1 Thessalonians 1.10 promises, Jesus is the one Who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming
judgment.
Recently I was listening to a man describe why he rejected his Christian upbringing. He served as a soldier in Vietnam and couldn’t understand how a good God could allow so much suffering. He has since become a Muslim. I didn’t understand how switching ‘gods’ helped him especially to one who doesn’t describe himself as love. (more…)
Colossians 1.28 explains, we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.
This verse most succinctly defines the occupation or purpose of every Christian: to bring people to Jesus and help them know His will.
When God lived on earth He began His work by inviting men to follow Him so that they could become fishers of men. When God left the earth entrusting His work to the care of men He commanded them to go and make disciples. (more…)
John 20.21 defines the Christian destiny, as the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you.
Jesus, God, left His message and work of reconciling the world to Himself through Jesus the resurrected Savior, in the hands of His followers.
What are Christians supposed to give their lives to? Making disciples. How are Christians supposed to do this work? As Jesus did. What does this look like? We are to live as Jesus lived while He lived with us on the earth. How did Jesus live? Simply, humbly and purposefully. (more…)
Philippians 2.12 commands, work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep
reverence and fear.
Easter has just passed for most Christians: it is the time for celebration of the life, death and resurrection of God in Jesus the Savior. It is a celebration because humanity no longer is required to be perfect in order to get to heaven. It is a celebration because humanity is no longer measured by their own performance for earning heaven. It is a celebration because God is offering a pardon for all disobedience against Him by every person who has ever lived who will simply ask God for His pardon through Jesus the Savior. (more…)
John 7.13 observes no one had the courage to speak favorably about Him in public, for they were afraid
of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.
While watching a popular sports talk show yesterday I noticed the interviewee easily referenced his commitment to God but not to Jesus. As he was wearing a cross around his neck I am assuming he would identify with Christianity as his religion.
This comfort with God and discomfort with Jesus is age-old and helps explain why we are so broken in our current culture. (more…)
Luke 22.46 challenges, get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.
God takes sin seriously. Sin is everything we do that defies the will of God.
This defiance is measured by God by our words, attitudes and actions toward Him and others. God has demonstrated His commitment to punish sin since humanity began their rebellion against God. (more…)
2 Corinthians 4.4 describes Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who
don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
‘The devil made me do it’ is a euphemism for describing why I choose to do the wrong or naughty thing. When the world is askew, when all kinds of bad things are occurring, it isn’t the devil we blame but God. (more…)
Luke 9.60 comments, let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about
the Kingdom of God.
God requires only a few things from us but He appears fairly adamant about those few things.
First is to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. While we look to make the adherence to this command a feeling within ourselves God measures it by His second command which is to love our neighbor as ourselves. (more…)
1 Corinthians 3.18-19 commands, if you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to
become a fool to be truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”
Recently deceased Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia put it this way, ‘God assumed from the beginning that the wise of the world would view Christians as fools…and He has not been disappointed. Devout Christians are destined to be regarded as fools in modern society. We are fools for Christ’s sake. We must pray for courage to endure the scorn of the sophisticated world. If I have brought any message today, it is this: Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ. And have the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world.’
Justice Scalia’s challenge is immensely timely for this generation of Christians. (more…)
Mark 11.17 describes, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations . But you have turned it
into a den of robbers!
What is the purpose of Church?
If the Church is the world wide ‘body’ of Christ, the faithful followers of Jesus, then it’s mission is the Great Commission. If the Church is the local building where the followers of Jesus gather then…..it gets a bit more nebulous, at least to the followers. (more…)
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