Whenever we look out at the world, everything registers on our retina except for one area known as the blind spot. When it comes to perceiving reality, the biggest and most common blind spot is our self. “Ever notice how everyone who drives slower than you is an idiot and everyone who drives faster than you is a maniac?” – George Carlin This little observation perfectly describes the blind spot that almost everyone suffers from. Those who agree with us... Read more
In 70 AD, the city of Jerusalem was surrounded by the Roman army. After many days of intense battle, the Romans broke down the gates, swarmed through the city and slaughtered men, women, and children. It was, according to the historian Josephus (who was an eyewitness to the entire bloody event) one of the most horrific displays of violence the world had ever seen. Here’s a short excerpt from Josephus’s account: “…As they [Roman soldiers] drew closer to the Temple,... Read more
“So, is it ok to be gay and Christian?” I think that’s a very good question. I will do my best to provide an answer. First of all, I’ve been studying this topic for over a year now. It’s something I’ve held off writing about until I was quite certain I could speak about it with integrity. If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time you already know that I’m no stranger to controversy. But this topic, unlike... Read more
You’ve probably heard teachers and preachers talk about the need for “sound doctrine” in today’s church. Usually, this “sound doctrine” happens to mirror a denominational statement of faith ratified years ago and enforced by church leadership, (deacons, elders, etc.), and reinforced through church membership classes and sometimes even Sunday School classes. But, what is “sound doctrine” according to the Word of God? Shouldn’t we take whatever standards there may be for “sound doctrine” from the Scriptures themselves? Here’s what Paul... Read more
For a long time now I’ve been very aware of my need to die to myself, take up my cross daily, and follow Jesus. It’s the foundation for the Christian life, it’s essential for discipleship, and it’s the core of the Gospel message that Jesus came and died to bring us. But lately, I’ve been focused mostly on my side of this equation instead of on the entire process. Mainly, what I’ve been missing is the perspective of the... Read more
Consider this: God knows the end from the beginning. This means He can never have a new thought. Therefore, the idea of you was fully realized in God’s heart and mind from eternity. Even before God said, “Let there be light”, you existed in His foreknowledge. ** If God was dreaming before the creation of the Universe, He was dreaming about you and me. Paul says that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” (See Eph.. 2:10) ** This means that... Read more
I’m not sure how it happened, exactly, but somehow Christians today seem to have completely misunderstood the Gospel of Jesus. When they hear that an off-color British comedian has endorsed the way of Jesus and has encouraged everyone to take Christ more seriously, their response is to say, “He’s a hater of God!” and “If he’s not coming from a Christian perspective, why do we want to listen to him?” Instead of rejoicing that this foul-mouthed comedic actor has... Read more
Image: Pixabay In the dialog between Christians about whether or not following Jesus entails embracing a non-violent lifestyle, there are certain verses in the New Testament that have to be addressed. ** For example, whenever non-violent Christians quote Jesus saying, “Put your sword back in its place…for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26: 52), there are pro-war Christians who will respond by saying, “(Jesus) said to them, ‘But now let the one who... Read more
In Colossians, Paul tells us about a great secret that God had from the beginning. It was a marvelous secret. But God just couldn’t keep his mouth shut about it. What is God’s great secret? It’s Jesus. As Paul puts it, God has “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” in Christ. [See Col. 2:3] But God doesn’t want to keep this secret. On the contrary, now that it’s out, He wants everyone “to reach all the riches... Read more
Reading through Acts the other day, I came across a little phrase that stunned me. It’s when Jesus appears to Paul (Saul) on the road to Damascus, knocks him off his ass (literally) and tells him that He is appearing in order to “rescue you from the Jewish people…” Here’s the actual passage: “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not... Read more
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