Method-Centered or Message-Centered?
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. Romans 1:1 In our previous two blogs we have seen how the apostle Paul thinks about himself. First, he is a man who is the servant of Christ Jesus, and then one who was...
Are You Living as a Called Person?
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1). We have seen in the previous blog that Romans 1:1 is the closest thing to a business card Paul ever wrote; it is the most elongated introduction of himself...
How Does Your Business Card Read?
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God” Romans 1:1 I am convinced that if Paul ever had a business card, this is how it would read. That’s because in this verse, Paul gives the most exhaustive description of how...
Identity Crisis
One of the fastest growing crimes today is that of identity theft. Identity theft is the deliberate use of someone else's identity, usually as a method to gain a financial advantage or obtain credit and other benefits in the other person's name, and perhaps to the...
Sonship: The Basis of His Love
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.And a voice came from heaven, “You are my...
The Sting Is Gone!
Sober Thoughts About Death. Serving a congregation with several older people means you must always be prepared to conduct a funeral at a moment’s notice. But nothing could have prepared our pastoral team for the onslaught of funerals we have been called upon to do...
Babes, Children, Young Men, Fathers
I Peter 2:1 | I John 2:12-14 In the previous blog, I wrote about the only atmosphere wherein spiritual growth is possible; the belief the goal of the Christian life is not to ‘go to a place’ but ‘get to a place.’ In other words, the goal of Christian living is to...
Going To A Place Or Getting To A Place
When my oldest son was a child, he seemed physically underdeveloped for his age. He was smaller than most of his friends and my wife and I were concerned. So, we took him to the doctor for a check up to make sure that there was no disease or physical impairment....
The Removing (Renewing) of Your Mind
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For my first few years as a believer, while I was part of a local church in South...
Why Pragmatism Is Dangerous
Pragmatism has replaced theology in much of the house of God today. For some, the change has been barely noticeable, while for others it is heartily welcome. After all, we are told, people in the modern age can no longer think in theological terms and therefore...
Rev. 21: 5 | “I Make All Things New” Not All New Things!
In Mel Gibson’s classic movie, The Passion of the Christ one of the most powerful scenes is towards the end of the film where Jesus is carrying his cross towards Golgotha. His mother Mary is following with the other women and as Jesus falls down repeatedly, she...
Good News God Chose You
"We always thank God for all of you, remembering you constantly in our prayers. We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing your election, brothers loved by God” I...