Pursuing a holistic expression of Christian faith that is true to the Bible and applicable for today’s world.
At a meeting, someone mentioned “the Acts 15 experience.” Everyone else seemed to comprehend the reference, so I chose to not interrupt by asking for an explanation. Since then I’ve read Acts 15 and searched online for answers. (An online search provided only a handful of matches, which weren’t helpful.) As I contemplate this, I’ve […]
I recently visited a church that upheld Acts 2:42-47 as their model for church. Shocked, I checked the passage to make sure I remembered it correctly. Here is what the Acts 2 church looks like: Their Four Keys The church in Acts 2 has four priorities: studying good teaching, hanging out, sharing meals, and praying […]
We Must Reform Our Behaviors Through the Lens of Scripture In the Bible we see example after example of Jesus extending love, grace, and mercy to people, especially those who are searching, who don’t fit in, and who the religious leaders reject. There’s only one group of people who Jesus regularly criticizes. Who might that […]
We Should Study God’s Word in Community and Expect Significant Outcomes Have you ever been part of a group Bible study? Over the years I’ve experienced many, but they always felt lacking. I never stuck with them for the long-term, preferring to study the Bible with just me and the Holy Spirit. It should be […]
Something Is Wrong If I Wake Up Monday Morning Unprepared to Embrace My Week The Old Testament talks a lot about the Sabbath, the final day of the week. God—through the Old Testament writers, especially Moses—tells us to keep the Sabbath holy and to rest. But this is an Old Testament thing, and Jesus came […]
May My Clothes Never Keep a Visitor from Encountering God My parents, especially my mom, taught me to dress up for church. That’s what people did when I was a kid, and I didn’t question it—even though I’m still looking for a biblical command to do so. Never mind that I’m sure my parents spent […]
We Can Impact Others by Being Intentional with Our Words Are we someone who others want to talk to about spiritual matters? Are we open to pursue a meaningful spiritual conversation? A Timely Phone Call As I made lunch, my phone rang. Few people have my number—only family and close friends—so I expected another scam […]
Discover How God Can Have One Son and Have Many Sons (and Daughters) The Bible calls Jesus the Son of God. We see this in forty New Testament verses from speakers ranging from his disciples to his detractors, including evil spirits and even Satan. Saying that Jesus is the Son of God suggests there’s only […]
The First Reformation Happened 2,000 Years Ago As the time for Jesus’s sacrificial death approaches, his enemies come to arrest him. They’re armed. This might be as a show of force or maybe because they expect trouble. I imagine Jesus smiling a bit at this weapon-wielding mob. “Do you think I’m leading a rebellion?” he […]
We Must Distinguish Between Prescriptive Text and Descriptive Text The Bible contains a lot of versus that tell us what to do and what not to do. These verses stand as commands from God. Bible scholars call these prescriptive texts, as they prescribe the behavior God expects from us. However, many more verses in the […]