug, welcoming a new sister into the family. Looking back on that moment, I marvel at God’s work: He proclaimed Himself through a redeemed sinner, in the darkness, amid many witnesses. “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord” (Psalm 40:3, ESV).

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20, NIV).

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people…” (Acts 2:44-47, NIV). Six children, five at home, and a husband with advanced cancer for the last year, perhaps for not much longer. She has the sweetest disposition and the utmost peace I have ever witnessed in such trying circumstances. I caught her in the hall and asked her how she was doing in the struggle. “I’m fine,” she said. “I’ve got a great support group.” Then she added, “I don’t know how people without the church make it through things like this.”

“So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth…That is why it was called Babel…” (Genesis 11:8-9, NIV).

“Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it’…And it was so” (Genesis 1:11, NIV).

“He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give to water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children’” (Revelation 21:6-7, NIV).

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites’” (Joshua 1:1-2, NIV).

“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him” (Mark 3:13, NIV). Dr. Ledia Qatipi is a friend of mine. She was born in Albania and has dedicated her life to God’s service in a Christian healthcare clinic there. She is raising two teenage daughters whom she loves dearly, and thus she understands the realities of life. A few months ago, she told me that God had spoken to her and asked her to begin an additional ministry to the Roma of Tirana, most of whom live in open, three-sided shelters and beg for a living. The call was real, and God is blessing the ministry she has begun—on the side, as she works in her clinic and raises her daughters.

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:2-4, NIV).

“For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17, NIV).

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” (2 Peter 1:5-7, NIV).

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear…” (Matthew 6:25, NIV).

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4, ESV).

“Jesus did not let him [go with him], but said, ‘Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you’” (Mark 5:19, NIV). His broken neck was doing okay today with adequate pain meds. The cancer that had once been “cured” and then returned was now gone for over two years, a miracle in my scientific mind. “I don’t know why God blessed you with one of His miracles,” I said. “I hope you are using it well.” “Oh, we are,” the wife answered. He added, “Every time I go to AA, I tell them how God has blessed me, what He has done to heal me. I always slip a little God in their back pockets before they leave.”

“…‘Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are…’” (Mark 12:14, NIV).