We Must Take Care to Not Judge Others for Their Faith, Practices, or Beliefs Most Christians evaluate people by a set of criteria they use to judge their faith. It’s as if they have a set of Christian litmus tests to decide who are true adherents and who are heretics. Sometimes these Christian litmus tests […]
Embrace the Common Good for the Sake of Others and Our Faith I often write about the importance of Christian unity. I even covered it in my dissertation. Yet I live in a society that celebrates the individual. These two ideas stand in conflict with each other. We can’t achieve the unity of believers when […]
We Must Welcome All Who Follow Jesus Most Christians spend time with believers who think like they think, who act like they act, and who share a common perspective. I get this. It makes sense. It’s comfortable. Yet this limits their understanding of God and in living their faith to the fullest. Instead, they need […]
We Are One through Jesus Christ For those of us who follow Jesus, there is one body. This points to the universal church through Jesus Christ. Sadly, few people act as one. Instead, they divide the body of Christ into factions, sects, and denominations. It was important to Jesus that we would be one (John […]
Embrace Paul’s Closing Remarks to the Corinthian Church As Paul wraps up his first letter to the church in Corinth, he shares a quintet of instructions for them to aspire to. It’s his final remarks to them, giving them five God-honoring outcomes to pursue. He says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, […]
The Dangers of Surrounding Ourselves with People Just Like Us It’s understandable that we want to spend time with others who are like us, with folks who all think, act, and believe the same. Yet when followers of Jesus do this it’s too easy to fall into a Christian echo chamber. A Christian echo chamber […]
Sheba Leads a Rebellion Against David After Absalom’s coup attempt to take over his father’s throne is squelched, a troublemaker tries to lead a rebellion against David. Here’s what happens: When Absalom takes David’s throne, David and his entourage flee the city. Safely away, his army fights against Absalom’s army. When Joab kills Absalom, his […]
Warm Inside Despite my encouragement, Candy has provided little input on the churches we visit. Though she recommended The Church with the Fundamental Vibe and The Nonconventional Church, I compiled the rest of the list. Today we’ll visit the closest church. Originally containing thirty-five names, I’ve now cut my list in half. While it might […]
We Glorify God and Serve as the Most Effective Witness When We Get Along I write a lot about the importance of Christian unity. This is because Jesus prayed that we would be one, and I embrace his request and vision as imperative. If we profess to following Jesus, we need to all get along. […]
Our Good Shepherd Has More Sheep Than Just Those in Our Pen Jesus talks about a sheep pen with a gate (John 10:1-21). The shepherd goes into the pen through the entrance. He calls his sheep, and they follow him into the pastures. Only a thief would sneak into the pen another way. Yet the […]