Paul’s Letter to the Romans Opens With 3 Traits for Us to Ponder Paul begins his letter to the church in Rome by giving them an overview of his situation. He shares three characteristics about himself, his mission, and his calling. Though he does this to establish credibility for his message, and thereby encourage the […]
Consider the Kingdom of God as the Ultimate Church Model To guide how we should function as his followers today, we must consider what Jesus says about the kingdom of God. Here are twelve key truths about the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God: 1. Is Close A dozen times or more Jesus proclaims […]
Debates Over Theology Cause Needless Distractions and Actually Keep Us from God My theology is an enigma to most people. It’s an enigma to me, too, but I’m okay with that because I don’t much care about theology, at least not how most folks pursue it today. In some respects, I hate theology. Theological Discussions […]
If We Say “Jesus is #1,” Our Actions Should Confirm That, Not Prove Us Wrong The person’s social media profile was very telling. In fact, I almost missed what should have been her main point. Her key claim was tacked at the end of her 160-character bio, buried in the last eleven characters. Almost as […]
Each Morning We Decide How We Will Live that Day be it For Ourselves or For a Greater Purpose In highschool a friend caught me off guard when she said with confidence that “once you’re saved you can’t lose your salvation.” I asked her where the Bible said that. She didn’t have an answer about […]
Emulate the Man Who Drove Merchants from the Temple and Denounced Hypocrisy When I blogged about the need for a male role model, I wondered if the life of Jesus might stand as an example for men to follow. Is he the perfect blend of godly power and God-intended masculinity? Indeed the character and actions […]
The self-righteous protester’s sign is etched in my mind. His assertion offends me, and I can’t shake it; I don’t even want to report the words. This person claims: “Jesus hates fags.” The memory of this appalls me; I shudder at the thought. This is a lie, a brazen lie. Anyone who really knows Jesus […]
When I say giving birth to Jesus, I’m not talking about Mary in a Bethlehem stable, birthing our savior into this world in human form. Instead I’m referring to birthing Jesus in a spiritual sense, of giving him to others. When Paul writes to the church in the city of Galatia he uses an intriguing […]
Getting into Heaven is Impossible Without God A rich man asks Jesus how to get to heaven. The man reels off a list of all he’s done, of all of God’s commands that he’s kept. He waits for Jesus to affirm him, but deep down he knows he still falls short. “What else must I […]
The curious phrase the “second death” only occurs in John’s prophetic vision as recorded in the book of Revelation, with just four verses that mention it. But what is the second death? None of these, however, explains what the second death is. What we can learn is that it’s something that can occur after physical […]