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What does our contemporary culture have against Jesus? Even non-Christians used to pay tribute to the author of, ‘love your neighbor as yourself, go the extra mile and turn the other cheek’; even if they seldom sought him first in all things. Today however, the fact that the Christmas holiday is meant to celebrate his birth is no longer considered essential by some nor culturally sensitive by others. Some big city administrations going so far as to allow symbols of other religious holidays celebrated during this season – the Jewish Menorah and the Muslim star…  ( Click for more )

This article is not meant so much to scold as to encourage; which is indeed part of the function of church. (1 Thessalonians 4:18) We have been commissioned by Christ to make disciples, baptizing them into the community of believers – his church – and teaching them to obey his commands. (Matthew 28:19,20) The first Christian sermon delivered by Peter to an inquisitive assembly on the day of Pentecost outlining the immediate necessities of faith, repentance, baptism and Holy Spirit indwelling. (Acts 2:38) The fundamentals of worship recorded in Acts 2:42;…  ( Click for more )

“...without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

Belief and unbelief in the same person; is that even possible? Does your faith ever waver? Are we a REAL Christian if it does? Can a person question God’s existence, wondering about his ability to provide for us? Did he really love us enough to die for us? Can we even ask those questions and not be immediately condemned? First of all, we must realize that there is a difference…  ( Click for more )

From Thanksgiving through Christmas and on in to the New Year celebration, giving thanks in one form or another for any number of reasons is a prominent theme; for secularists and Christians alike. A time when the whole world seems to take stock of the past and then, holding its breath and crossing its fingers, hopes for a better future. The ideal of graciousness and thankfulness are universal and more prevalent throughout our society as a result of the tough times we’ve experienced lately. That being the case, I believe a revisiting of the theme of gratefulness and…  ( Click for more )

That seems unreasonable, doesn’t it? Not everything benefits me. In fact, I don’t like a lot of what happens. Yet much of thankfulness has to do with our perspective and attitude toward life. Some people suffer through hardship or calamity and ask, “Why me?” Others realize it could have been worse, and thank God it wasn’t. Some people see gloom and doom in difficult times, others see opportunity to serve; instead of continually questioning their fate, they understand what they can and do what they must. As happiness often depends on how much…  ( Click for more )

In continuing the theme of last week’s article,let’s look at a few things we often convince ourselves are no big deal, yet which nevertheless influence our lives in ways we fail to consider. A major factor in so many of these incidents is our comfort level. As the shock or fear of these enticements fade due to repeated exposure or mental indulgence, we become comfortable doing what we have become comfortable thinking about or imagining. We must, however, be on our guard and work to “…not be overcome by evil, but over-come evil with good.” Romans…  ( Click for more )

What kind of mental image do you get from that? A little “sowing of wild oats”, with an expectation of danger or trouble? Pertinent to this scripture is the fact that Hosea was speaking to the people of the covenant, the good guys; those who had been called, responded, and should have known better. Like most of us. But what’s wrong with getting just a little wild? Don’t we all need to get that out of our systems while we’re still young? Only if you are in turn willing to accept responsibility for your actions and their consequences; for there…  ( Click for more )

The message of salvation has many layers, some of which take a while to fully grasp. Much of the New Testament, largely embodied in Paul’s pastoral letters – particularly his message to the Roman’s – focuses on the reality of unmerited mercy and grace; followed closely by the response we are expected to make in love and appreciation for all that’s been done for us. Which includes joy, thanksgiving, worship and heartfelt acceptance of his will – in other words, obedience. As in, “…thanks be to God that, though you used to be…  ( Click for more )

The idea of giving from our material substance to the church in support of it’s ministry dates back to the setting up of worship by Jehovah. “A tithe of everything from the land, …belongs to the Lord.” Leviticus 27:30-33 Proverbs 3:9,10 admonishing, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first-fruits of all your crops; (with the accompanying promise) then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” The Prophet Malachi equating withholding the tithe as robbery! God further challenging Israel…  ( Click for more )

I have heard any number of sermons based on the idea that all people everywhere have a “God-spot” deep within their hearts, a place yearning for God – even if we fail to properly recognize it as such or identify it as something entirely different. In fact there is ongoing research to identify just why this is so, seeking to genetically define why the vast majority of people look for the true meaning of life in something beyond themselves. Could it simply be that God created us with a need for him, that we miss the daily walks in the garden our first ancestors…  ( Click for more )

The clothing malfunction involving Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake during their Super Bowl performance several years ago raised a number of issues; not the least of which was the hypocrisy of some who protested Ms. Jackson’s “unveiling.”

