Pursuing a holistic expression of Christian faith that is true to the Bible and applicable for today’s world.
Examine What the Early Church Did and Apply It In part one of this post we looked at the first five practices of the early church as detailed in the Bible. They relied on Holy Spirit power, they worshiped God, they spent time in prayer, they fasted, and they lived in community. Here are the […]
Instead of the Confusing Messages about Easter, Focus on Jesus Rising from the Dead On Resurrection Sunday—more commonly known as Easter—let’s place our emphasis completely on Jesus. After he died as the ultimate sin sacrifice for all humanity, he proved his power over death by rising from the dead. He is alive! Though dead for […]
We Revere Jesus’s Death So We Can Celebrate His Resurrection I’m never sure of what verb to attach to Good Friday. It’s a Christian holiday, a holy day. Though I do sometimes say celebrate Good Friday, it doesn’t seem like the right word. Neither does happy Good Friday, even though the outcome for us is […]
Consider the Example of the Early Church and Then Follow It We’ve already talked about the three main ways Jesus changed our perspectives for following him when he fulfilled the Old Testament prophets. The early church applied this by meeting in homes, serving as priests, and helping those in need. As Jesus’s priests they minister […]
Consider the Example of Jesus’s Followers in the Bible The commands in the Old Testament about the tabernacle/temple, priesthood, and tithe are clear. The New Testament, however, lacks specific instructions for us to follow. But this doesn’t mean we should adhere to the Old Testament model as a default. Instead we look at the practices […]
Discover the Truth and Spiritual Significance of Luke 9:23 What did Jesus mean when he said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23)? This reference to the cross—the torturous instrument of Jesus’s death—is enough to make us squirm. Though not to dismiss […]
Apply These Biblical Tips on How to Value Others Throughout the New Testament we see instructions of how we should treat one another. Let’s call these the “one another” directives. We are to: The last two of these one-another commands come from the mouth of Jesus. The rest of them are in the letters written […]
Explore the Reasons Why We Should Read Scripture I write a lot about the Bible. And I advocate that people read and study the Bible. I encourage them to explore Scripture daily. But why? What is the purpose of the Bible? Without knowing why we’re doing something, it’s hard to persist in it and turn […]
Discover the Revolutionary Way Jesus Fulfills the Old Testament When we consider that Jesus came to fulfill the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets, what’s important to understand is that we must see these passages in their proper perspective, informing our perspectives about church today. This doesn’t mean to ignore what was […]
God Speaks to Us Through His Spoken Word and His Written Word Growing up I was taught that the word of God was the Bible. This idea has been reinforced throughout my life by various ministers, books, and fellow followers of Jesus. This means that to hear the word of God is to listen as […]