Pursuing a holistic expression of Christian faith that is true to the Bible and applicable for today’s world.
Shun Division, Disunity, and Denominations in the Name of Jesus Just as church member status divides the church body into two groups, so does our doctrine. Instead of obeying Jesus’s instruction to love God and love others, we make a lengthy list of what we should do and shouldn’t do. We judge others according to […]
Once We Pray This, Our Part Is to Stay Away from It When Jesus’s disciples ask him how to pray, he gives a concise example to follow. One of the phrases in this short prayer is to deliver us from evil. We commonly call this prayer from Jesus the Lord’s Prayer (or the Our Father, […]
The High Priest Found the Book of the Law When They Cleaned the Temple As the priest worked on restoring the temple, he stumbled on the Book of the Law. They had misplaced it. They had lost the Bible. Though their religious practices as prescribed in the Book of the Law continued in some manner, […]
Four Action Items to Guide Dads to Raise Great Children Making a baby doesn’t make a male a father. Not really. Helping to raise the children they produce is what truly makes a male a man. Here are four goals for fathers to guide us into being the best dad we can be. Be Present […]
Knowing Jesus and Hearing the Holy Spirit Is Better Than Formal Education Most all churches expect their clergy to have undergone formal, academic education. Many insist on a seminary degree, especially for their ordained ministers. From a worldly standpoint this makes sense. But from God’s perspective I can imagine him laughing. Look at the credentials […]
Learn More about Jesus and What His Life Means Some people view Jesus as a great historical figure, an insightful teacher, or a guru who taught and exemplified the importance of loving others. They’re intrigued by him and want to learn more. They are Christ curious. Other people go all in for Jesus. They follow […]
Jesus Focused on the Kingdom of God, Not Church Jesus talked about the kingdom of God, but we made a church instead. What if he never intended us to form a church? After all, Jesus did tell his followers to “seek first the kingdom of God,” (Matthew 6:33, ESV). Let’s look at where else the […]
We Must Be Careful with the Words We Use We must exercise caution with using these confusing words. These terms are more likely to cause confusion than clarity. Consider the word cleave. It can mean to split apart or to come together. If a couple decides to cleave, what does that mean? Are they breaking […]
Segregating Attendees into Members and Nonmembers Divides Jesus’s Church In our look at things the church must change, we’ve already considered our buildings and facility, our paid clergy and staff, and our tithes and offerings, that is our charitable giving. Now we’ll turn our attention to some secondary issues, starting with church membership. Membership is […]
On Pentecost God Gives Us the Holy Spirit as Our Guide to Replace the Law Pentecost occurs fifty days after Resurrection Sunday (Easter). It’s a significant event in the early church. That’s when the Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus’s followers in an extraordinary way. The Holy Spirit empowers team Jesus to share his good news […]