And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.” ~ Revelation 5:9-10 In the final book of the Bible the apostle John received several grand and glorious visions of the greatness of eternity. In these visions we see the awesomeness of Jesus, we find comfort in the assurance of his victory, and we taste hope … [Read more...] about Why do we do missions? (a meditation)
Refugees: We might disagree, but can we at least agree that this is a terrible reason?
If by now you have not heard about the Syrian refugee crisis, then you’ve been hiding in the no man’s land of northern Canada. Based on everything I’ve seen on the news, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, my guess would be that if polled your church, family, and friends about what should be done then you would find sharply divided opinions. It should not surprise us. Disagreement runs in our blood. Personally, I think we should accept those we can. Yes, we should vet them and check their backgrounds to the best of our ability; but we should not let the threat of a few terrorists stop us from … [Read more...] about Refugees: We might disagree, but can we at least agree that this is a terrible reason?
About Those Red Cups (or: A Lottie Moon Giving Challenge)
We’ve all probably seen the Facebook links, read the news, and rolled our eyes. Some guy somewhere with a YouTube account is claiming Starbucks’ plain red and green Christmas cups are a war against the Christian faith. Yawn, and bah-humbug to him. When Jesus prayed, “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:14), he wasn’t talking Starbucks cups or cheery Happy Holidays! from retail employees. And that isn’t what this post is about anyway. Our brothers and sisters in other countries, especially … [Read more...] about About Those Red Cups (or: A Lottie Moon Giving Challenge)
Ask not how this benefits you…
James minced no words. In the second chapter of his short letter he cut straight to the heart of the way we treat others. The temptation is to look at potential relationships in terms of benefit as opposed to personhood. Rather than considering the heart as God considers (1 Samuel 16:7) we look at the exterior. In James’ example between rich and poor, the temptation is to incline ourselves towards the rich because on the surface they seem to have more to offer. So James gave the order: stop showing partiality. If a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a … [Read more...] about Ask not how this benefits you…
Better Than the Angels
After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. ~ Hebrews 1:3-4 Our culture has a very eclectic view of angels. In popular shows on tv they appear as warriors who view humanity as an annoyance or wage war against mankind and each other for control of the world. Around Christmastime with cartoons and pageants, angels are often presented as cute children with wings and halos crooning over baby Jesus. These angels wouldn’t hurt a fly. Some people pray to … [Read more...] about Better Than the Angels
The second most important thing about the return of Jesus (a meditation on a life lived in expectancy)
“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware like a trap.” ~ Jesus, Luke 21:34 A good way to start a debate or even an argument among Christians: bring up Jesus’ return. For centuries many godly people have disagreed about the details of Jesus’ second coming. You find people from all types of Christian backgrounds who are post-, pre-, mid-, or a- when it comes to topics like the millennial reign of Jesus and the church’s place in the “great tribulation.” And a lot of it has to do with how people … [Read more...] about The second most important thing about the return of Jesus (a meditation on a life lived in expectancy)
A prayer for every day
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” ~ Luke 17:5 The Christian life is built on the foundation of faith. It is by faith we are saved and it is by faith we are to live each day as followers of Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-10, Hebrews 10:36-39). Faith starts with belief, specifically a belief that Jesus is the crucified and resurrected Savior-King who gives us life from death, but faith is more than mere belief. Faith is a life-altering trust. Because we have faith in Jesus, we trust that he is the greatest treasure and hope we can have, and we trust that his way is better. So, we … [Read more...] about A prayer for every day
“Some people just never change.”
About this blog title… I hate those five words. I heard them recently at a roundtable discussion for pastors, and it’s not the first time I’ve heard them and it probably won’t be the last. As a pastor, the first time I heard them spoken was after I left my first church and started at my second. My first church was a small country church I served for three years while working on my Masters. When it came to me and some of the people there, we didn’t always see eye-to-eye. They were officially “non-denominational” with a hodgepodge background that included United Methodist, American Baptist, … [Read more...] about “Some people just never change.”
The Manifest Presence of God
The manifest presence of God. I’ve heard this phrase used quite a bit these past few years. Studying church revitalization, I’ve been told that one of the reasons why churches lack growth and vitality is that people just don’t feel the manifest presence of God. And so we need to seek more to bring people to experience his presence. Okay. Got it. Now what does it mean? Honestly, this is something I have wrestled with. It sounds good with a biblical ring and so forth, but when I’ve asked people to describe the phrase the answers haven’t been very clear. Along these lines I have heard … [Read more...] about The Manifest Presence of God
None Beyond the Reach
…though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ~ Paul, 1 Timothy 1:13-14 What do you think when you see a stranger walking down the street? What do you think when a person speeding along the interstate cuts you off to pass someone on the right? What do you think when you see the news about someone who has robbed another? About someone who has murdered? About a terrorist who shouts for joy as he beheads another … [Read more...] about None Beyond the Reach