Church Blog (Page 72)
Defending your Faith#3. “Yet with gentleness and reverence” (1Pet.3:15).
New Zealand is hardly famous for promoting religious values. That’s not to say that it is a society devoid of all things Christian, it is that religion is not a big part of most Kiwi’s lives. All my life I have witnessed those who have publicly opposed ungodly changes being branded as “Religious nuts.” Ironically, those born and raised in NZ claiming to be agnostic will often shut down religious conversations with expressions that amount to: “I have my own…
Defending your Faith#2. “Ready to make a defence” (1Pet.3:15).
You could not pay me enough money to go on to a football field with professional players. Even if each player was instructed to avoid me, I know that the chances of me being in the wrong place at the wrong time is too great. I would likely come off battered, bruised, broken, and embarrassed. Why? Because I have no business being in an arena of contact sport in a state of total unpreparedness. Simply put, I am asking to…
Defending your Faith#1. “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts” (1Pet.3:15).
I have seen saints fall to Satan. I have watched helplessly as Christians, old and young, have given into the lies of the prince of darkness. All of the prayers, all of the encouraging words, and all of the tears, proved useless against the choices made in favour of the evil one. Jesus did not give them what they wanted. The Bible presents the story of the struggle between good and evil. This is the battle for the soul. At…
All the Changes#6. “Unless you Change…!”
When was the last time you heard a ‘Hellfire and Brimstone Sermon’? I may have preached a few in my time, but very few in recent years. Whether I am right or wrong to avoid this style of preaching, I do not have a definite answer. What I do know is that Jesus didn’t clear the temple every time he went near it, nor did he say, “Woe unto you…!” to every Scribe and Pharisee he met. So, insisting that…
All the Changes#5. “An Unbelievable Transformation!”
What do you do when the staunchest enemy of Jesus wants to visit your church this Sunday? Saul of Tarsus, the ambitious Pharisee who hated Christians enough to approve their murder, was well known to the church. Now he claimed to be a Christian! If ever there was a day to skip services with a ‘cold’ it was the one when he was most likely to turn up. It didn’t matter that there were reports that Paul had become a…
All the Changes#4. “Changing the Past—Bitterness.”
Bitterness is a savage companion. Left to itself and it will drain your very last ounce of energy. How many good people have you witnessed travel the sad road from joy to misery over regrets and abuses? Friends, once animated and interactive, have long since lost their energy and vitality. There is no magic wand to erase the past. Hurt and broken lives bear the scars of things rather than forgotten. Self-medication is nothing new, it just the labels that…
All the Changes#3. “Some thoughts on those Changing the Church.”
Sadly, many congregations in the Churches of Christ have mirrored the Western trend towards liberalism over the last five decades. Some celebrate this as a coming of age or emancipation from dead traditionalism. I have the opposite view: I weep as I see genuine souls being duped by the disingenuous. I have always wondered why those who want liberal change do not just leave to be with their newfound denominational equals. Instead, these men and women remain and cause good…
All the Changes#2. “A Change of Status.”
Humility is a lonely state to live in. It’s one thing to strive to have the humility of a servant, but quite another for someone to expect it of you – That we resist! The apostles could not have missed Jesus’ ‘Servant-Lord’ leadership style. They probably were humble men, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t be tempted by pride. In Matthew 18 the apostles fronted up to Jesus and asked him straight: “Who, then, is the greatest in the…
All the Changes#1. “Never be the same again!”
In 1866, before the age of the automobile, if you asked a New York official, “What do you think would be the biggest challenge New York would face if the population suddenly doubled?” He would probably answer: “That would mean another 130,000 horses. Where will we find room to put them all?” 155 years later things have changed. Today, the New York Police Department has about 50 horses in service, and there is also a number used by tourist carriage…
Friend or Foe?#5. “Why make Friends?”
Evangelism begins and ends with friendship in mind. Therein you are inviting the unsaved to meet the best friend that they can possibly have—Jesus! Knowing that you have come from the same place, you are telling sinners to meet your divine friend who has transformed your life. You want them to have every blessing that you have, and more. You want them to be added to his family of faith; those working to become like him. Are they perfect? By…