Revelation 18:1-24 Voices Cry Out The Fall of Great Babylon In the evangelical world, we have sometimes been comfortable “using the language of culture” to communicate the gospel. We frequently talk about taking the timeless message of the gospel and “packaging” it in ways people can understand. But if we are not careful, we can move from “using language” to baptizing idolatry. One extreme example played out on Easter 2010. As a means of “reaching out” to the community, a... Read more
6 Ways That God Is a LEADER to Leaders December 7, 2016 Year A Psalm 21:1-13 Have you ever thought about the leadership style of God? Have you ever considered how God leads people who lead others? Psalm 21 was written by a leader (King David) who is dependent upon God to help him lead. It is a reflective psalm on the ways in which God has helped him as David leads the nation of Israel. This psalm reflects on... Read more
Romans 15:7-13 How to Glorify God Together This Christmas THE PURPOSE – GLORIFYING GOD IN UNITY The purpose of Christmas is to bring people together. The purpose of Christ’s first coming is to bring believers together. The opening words express the main point of this paragraph: “receive one another.” Paul thereby returns to the theme with which he opened his exhortation to the “weak” and the “strong.” But there is an important difference: in Romans 14:1, he urged the Roman... Read more
5 Ways to Love Others Through Self-Discipline December 5, 2016 Year A 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 It takes self-discipline in order to grow. If I want to have a healthy body, I need to stay in shape by getting exercise and eating properly. If I want to have a healthy loving relationship with others, I need to also “stay in shape.” Staying in physical shape requires that I engage in exercises that tone my body. Staying in the proper requires a... Read more
Revelation 17:7-18 The Fall of the Antichrist and Great Babylon It is striking to see how many evil men ended life impaled on their own sword. Undoubtedly, one of the most stark examples is Adolf Hitler. The man who had proclaimed war against the world ended his days in a bunker, with the world closing in on him. The despot who poisoned millions of Jews, sat beside his wife, who died by poison. The aggressor who launched missiles and dropped... Read more
As a pastor, I love the season of Advent. This time before Christmas is an excellent time to concentrate on Christ. At the same time, this season is very stressful for people in the church. Sometimes, it becomes real hard to develop harmony in the church during the Advent season. Romans 15:1-13 lists 7 ways to build harmony in the church. I have made this list as an acrostic. Each letter that starts the first sentence will form the... Read more
November 30, 2016 Year A If you are a kid, right about now, you are looking forward to Santa coming to give you a visit. Without fail, Santa comes every year to give gifts. As a kid, you look forward to it. You anticipate it. You watch the signs to see when the time of Santa’s coming will get nearer. On the evening of December 24th, Santa Claus comes to give gifts. There are a variety of signs that show that... Read more
The Divine Dance by Richard Rohr and Michael Morrell The Divine Dance by Richard Rohr and Michael Morrell, is a book about letting the Trinitarian relationship of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit to help transform your life. Rohr and Morrell make a great effort at establishing that this mysterious idea like the Trinity is about God having a relationship with you. It becomes four-part harmony when we interact with the Trinity completely (22). Communion in... Read more
November 25, 2016 Year A The hardest job after the Thanksgiving meal is to clean up after the big meal. After the people have gone home, one is left to take the time and clean up the mess. One washes the dishes, cleans the floors, and disinfects the room. Just as I may clean up after the family gouges on food, God has cleaned up on my life after I have gouged myself on sin. He erased the names of... Read more
5 Ways God Loves Me With a Forever Love November 23, 2016 Year C 1. God identifies with me. ““At that time”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be My people.”” (Jeremiah 31:1, HCSB) God says “at that time,” which as Christians, we know means after the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the exact representation of God on Earth. He mirrored God to us. “The... Read more
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