The Greek philosopher Plato can be blamed for a lot of our misperceptions about the Christian life. It seems that, from very early on, Christians couldn’t take the teachings of Jesus, Paul, the other apostles, or even the Hebrew Torah, poets and prophets at face-value. They had to add the pagan teachings of Plato on top of it all. Brian Walsh and J. Richard Middleton write, “Foundational to all Platonic thought is its dualism, the distinction…between unchanging ideals (‘forms’) and... Read more
There is an ongoing assumption in much of North American Christianity that salvation is focused only on the spiritual lives of humans and not on the whole of reality, including the material things that humans do physically in the world. But God sees all things as spiritual; not as some things being sacred and other things being secular. Os Guinness, in his excellent book The Call, writes that since God is sovereign, “everyone, everywhere, and in everything, should think, speak,... Read more
Vocation is what humans do, and if humans are to participate in the mission of God, then human work is the means by which we do so. This “work” is not just what we do as an occupation; it is all that we do, for God’s glory, in every situation presented to us. Biblically, God’s mission in the world is primarily carried out in and through what humans do. Gene Veith wrote, “God works through human beings—indeed He is hidden... Read more
“One of the major reasons why people reject the Gospel today is not because they perceive it to be false but because they perceive it to be trivial.” – John R. W. Stott Read more
In this sermon preached at Trinity Chuch in Mentor, Ohio, Bob Robinson gives an overview, a “roadmap,” of God’s overarching story. With the roadmap, we can see where we came from, how we got lost, what can be done to get us back on course again, and where our destination will be. When we understand this overarching story, we are able to find ourself on the map and discover our purpose and direction. It gives us a reason to get... Read more
“It is pure invention that pope, bishop, priests and monks are to be called the ‘spiritual estate’ while princes, lords, artisans, and farmers the ‘temporal estate.’ This is indeed a piece of deceit and hypocrisy. Yet no one need be intimidated by it, and for this reason: all Christians are truly of the ‘spiritual estate,’ and there is no difference among them except that of office.” -Martin Luther, Three Treatises Read more
“We often give the impression that if a young Christian man is really keen for Christ he will undoubtedly become a foreign missionary, that if he is not quite as keen as that he will stay at home and become a pastor, that if he lacks the dedication to be a pastor, he will no doubt serve as a doctor or teacher, while those who end up in social work or the media or (worst of all) in politics are... Read more
The word vocation comes from the Latin vocatio (summons), from vocare (to call). Therefore, a vocation is a calling. In the modern mindset, people often say they are “choosing their vocation,” but this is a misnomer if the word vocation means calling. If there is a calling, there is a caller! Who is God calling and to what is God calling them? Calling in the Bible R. Paul Stevens explains the biblical concept of vocational call. “‘Call’ (Qara) language in... Read more
N. T. Wright on Resurrection as it applies to 1 Cor. 15:58. “What we can and must do in the present, if we are obedient to the gospel, if we are following Jesus, and if we are indwelt, energized and directed by the Spirit, is to build for the kingdom. This brings us back to 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,... Read more
In this 3-minute video, Mark Greene, Executive Director of the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity, discusses how Christians act as if some parts of life matter to God and others don’t. But what if all of life matters to God? – video courtesy LICC Read more
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