Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Those are the words of Jesus in Matt 5:44. The entire sermon on the mount can be read in Matt 5-7, but let’s deal right now with just this one command. Like everything Jesus taught, he not only gave the instruction but provided us with his example to follow. Jesus loved his enemies. Continue reading
In Mark chp 4, one of the parables Jesus shares is the Parable of the Sower. If you didn’t just click the link to Mark 4, it may be that you know this parable well. I hope you either know this story already, or at least take the time to read it now. After telling this particular parable, Jesus goes on to explain its meaning. The seed is the gospel, and what happens illustrates many things that could happen to those who hear the gospel shared. What I want to foucs on for a moment is exactly what Jesus meant by “went out to sow.” Continue reading
There are some discussions/debates that are purely academic in nature, meaning that they have no real bearing on anything practical. Is Superman strong enough to beat up the Incredible Hulk? It doesn’t matter who wins the debate, there is no practical application for the results. Continue reading
I certainly teach that the whole Bible is about Jesus. The Bible, on the whole, is the story of how a holy God relates to a sinful and fallen people. Jesus is at the center of that story. You’ve heard all this before.
The question I heard raised this morning is “Can a person get saved only reading the Old Testament?” II Timothy 3 tells us that all scripture is given by the inspiration of God. Obviously the New Testament is God-given, and we need to read and study it. If the Old Testament was sufficient, why would God give us another? But still, if the gospel is all over the Bible, is there enough there to lead a person to Christ? And I say, yes it is possible. Continue reading
This year for Holy Week I pointed out that Jesus died. We all know that he was crucified, and was raised to life again, but the real miracle here is that God died.
We asked the question Jesus, sheep or shepherd? That post will be my sermon for Easter Sunday. I’m preaching twice in the morning.
Another thought was on Jesus’ prayer from the cross. He didn’t pray just for his followers or his family, but he prayed the prayer of intercession for the people who were crucifying him. “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” This is the Christ that we are supposed to be like.
There are some older posts I thought about re-posting, but instead I will just link them here. He Cannot Save Himself is a poem about the crucifixion. It is based on the sermon I preached for Easter last year. Feel free to copy and paste it, print it in your church bulletin, or read it outloud.
Other good topics for Holy Week are Jesus’ Examples: Washing Feet and Passover Becomes the Lord’s Supper.
The Gospel is good news. It is the power of God unto salvation. It is the story of God with us. As Christians, we believe all these wonderful things, and more, about the Good News of Jesus Christ. But the vast majority of people will say “Thanks but no thanks,” and some will get defensive first and then angry. For better or worse, hearing the good news offends people.
Jesus has a long conversation with some Jews that “had believed him” in John 8:31-59. In verse 39, the Jews respond to Jesus that Abraham is their father. In 41, they say that God is their only father. Jesus’ final statement, “Before Abraham was I am,” is the Gospel. Jesus is using language that only God would use (i.e. the burning bush), and seems to make a play on words with God’s name. It was not only blasphemy to use God’s name this way, he is saying that in fact he is God; God with us. That’s good news. But on this occasion, it’s not good news for Jesus. They were picking up stones with which to kill him as he escaped from their midst. Continue reading
I’m debating whether I should explain what is meant by the Seeker Sensitive movement, or just assume my readers know what that is. In short, Seeker Sensitive churches take care not to offend with the gospel message, but make sure they are warm and inviting. In the name of being Seeker Sensitive, the pulpit has been done away with, the band plays for half the service, the preacher has been all but replaced by the “worship leader”, and the cross and anything resembling it are gone. Continue reading
There is an old saying that is Christianity were a lie, they would have made up a better lie.
Think about it. The basic tenants of the Christian faith are that a carpenter from a small town in Israel was crucified by the Roman Empire, buried, rose again from the dead, and that faith in these events is what gets one into heaven. These are just the basics. We could make a long list. To be a faithful Christian, one must believe: Continue reading
John chapter 4 tells the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. It just so happens I’ve written on this passage before. This post describes everything “weird” about the conversation Jesus had with her, namely that a religious leader, or any Jewish man for that matter, would not have been talking to such a person.
John chapter 8 recounts the story of the woman caught in adultery. In this situation the woman is clearly guilty of a sin punishable by death. When she is left with no accusers (“Let he that is without sin…”) Jesus tells her that he will not condemn her either. She is told to go, and sin no more. How can he not condemn her, having been caught in the very act of adultery? Continue reading
Theology – theo meaning having to do with religion, ology meaning the study of something. Theologians are those that study religion. We need not all be theologians, but a Christian should at least know what we believe, and hopefully why we believe it. In this we are lacking.
In his Collapse of Evangelicalism, Michael Spencer says ” massive majorities of evangelicals can’t articulate the Gospel with any coherence.” The next day after reading these words, our school chapel sang Hymn 604 in the Baptist Hymnal, which ends with these words: “And repeat the gospel story ’till his name the world has heard.” We have not done this. It is not surprising that the un-churched do not know how to become a Christian, but church members not knowing how one gets saved is unacceptable. Continue reading
The Master's Table 
