Our Advent Devotional
I'm excited to begin an Advent journey with you using Pastor John Piper's book, "Joy to the World: Daily Readings for Advent"...
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How His Resurrection Reframes Your Reality
Jesus, who was crucified on a Friday two-thousand years ago, amazingly, rose again, rose to life on the following Sunday. This radical reality should, above everything else, reframe your reality. But has it? Does it? Strangely, many people today who accept Christ's resurrection as an historical reality don't seem to actually live in light of that reality....
Put Your Armor On
What is the Apostle describing in Ephesians 6:10-17? He's describing life on the battlefield. Conflict. Forces of Evil. Putting on armor. This is the language of warfare, of a battle taking place in which the Ephesian Christians are involved. And if we believe their faith is our faith, if we believe this was and is God's word to his people, then we are on that same battlefield....
Is Romans 7:14-25 Describing a Christian's Struggle with Sin?
Will a genuine follower of Christ, one who has truly been “born again”, a person genuinely filled with the Holy Spirit, struggle with sin? The answer from the New Testament is an emphatic “yes”. And there are many passages that speak to this reality of the believer's struggle with sin. But though many want to offer these verses as evidence and use their language, Romans 7:14-25 isn't one of those passages....
Why That Homeless Man Probably Isn't Jesus
Maybe you've heard this identification before: “Yes, when we were ministering to that homeless gentleman in front of the old firehouse, I knew we were ministering to Jesus himself, just like the Bible says.” Of course the individual in question could be any number of people in need: an incarcerated relative, a child in 'the system', a dying neighbor. But does the New Testament really teach that when we bless such people, we are actually blessing Jesus in disguise? ...
Visit Fantasyland, But Don't Stay
...When visiting the different, themed sections of Disneyland, Fantasyland is not typically high on my priority list. But even those who enjoy the Tea Cup ride or King Arthur's carousel know there's much more to the Disneyland experience. Think about it: who would pay full price for admission, but then simply cycle through just the ten or eleven rides in Fantasyland? No one. But God's word warns us that, too often, we're the kind of people who do something very similar when it comes to everyday life: we regularly choose to pitch our tent in a land of fantasy rather than reality....
7 'Christmas Story' Fallacies
The fallacies I have in mind are ones that have been circulated over the centuries by what some call popular or folk Christianity. Undoubtedly, these kinds of 'Christian' beliefs can be found in all sorts of categories, not just the one labeled 'Christmas'. But these Christmas fallacies are some of the best known, since they are promoted annually through things like nativity scenes/sets, television and movies, and even Christmas carols....
But What About Forgiving Myself? (Part 2)
In light of the moral universe revealed by the Scriptures, I suggested modern ideas regarding 'self-forgiveness' make very little sense. But this doesn't mean there are not areas of overlap between biblical concerns and modern, therapeutic concerns. Care for hurting individuals is the common goal. So where are the points of connection, and how does God's word address modern concerns?...
But What About Forgiving Myself?
Have you ever heard someone say, “I just can't forgive myself”? If you're a follower of Jesus, than this struggle should stir our hearts to help. But as I think many would agree, we must help in light of God's word. Here's the challenge: while it's a well-known concept in both counseling contexts and popular culture, attentive readers of Scripture know that 'self-forgiveness' is not an explicit concept in the Bible....
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Christians and Yom Kippur
While Christians are not called to keep the day, Yom Kippur can serve as a powerful reminder that this yearly ritual was only a picture of the perfect sacrifice God would provide and did provide through Jesus (cf. Isaiah 53:10)....
3 Spiritual Lessons from 9/11
As we mark the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, many people will undoubtedly be reflecting on the significance of what happened two decades ago and how it should shape our outlook today. While historians, security analysts, and those who focus on foreign affairs have had and will have a lot to discuss, it's just as important to reflect on the spiritual significance of those tragic events....
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Now Thank We All Our God
How could Thanksgiving be the same in a year when almost everything else has been 'out of sorts'? Sadly, it won't be. But while many will understandably miss the familiar holiday habits and hugs, the troubling issues of 2020 cannot change the word that God has issued about giving thanks: "...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for ...
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Seven Proverbs-Inspired Prayers for Our Leaders
Did you know Proverbs includes around fifty verses that mention (or are part of a passage that mentions) either a “king”, “ruler”, “prince”, or “noble”, or that speak to a royal context or function? If we desire healthy and effective leadership in our lives, prayer is one powerful way to genuinely make a difference. To that end, here are seven Proverbs-insp...
Keep ReadingProverbs on "Kings" and "Rulers"
A list of around fifty verses from the book of Proverbs that mention (or are part of a passage that mentions) human leaders like "kings", "ruler", "princes", and "nobles". Consider what these reveal about God's wisdom and design for human leadership....
Keep ReadingTake Your Temperature
Every Christian is a disciple of Jesus. But that doesn't necessarily mean every Christian is walking in spiritual healthiness as a disciple... In light of [the reality of spiritual] unhealthiness, it is vitally important for every follower of Christ to take his or her spiritual 'temperature'....
Keep ReadingChristmas 2020-Away Teams E-Service Project
Looking for a simple way to bless others this Christmas... even if they live thousands of miles away? Here's your chance. We want to send an expanded Christmas 'e-card' to all of the individuals around whom our Away Teams have been formed....
Keep ReadingWho are You Voting for in November?
Contrary to what you might be hearing (even from some respected, Christian leaders), who you vote for in the upcoming presidential election is not a biblical mark of genuine, saving faith, nor is it inherently an unrighteous act if you vote for the so-called 'wrong' candidate (whoever that is in your context)....
Keep ReadingThe Coronavirus Corrective
When we hold on firmly to the biblical definition of church, public health measures may force us to revise our plans, but they simply cannot restrict the church from being the church. Throughout history, and throughout the world, even today, the Church has always been flexible enough to adjust the form of its life together, without veering from the function of its life tog...
Keep ReadingBuilding 2020
I think you would agree that God is using this pandemic to get our attention, in a number of ways, concerning a number of different areas. I hope you've been considering what He might be revealing to you through all this about your own faith and your own path. But I hope you've also thought about what God might be saying to us as a faith family? The elders believe He ...
Keep ReadingThat Time Jesus Referred to the Foreign Woman as a “Dog”
When we read often-neglected stories like this, we're reminded that it's very easy to slip into a mentality of, “Jesus? Oh yeah, I know Jesus. I know all about Jesus.” But God is so good to unsettle us in terms of the often unsettling truth about the real Jesus....
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