The gospel is undefeatable.
I was reminded of this truth over the weekend. After I finished my last final exam for the semester, I made my way back to Tennessee as a surprise for my former students. Each year, our college ministry holds a mystery trip in honor of the graduating seniors. The students dress up in formal wear and go they know not where.
This year, I was part of the mystery.
The Gospels are filled with some crazy stories.
In today’s skeptical world, many are too “sophisticated” to believe the fantastical events presented in the gospel story. The stories of Christ healing the sick, casting out evil spirits, and raising the dead are relegated to the realm of fairy tale, made to sit in the corner with Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.
Yet, if we actually read these accounts of the man, Jesus, we see a different story. In fact, the reason these Gospels are filled with such amazing stories is so that we might believe. Continue reading
You know the creation story. Well, at least parts of it, right?
When it comes to Bible stories, it appears the more famous ones are in the Old Testament. If you walk up to some random Joe on the street and ask him to tell you a Bible story, odds are it will be about Noah and the flood or Moses and the Red Sea. Perhaps, you will hear about David and Goliath or Daniel in the lion’s den.
You would think, since all the famous stories are in the Old Testament, that Christians would be more familiar with it. Yet, it seems that just the opposite is true. With the exception of these specific stories, most Christians have very little knowledge of the Old Testament. When it comes to our devotional life, or even the sermons we hear, the vast majority come from the Gospels or Paul’s letters. Besides, who needs the Old Testament, we have the New Testament? After all, that is where Jesus is, right? Continue reading
I like to be lazy.
On some level, I think most of us do. If something is hard, most of us would rather have somebody just explain it to us. I do not want to put the effort into figuring out difficult situations or concepts. Just give me the CliffsNotes. While we may get away with that when it comes to Wuthering Heights in our high school English class, it hurts us in most areas of life.
Take our approach to the Bible. I am convinced that most people who sit in a pew on Sunday rarely pick up their Bible at all during the week. After all, we are busy people, and it is not like we are going to get a grade for reading the Bible this week. It has no due date, and we will not receive a promotion at work for doing it. Continue reading
“The only thing good about 29 is the fact that it is not 30.” At least, that is what I said on this day last year. You may want to read that post first. It is called Confessions of a 29-year-old.
It is funny. For years, 30 was that age off in the future. As I got older, I stared at 30 down the end of the long hall, thinking, “At least I’m not 30 yet.”
Today, I stand on the other side of that number. I am 30. Continue reading
Has someone ever asked you the question above, or perhaps you asked it yourself?
Fifty years ago, this question was practically taboo in America. However, a lot has changed culturally in that time. Secularism is the new religion, even when people claim Christianity, and as pluralism has won the day in the public square, this is the kind of question that Christians now find themselves answering.
It is a fair question.
Maybe, instead of getting mad that someone would even consider asking such a question, we should consider its ramifications. After all, to someone who does not believe in God (atheism), or perhaps does not know if God exists (agnosticism), the evidence to support God can easily be turned on its head. For instance, if God exists, why is there suffering in the world? Why is there injustice? Why does it seem those who have the least ability to protect themselves are subjected to atrocities that people in the States cannot fathom? (Take for instance the child soldiers in Uganda.) More importantly, if this all-powerful being does exist and he lets this stuff happen, how can he be good?
Is God a monster? Continue reading
Have you ever wondered if Paul wanted to be a missionary? Perhaps he came to the conclusion that it would be a fun thing to do, an exciting life to live. If that is the case, the story soon tells us it was not much fun. Paul was jailed and regularly beaten for his “career choice.” If his goal was fun or excitement, he would have stopped after that first trip.
Maybe, as I think most of us suppose, he received some divine understanding, some cosmic sign from God almighty telling him missionary service was his “calling.” It is indeed true he had some miraculous visitation from God on the road to Damascus, but he was not given details of his future service there. However, I am willing to bet most good, church-going folk assume Paul received some spiritual feeling or impression that he was supposed to leave the country, travel around the world, and plant churches.
After all, that is what we are looking for today. Continue reading
Words matter.
So does the way we choose to phrase things, even the little things. Words matter because when you string enough of them together, they are imbued with meaning. All of a sudden, this string of words conveys an idea. It speaks. That is the very purpose of words. Their purpose is the communication of meaning.
But where do words find their meaning?
Roaming around on my regular string of news sites, I ran across a great example of this today. In a recent meeting between President Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu, our president was presented with a gift from Netanyahu. It was the book of Esther. This book of the Bible is one that is used by both Judaism and Christianity. It exists as part of both the Jewish canon and our own. It is, for lack of a better word, a shared resource, one that both Jew and Christian should hold as significant. Obama is, by confession, a Christian and Netanyahu is, by ethnicity, a Jew.
The gift was deeply symbolic and meant to call Obama to a decision about the state of affairs concerning Israel and the Middle East. Continue reading
“It’s damning to drain the lifeblood of Christianity and replace it with Kool-Aid.”
That is a line from a recent post by Justin Taylor on his blog, Between Two Worlds. This post, called 8 Non-Negotiables for Mobilizing the Local Church for Accomplishing the Great Commission, is actually a recap of a talk given by David Platt at Verge12. I would suggest you read Taylor’s brief post, as it is a helpful synopsis of what was, I am sure, a real good discussion. Now, enough name-dropping and on to my point.
As I read the post, the above line reached out and slapped me.
The phrase is simple, well worded, and is definitely tweetable. However, before I am guilty of proof-texting Taylor, let me provide some context to this statement. Continue reading
“Hear, O Israel:
The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut 6:4-5 ESV).
If you are a practicing Jew, then you are probably quite familiar with these words. As a matter of fact, there is a good chance you said them last night before you went to bed.
The Shema, as this portion of scripture is called, is a passage of great significance in the Jewish bible. Consequently, it is of great significance to the Christian Bible as well. Jesus himself quotes this as the greatest commandment, adding to it that we must love our neighbors as ourselves. Truly, according to Christ, all the law and the prophets hang on these words. Continue reading
