He Becomes the Ultimate Sin Sacrifice Jesus fulfills the Old Testament, but today’s church still follows the Old Testament model for church: we have a church building where we go to worship God, hire a minister who represents the Almighty to us, and take a collection to support the whole thing. This is not what […]
A Must-Watch Movie for Anyone Who Wants to Re-Ignite Their Passion Though the producers insist Jesus Revolution isn’t a documentary, it sure feels like one. It’s based on real-world events in the late 60s and early 70s, focusing on Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney) and Cathe (Anna Grace Barlow), Chuck Smith (played brilliantly by Kelsey Grammar), […]
Celebrate Jesus and His Death on the Cross to Save Us Traditionally, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. It continues through to Maundy Thursday (the day before Good Friday and Jesus’s death). Some church calendars, however, end Lent on Good Friday and others on Holy Saturday. This is the season of Lent. (Resurrection Sunday begins the […]
Exploring Doctrine, Theology, and Systematic Theology There are three religious terms I don’t care for. Hearing or reading about them has a negative impact on me. These words are doctrine, theology, and systematic theology. I don’t like them because they take the awesome mystery of God and try to provide structure to something that transcends […]
Prepare Your Heart for Easter with These Faith-Filled, Inspiring Devotions The Passion of Jesus is a 40-day study for families, individuals, and small groups to draw closer to God and reflect on His gift to us on the cross. With grace, wisdom, and heart-felt teachings that will nourish your soul, devoted Christian author Peter DeHaan […]
We Can’t Force the Beauty and Mystery of God into a Neat Little Box Just as I bristle over the word theology, I also don’t like the word doctrine. Though the two words mean different things, in my mind they have the same effect: They both turn the beauty of God into an intellectual construct, […]
Jesus Offers Us the Gift Of Salvation; All We Need to Do Is Accept It We read in scripture that we are saved by God’s grace through faith. There’s nothing else we must do. It is God’s gift to us. We can’t earn it. All we need to do is receive it (Ephesians 2:8-9). He […]
How Engagement and Marriage Worked in the New Testament In Bible times, when a couple became engaged, the groom-to-be with go home and prepare a place for them to live by adding a room to his parents’ house. As soon as he finished the construction, he would go to his fiancée, the marriage ceremony would […]
Make Jesus the Focus of Your Celebration With Christmas falling on Sunday this year, I planned to wish you a blessed Christmas on my weekly Sunday post. Alas, I’ve already wished you a merry Christmas in the past—three times. So, instead of repeating what I’ve already written or reprising an old post, I’ll give you […]
Embrace a Different Way to Worship God The term “sacrifice of praise” is only found in one verse in the Bible. It’s a curious phrase. What does it mean? Whatever it may refer to, the first thing we see is we are to do it continually. We are to offer a constant sacrifice of praise […]