Sometimes music can touch us where printed words cannot. This is one of my favorite songs of all time . . . it speaks to something deep within my own heart and thus inspires me every time I hear it. Note: my podcast episode from August 2011 — God’s Dream: What Does It Look Like? — goes along with this song. Give it a listen. If you like the song, share this post using the “share” buttons below. Most Christians have never heard it,… Read more

Unlike the Old Testament high priest, who had to enter the Most Holy Place each year to atone for the nation through the shedding of animal blood, Jesus Christ entered the Most Holy Place in heaven once and for all with His own blood. By this sacrificial act, Jesus obtained eternal redemption for us (Heb. 9:12–28). But that’s not all. Not only did Jesus forgive all of our sins through His shed blood—past, present, and future transgressions—but on the cross… Read more

“Every issue facing the church today has a slippery Caiaphas, a vacillating Pilate, a betraying Judas, and a centurion who will drive the nails because it’s his job.” ~ Lloyd John Ogilvie   Read more

Even though my best books have been written afterwards, my two old books on ecclesiology from 2008 – the evocative deconstructive title Pagan Christianity and the constructive sequel Reimagining Church are still being read widely. The websites for each book have been updated recently. Just click the links below to check them out. PAGAN CHRISTIANITY REIMAGINING CHURCH Note the extensive Q&A page on the Pagan Christianity website. Read more

I stopped using Instagram in January 2018 because the visibility was horrible and it wasn’t moving the needle on my mission. I still have an account, but I no longer post new images. The old images and memes are still available if you wish to view them. Here is a guest article by Jana Wilson about the use of Instagram by Christians. Enjoy! fv — As a good Christian, you just want to do your part to make this world… Read more

One of the talks from the Kingdom Message Master Class is available. It’s a message called Pressing Into the Kingdom. The talk is a practical unfolding and application of these two texts: “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presses into it.” ~ Luke 16:16 “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by… Read more

I’m often asked what Biblical tools I use when delving in depth on a particular portion of Scripture. I’ve listed many of the New Testament commentaries I recommend here. Another invaluable resource is the IVP Bible Dictionary Series, which I can’t recommend enough for serious students of the Scriptures. However, one of the volumes in that series has been updated. The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels by Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown & Nicholas Perrin is an incredible new update! Over twenty-one years… Read more

To the many who have asked, here are my comments about the subject of hell that I’ve written and tweeted in the past. * Whatever the nature of eternal punishment is — conscious torment or annihilation — this question has never altered my desire to bring people to Jesus Christ. Jesus is real Life, for the here-and-now, as well as for the future. So my motive for evangelism has never been to give people a fire-insurance policy. * The greatest Christian minds differ… Read more

The following is a guest post by Jana Wilson. — Congregations everywhere warn about the potential evils of social media. Overusing these platforms in a negative manner can lead to mental health issues as well as dangerous situations. Cyberbullying and other social issues are alive and well, and it can be quite upsetting to spend too much time on your social sites. However, as is a fundamental Christian belief, there is a light and dark side to almost everything. While… Read more

The following is told from the lips of Lazarus, the man whom Jesus raised from the dead. The story presents several different ways in which people respond to Christians when they are sick or suffering. — I could not sleep most of the night. Tossing miserably, my mind refused to shut down. Neither would the pain vibrating throughout my body. If I die, what will happen to my sisters … and my father? With the silversmith shop closed, who will… Read more