The Kingdom of God is the present reality which breaks into this illusion of ours intermittently, like very bad cell phone reception. It’s God’s way of saying, “Can you hear me now?” In fact, experiencing and living in this Kingdom Reality is, in itself, an exercise in the Kingdom principles of “Letting Go” and “The Power of Weakness”. When we give up on our strength and wait for God’s power to come and to move it’s a testimony of our... Read more
I’ve started to notice a subtle shift in the atmosphere the last few years, and lately I think it’s starting to build momentum. What am I talking about? Well, I think there’s a very strong undercurrent of Christians who are starting to question the status quo. Whether that’s asking questions about the traditional views of the afterlife, or the nature of God, or the atonement, or even the way we should relate to the Bible, pretty much everything that can... Read more
So much of what we hear from today’s Evangelical Christians is permeated with fear. It’s almost as if they can’t communicate the Gospel without referencing the wrath of God, or the threat of condemnation, or judgement. As an example, a friend of mine was invited to appear on a YouTube channel to talk about differences in theology with the hosts. All throughout the conversation, the hosts continually threatened my friend and urged him to repent and even to resign as... Read more
[GUEST POST] The Chimpanzee and the Zoo – A Parable by Bruce Welch My name is Jimmy and I’m a chimpanzee. I was raised in a zoo and my parents were raised in the zoo. Life in the zoo is all I knew. Our life in the zoo was safe, the zookeeper gave us the food we needed and would take care of us when we were sick. Everyday was pretty much the same as every other day; we... Read more
The Kingdom of God is for losers. Those who are blind, broken, forgotten, poor, marginalized, weak, sick, sinful and sad are right at home in the Kingdom. In fact, those who consider themselves to be healthy, self-sufficient, popular, rich, strong, righteous and in control aren’t even able to see the Kingdom of God, much less find the door and enter in. Even if they did, they honestly wouldn’t want to continue living in a place where their riches, popularity, righteousness... Read more
The thin line between art that communicates a scandalous truth and art that is sheer shock-sensationalism is something that takes time to explore and courage to proclaim. When does art begin to confront the culture in the same way that the parables of Jesus perplexed and challenged and offended the culture of His day? When does art stop pandering to our basest desires and begin to challenge us to shrug off our complacency? Shouldn’t real art have the power to... Read more
On the last night before his execution, Jesus gathered at the table with some of his best friends for one last meal. During the meal, He pointed back to two of His early miracles. He took the bread, broke it, and gave it to them. Just like the time He fed thousands with two fish and five small loaves of bread. Once He had done His work, there was enough for everyone and plenty left over. Later, He took the... Read more
Quite often when I suggest that believers today can hear the voice of Jesus and be led by the Holy Spirit, people are quick to say that the Holy Spirit would never contradict anything that had already been written down in the Scriptures. This knee-jerk reaction is meant to do two things: First, it is meant to maintain the Bible as our ultimate authority. Nothing new or different can ever be introduced into our faith system because God’s Word (the... Read more
Over 7,000 pastors have signed John MacArthur's "Anti-Social Justice Proclamation," making it crystal clear that they do not follow Jesus in any way, shape or form. One of the most troubling statements they all agreed to was this: “We emphatically deny that lectures on social issues (or activism aimed at reshaping the wider culture) are as vital to the life and health of the church as the preaching of the gospel and the exposition of Scripture.” If that isn't sad, I don't know what is. Read more
A little over 11 years ago, my wife Wendy and I responded to a calling that, at first, sounded impossible: To start a church that gives everything away. That idea came after we had accepted the Lord’s calling to leave the church we had helped to start only 3 years previously, to plant a brand-new church here in Orange County, CA. The first idea was exhilarating. The second idea seemed impossible. “How will I support my family?” I wondered.... Read more
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