1 John 4:6 – We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 2 Timothy 2:11-15 – The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny... Read more
2 Corinthians 4:4 – In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Ephesians 6:10-12 – Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the... Read more
This is the appendix to my new book you can purchase here. Dear ministry leader, Thank you for your service to Jesus Christ and people that He loved so much that He died for them. In this book, I have admittedly sought to move the conversation regarding the Holy Spirit from the well-worn categories. I have read a stack of books about the Holy Spirit taller than me (which is not a giant feat), and nearly every one covers the... Read more
For Spring break one year, I took my family to the beach. Unfortunately, it was a beach in Washington. We arrived at our rented cottage in time to enjoy rain that made me wonder if God had revoked his promise to Noah to never flood the earth again. Finally, there was a very brief sun break. We got dressed in our wool hats, winter coats, and boots to enjoy an arctic walk on the beach. There was no sand on... Read more
The big lesson that God has been teaching us in recent years is that everything in life is a gift if you patiently wait and learn what to do with it. I have tried to take everything in life, the good and the bad, and figure out how to receive it as something that, if properly used, can be a blessing that glorifies God. If I can figure that out, then God uses it to do something good in me,... Read more
Some students at a major state university approached me for help on a research project on world religions. They brought their own wide range of spiritual backgrounds. A few were international students. Some were Muslims, at least one was Hindu, and another was raised Jehovah’s Witness. The questions they pressed the hardest were about the exclusivity of Jesus as the only way to heaven. I tried to lovingly but clearly explain that Christians believe Christ alone saves because Christ himself... Read more
People outside the church have always thought we Christians are mistaken about Jesus and His claims. But their newest objections to Christianity have taken a harsher turn. These criticisms are not just vaguely intellectual. They get highly emotional. People believe our exclusive message is not only incorrect but immoral. This is a massive shift from head to heart. Today, people take issue not just with the Christian message—what we say—but how we say it. Some prefer we simply keep our... Read more
From our standpoint as Christians, a world full of religious options boils down to two things: good works or God’s grace. It is one or the other. Other religions require good works—living a moral life, obeying the law, reincarnating to pay off your karmic debt, etc. Christianity holds to God’s grace—getting to heaven not because of what we do but because of what Jesus has done. Read more
Judas Iscariot is the scoundrel of the Scriptures. Jesus taught him, loved him, and invested in him for three years. One day Jesus even took the role of the most lowly servant and washed Judas’ filthy feet. Judas was in ministry with Jesus but did not love Jesus, and all the while he pretended to be a friend of Jesus. Long before he betrayed Jesus with the kiss that led to the crucifixion (Matthew 26:16), Judas was on the path... Read more
In an effort to determine the most common objections to Christianity I commissioned a massive research project. Almost half of our survey participants (45%) agreed with the statement “Most Christians are hypocrites.” The focus groups we assembled to discuss the issue got intense as participants repeatedly felt free to bash Christians as hypocrites, often grabbing some headline about some Christian leader. I guess we could do the same thing and grab the latest headline about a teacher that has an... Read more
Pastor Mark Driscoll
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