The Danger of Discontentment
It is the pursuit of the “Pop Life” that has led many believers astray.
Sadly, many Christians today are discontent with life. They have become emotionally and psychologically jaundiced from a sense that their life lacks that “pop”—that something—that person, that thing, that experience which they believe will provide the level of fulfillment, significance, and satisfaction they’ve longed for but have yet to discover. In 1985, Prince and The Revolution released the critically-acclaimed... Continue Reading
The Time Jesus Shared Depressing News
Jesus paints his disciples a bleak picture, assuring them their futures would include persecution and difficulty.
“But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36). Here, Jesus calls the disciples to live watchful lives of continuous prayer and points them to their ultimate hope, salvation on... Continue Reading
What Happens When We Don’t Talk About Virtue?
We need to return to the sources of the virtues.
The disappearance of discussion of the virtues from our culture is of some significance. It indicates that traditional morality, in which these virtues occupied center stage, has gradually faded and is about to disappear both from our culture and from our consciousnesses. The crucial question is, of course, how we should assess this development. Is... Continue Reading
Caught Between Worlds: Living in a New Normal
Why is adapting to change so hard?
Sometimes “new” can be desired and exciting, but other times it’s not. Most of us want to live out James 1:2 and persevere through trials, but day-to-day living can instead be a roller coaster of pining for the past, trying to live in an unfamiliar present, and looking towards eternity. Most of us aren’t... Continue Reading
What Ever Happened to the “S” Word?
Scripture teaches that sin is “any want of conformity unto or transgressing of the Law of God.”
We only hear the word sin on television or in movies today when someone is mocking the concept in the Christian worldview or trying to snare a Christian on a moral issue. If someone wants to corner a believer on calling an unethical act sin, then we should answer them according to their folly and get them... Continue Reading
God Makes Us Vulnerable and Invincible
We are desperate for an enduring sense of safety and security.
As deep as the drive is for safety in the human heart, we have no guarantees of it in this life. As much as we’d like to think that God will protect those who love him from any trouble whatsoever befalling us, we know this is clearly not true from experience or from the Bible.... Continue Reading
We Are Not Germs: The Case for Human Dignity
Christianity teaches that human dignity is rooted in the holiness of God; it reflects God’s dignity.
The mechanistic view offers no understanding of the meaning of life. Attempts have been made to develop a sense of mechanistic ethics. All have failed. Why should germs be moral? If I am a cosmic accident, why should I “give a tinker’s dam” about you? Why prefer life over death? What is so special about... Continue Reading
The Do’s and Don’ts of Teaching the Gospel to Children
Use the years your children are in your home to ground them in a solid, chronological understanding of the Bible narrative.
God has chosen to reveal himself to human beings by Word and Spirit. He has called us to share his self-revelation in his Word with others, without putting a minimum age limit on our audience. In his wonderful grace, God sends his Holy Spirit to give enough understanding to draw his people to repentance and... Continue Reading
Exodus and God’s Eternal Plans, Pt. 1
Exodus 1-2 provides a theology of how God establishes His deliverer.
The birth of Moses is not merely biographical. Rather, it declares God’s agenda of deliverance and sets a precedent for how He raises up those who will deliver His people. The birth of Moses designates him as a deliverer, aligns his deliverance with that of his people, and puts him in a line of deliverers,... Continue Reading
Doubts
So how do we respond to Satan’s devices? We follow the example Jesus gives.
Each of these scenes will erode confidence in Jesus if they linger with no response. Though the descent into unbelief might be less perceptible in scenes 1 and 2, each scene becomes bound to questions such as, “Is he good?” and “Does he care?” These reveal that spiritual warfare has begun in earnest. Scene... Continue Reading