The Three People They Were Looking For in Jesus’ Day
We talk a lot about messianic prophesies in the Old Testament, as we should. What often gets missed is that they weren’t just looking for the Messiah. They were looking for two other people mentioned...
View ArticleChristianity’s Enmeshment with the World, Fuzzy Identity and Our...
Do you know your story? If you don’t know your story then you are susceptible to someone else giving you one. This is what makes the difference between the child who accepts the playground label that...
View ArticleIroning Out Our Conflicting Message on the Usefulness of the Old Testament
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard in my life that the Old Testament is irrelevant to us because it was nailed to the cross and is therefore no longer useful to Christians today. People have...
View ArticleIroning Out Our Conflicting Message on the Usefulness of the Old Testament –...
It is important in this conversation that we stick with scripture itself for our guide. In Churches of Christ that is one of our mantras – that we stick by scripture even over tradition. But in the...
View ArticleIroning Out Our Conflicting Message on the Usefulness of the Old Testament –...
Next we turn to Acts 15. The Gospel had been preached among the Jews up until Acts 10. In Acts 10 we get the story of the divinely orchestrated encounter between Peter and Cornelius. Peter acknowledges...
View ArticleHow is the Old Testament Useful Today?
The word “graphe” in Greek is used 49 times in the New Testament and literally means “writing.” In the New Testament the kind of writing that is being discussed is inspired writing which in basically...
View ArticleProphets Unaware
Several times in scripture we have people doing things that are prophetic without them recognizing it. There are several instances in the Gospels where the Gospel writer informs us of what is going on....
View ArticleThe Sermon on the Mount and the Power of Self-Deception
The sermon on the mount is one of the most powerful sermons ever preached. Maybe there is a lesson to be learned that one of Jesus’ longest sermons was only a few minutes long if we have the whole...
View ArticleEphesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 Say Something that is Typically Missed
The reason we go to a particular verse often dictates the meaning we find in the verse. If we go to Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 looking for instruction on how to worship we end up missing some of what...
View ArticleThe Spiritual Physical – Tuning Our Eyes and Ears to See & Hear Holistically
There is an idea out there that there are physical, temporary things and there are spiritual, eternal things. The reality is the distinction is not so distinct. The spiritual permeates everything. This...
View ArticleDeveloping Ears to Hear the Word & Voice of the Lord
On several occasions Jesus finished his teaching telling those who heard him that if they had the ears to hear they needed to listen (Mark 4:9, 13 & 8:18). Jesus taught in such a creative way that...
View ArticleOur Need for a Biblical View of the Holy Spirit: 4 Reasons We Neglect the Spirit
Can you imagine neglecting Jesus or the Father in your teaching or preaching? Imagine a church that never said a word about either the Father or the Son. Would you want to be a part of a church that...
View ArticleThe Obedience/Evangelism Disconnect
If our salvation were to be contingent upon getting every jot and tittle just so then would one be lost if they disobeyed the Great commission? Technically the Greek there isn’t an imperative but over...
View ArticlePlaying Chess With God
Sometimes life feels like playing chess with God. I am sitting on one side of the table trying to play both hands. Seated across from the Creator of the universe I strategize…figuring out what my next...
View ArticleMinisters’ Health in Churches of Christ – Some New Statistics to Consider
I recently ran a survey of Church of Christ ministers to assess their health and self-care. I am going to be presenting a very small portion of that information at the Pepperdine lectures next week....
View ArticleOperating Out of Conviction
Conviction is a word that I don’t hear very often. I think it is underused. The Bible talks about conviction in a few places including the famous chapter on faith in Hebrews 11, “Now faith is the...
View ArticleRepeal and Replace
There is a law at work in our minds that must be repealed and replaced. It is a law that doesn’t have our best interest at heart. It is the law of sin that enslaves us to the desires of our flesh. Here...
View ArticleA New Year’s Resolution I Promise You Can Keep
Here it is – Fail at something. I don’t mean fail because you didn’t try. That isn’t failing. That is laziness. I mean fail because you tried something daring. Fail because you stepped out beyond your...
View ArticleProcess Crimes in Theological Conversation
There are few things in the world of politics that interest me but one thing that does are process crimes. Let’s say Senator Smith is being investigated for money laundering and tax evasion. They bring...
View ArticleMaking Complex the Simple and Dreaming Dreams
It takes a lot of work to take a complex idea and make it simple. It takes relatively little work to take something simple and make it complex. Disorder comes more easily than order…chaos is the...
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