Church Blog (Page 75)
I walk with the King.#4. “Pointing the way.”
My first 33 years on earth seemed to move along slowly. It was the arrival of our 3 children that changed everything. Since 1995 every year seems to have only picked up speed. I find myself saying things like, “If I had my time again…” with monotonous frequency.My children have left home and are making lives for themselves. They are no longer those little kids who consumed our every minute. Concerning their upbringing, I believe we did a lot of…
I walk with the King.#3. “Walking together.”
Jesus prepared his disciples for a worldwide takeover. His Kingdom is like no other. It has a citizenry born of the Holy Spirit, not man. It conquers empires by taking hearts, not prisoners. It fights its wars against invisible forces, not flesh and blood. How do we know this Kingdom when we come upon it? What of the stranger who knows nothing of biblical conversion and worship? What is there to convince the soul that he has found his home?…
I walk with the King.#2. “Step wisely…!”
“Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15). The more you order your spiritual walk, the more disorder you will notice around you. Though you were aware that ‘creeps are out there,’ you learn that Satan reserves the worst of them for the pure in heart. Evil men target the lives of the good and come guarded and defended by their enablers. Tragically, there is nothing that can be said or done to…
I walk with the King.#1. “Discipleship Recruitment Contract.”
“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head” (Mt.8:20). This was Jesus’ response to a Teacher of the Law who had just promised him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” (Mt.8:20). This man had no idea what he was signing up to.Jesus’ ‘Discipleship Recruitment Contract’ had no fine print or list of benefits. There were no set hours, no transport fleet, no motel bookings,…
Learning the Hard Way#5. “Changing History.”
There is an old preacher story about a young man who wanted to be the greatest military leader in history. His dream was to attend West Point, the alma mater of his hero, George S. Patton, and visit the beaches of the 1944 Allied Normandy Evasion. But he chose instead to take an ordinary job and to pursue his passion for military leadership as a hobby. The story goes that he died an expert on the subject and went to…
Learning the Hard Way#4. “When the Watchtower Falls.”
When I asked him what church he goes to, he said that he had been brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness. He knew his doctrines well and defended the failed JW prophesies with convincing tones. I came to the point in the conversation where I needed to leave him with a challenge. I asked him to look hard at the authority of the Watchtower. I said, “Remember, the Watchtower has always claimed to be speaking on behalf of God. So,…
Learning the Hard Way#3. “Take heed lest ye fall—Peter.”
A Chinese man known as Li Yuese said that he was arrested by his government because he is a Christian. While detained he spent 10 months in a windowless room being beaten and mentally tortured. He said he was constantly threatened, insulted and intimidated because of his involvement in the illegal Chinese (underground) house-church movement. In our countries, far away from China, we do not encounter such brutal persecution. Looking over our shoulders to see if we are being ‘watched’…
Learning the Hard Way#2. “Never Alone—Elijah.”
Elijah humiliated the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. He challenged King Ahab’s 450 Baal prophets to a test by fire. ‘If your god sends fire, then he is the true God. If the God of Israel sends fire, then he is God!’ Elijah mocked the Baal prophets as they tried to summon their fake god. They danced, screamed and self-mutilating themselves, but it was all in vain. Elijah didn’t want it to look too easy. He rebuilt the broken…
Learning the Hard Way#1. “Humility—Saul of Tarsus.”
If humility were a commodity on the stock market, its stock price would be so low that it would have junk-bond status. No one wants it! I challenge you to find a motivational book or speech that promotes humility as its key principle in these terms: Jesus, “being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil.2:8).Outside of Bible-centred books or sermons, you won’t find it!…
Truth and Lies.#4 “Blood-soaked Truth Diluted.”
Mel Gibson’s movie, Passion of the Christ, is not for the fainthearted. No serious Gospel reader will feel that the film overplays the torturous acts inflicted upon Jesus. It exposes those who present the crucifixion in terms of a TV melodrama as misrepresenting its intended impact.Offering a Gift-wrapped Gospel is cruel. The Good News is that the Son of God absorbed the eternal pain and death that we were destined for in a devil’s hell. There is nothing pretty about…