Christian, what guides you, your feelings or your beliefs? Christians have told me, "What a Spirit-filled service we had Sunday! I could just feel the Spirit move!" I ask, "Was your faith increased?" Blank stares are the standard response. People will talk to me about a situation in their lives. More often than not, the … Continue reading Feelings VS Faith
Hebrews
Unprofitable Servants
When a boss comes to an employee and complains about their performance, often the employee defends themselves with the words, "I've done everything you told me to do!" When it comes to Christians serving God, often we look at what we do and think God will be satisfied because we check all the "to do" … Continue reading Unprofitable Servants
Our Love For God
"I love Jesus!" is a statement often uttered, but is it true? To answer that question, I reckon the first thing to do is to define love. What is love? The Bible gives us the definition of love in its most famous verse, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave..." Love … Continue reading Our Love For God
Shake, Rattle, and Roll
Last Thursday, Indiana experienced an earthquake. I have lived in Indiana for almost forty years, and this is only the second earth shaking I have felt here. Decades ago, I lived in California for three years and experienced multiple quakes, including one measuring 6.1. The shakeup Thursday was only a 3.8, but the epicenter was … Continue reading Shake, Rattle, and Roll
Bible Bloodbath
King Solomon built the first Jewish Temple. When completed, a dedication ceremony took place. At the ceremony, the Hebrews made sacrifices. The Bible tells us, "the people offered sacrifices before the LORD" and that "king Solomon offered a sacrifice..." (2 Chronicles 7:4-5). The Bible does not tell us how many people came with a sacrifice. … Continue reading Bible Bloodbath
Redeeming The Time
The new century used to seem so far away. Back in grade school, around fifty years ago, my classmates and I would talk about the arrival of the year 2000 and how old we would be. To an eight-year-old, that magical age of forty seemed like an eternity away. As a school child of the … Continue reading Redeeming The Time
Why The What
Have you ever wondered, "Why Christmas?" The answer seems simple enough, "We have Christmas to celebrate Jesus' birthday." Jesus' birthday is the what, not the why. Jesus' birthday is what we celebrate on Christmas. But why do we celebrate His birth? Going a bit deeper, maybe we should ask why Jesus was born in the … Continue reading Why The What
There Comes A Point
God is love (1 John 4:8), but God is also "a consuming fire" (Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 12:29). Both aspects, love and consuming fire, are seen in the book of Jeremiah. Israel had forsaken God and fallen into sin. The Israelites were so far into sin; they were no longer embarrassed by anything anymore (Jeremiah 6:15; … Continue reading There Comes A Point
Equality Under The Law – God’s Law
Most people have a misconception about God's law. We know that no one is perfect, but after that fact, two general beliefs prevail. First, overall if we do the right and stay away from wrong as much as possible, we will have achieved God's favor. Second, there is a line, and if we cross it, … Continue reading Equality Under The Law – God’s Law
The Christian experience
If you ask someone if they are Christian and if they answer, “Yes” ask them another question - “How do you know you are a Christian?” Something to point out here, in Christian jargon, asking if you are a Christian is synonymous with asking, “Are you saved?” Therefore, asking how someone knows they are a … Continue reading The Christian experience