I was surprised and upset by what happened but wonder how much would have been made of the performance if Janet’s breast had merely been exposed through the thin, red, clingy top she was wearing under her leather jacket. The intent actually being to rip away the jacket, showing as much of her breast as…  ( Click for more )

I believe in the supposition, up to a point, that people value religion on the basis of cost. I know that contradicts the easy-believism many espouse today and arouses the protests of faith-only believers – which I am not in disagreement. My point being that after salvation, which we can’t earn and is granted to us exclusively through grace, many people need to be challenged to be better and do more, and will do neither if that challenge never happens. I further believe this challenge is received best by people who are seeking a belief-system that does more than…  ( Click for more )

At first glance, this instruction by Paul to Timothy might appear to excuse some “attitude” in your relationships with older people. To be sure, your parents and elders don’t know everything. And no, you’re not always wrong. But is all the counsel you receive from older people out-of-date and out-of-touch? Are all your dreams and ideas well thought out, correct and positive? Hardly. Besides which, Paul instructs us elsewhere, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18 So how do we “not…  ( Click for more )

Many find the gospel to be somewhat mysterious and hard to understand. The reason, in part, can be attributed to the vast gulf that exists between us finite beings and God’s infinite character. Literally, his “…thoughts are not (our) thoughts, neither are (our) ways (His) ways,…” Is. 55:8 And then there are times when he appears to go out of his way to make things difficult – or does he? Scripture specifically depicting Jesus as speaking in parables, which occasionally simplified divine wisdom in down-to-earth terms. (Matthew 13:34)…  ( Click for more )

Enron, Sallie Mae and Freddie Mac were the opening salvoes. No one really paid much attention though. Then came the collapse of Lehman Bros., the failure of banks and investment firms too numerous to count, the auto industry collapse and Bernie Madoff; which finally got our attention. But despite all the finger-pointing, I’m not sure we’ve genuinely addressed the real issue yet – greed. A moral issue not confined to the “high and mighty” but one effecting every social strata; as part of our most recent financial meltdown was fueled by the average…  ( Click for more )

The debate between supporters of creation/intelligent design and evolution ebbs and flows, often turning mean-spirited. Many Christians are reluctant to respond because they feel they have nothing to add to the conversation but ‘The Bible says…’; which doesn’t sound very convincing when others are citing dates, figures and facts, however dubious some of them may be. (It being particularly difficult to cite scripture effectively when your opponent doesn’t believe in the Bible – there being no common ground to your “debate”.) …  ( Click for more )

This, for me, is one of the Bible’s more reassuring promises. It is found in one of John’s pastoral letters in which he extensively discusses God’s love for us. (1 John 2) He also discusses – in detail – God’s revelation in Christ and the necessity of our journey throughout life in light of that revelation. (1 John 1)

In the scripture immediately preceding that used as the title for this article, John asserts that our past sinfulness as well as our present inclination to sin is covered by God’s promise of salvation,…  ( Click for more )

“Stand up, stand up for Jesus, Ye soldiers of the cross. Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss. From vict’ry unto vict’ry His army shall He lead, ‘Til every foe is conquered and Christ is Lord indeed.” Stirring words, exciting strong emotions, inciting us to action.

“Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey. Forth to the mighty conflict in this His glorious day. Ye that are men now serve Him against un-numbered foes. Let courage rise with danger and strength to strength oppose.” But what kind of action? We…  ( Click for more )

In an essay titled, “Nice is not the point”, Marilyn McEntyre wrote, “One of my husbands finer moments in parenting came one day when, after he had uttered an unwelcome word of correction to a disgruntled child, he leaned down, looked her in the eye and said, ‘Honey, this is what love looks like.’”1 I dare say, at that moment, she would have disagreed. But when we as parents, teachers, friends or “the church” – following Jesus’ example, speak sternly; it’s not merely to get the object of our sternness to do what…  ( Click for more )

A Barna poll of a few years ago confirms statements by Dave Shiflett in the Wall Street Journal; claiming many Christians no longer feel compelled to convert heathens (or unbelievers) – primarily because they aren’t sure there are any. (And that trend certainly hasn’t changed.) Many apparently buying into the idea that every religion is equally valid; embracing the modern dictates of tolerance and inclusion over the traditional teachings of their faith. (Such as John 14:6,7 and Acts 4:12) The findings of the Barna poll surprise at first glance, but in truth…  ( Click for more )

The good news of Jesus Christ found in the Gospels is rarely associated with repentance anymore. It is more often expressed almost exclusively as the overwhelming love, mercy, grace and redemption of God – regardless of our acknowledgement of Him or our response to His offer of salvation and consequent expectations. But the implications of salvation, chiefly that of being saved from something we can’t save ourselves from; of redemption, as in being redeemed or recovered to an intended state or to something other than we are now; of grace and mercy, which at least…  ( Click for more )

In an article for World Magazine titled, “Gods and Country”, Gene Veith makes several statements and poses a number of questions worth consideration. His central premise being, “America’s civil religion is becoming polytheistic, raising the question: Should we prefer a naked public square to the pagan alternative?” He then begins by taking us back to a place in time where political speeches, public schools, ball games and civic organizations openly incorporated scriptural quotation and prayer into their public and private functions. In some places…  ( Click for more )

What is righteousness? Paul argues convincingly that it, like salvation, is dispensed solely by God’s grace (Romans 3 & 4); the righteous living by faith. (Romans 1:17) Abraham used by Paul as a prime example of a man living and responding to God in faith, and considered righteous solely on that basis. As, …without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

But doesn’t any conversation concerning faith embrace the…  ( Click for more )

So says Jesus concerning the Holy Spirit’s role of revelation in and through the Word. Yet the world continues to echo Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” John 18:38 An article appearing in Time magazine titled, “The Lost Gospels”, addressed this on-going search for truth in surprisingly balanced fashion, citing mankind’s desire for full disclosure and understanding while seeking additional revelation to either support or supplant what they’ve learned.1

The so-called gospels of Peter, Mary, Thomas and Truth, along…  ( Click for more )