Have you ever found yourself in an environment where it didn’t feel safe to ask questions? Perhaps you wanted to dive into Scripture to study a particular topic but were met with fear or condescension. Perhaps you’ve been dismissed or regarded as unorthodox when you’re pretty sure the other party doesn’t even know your position.… Read More »
In this post, we discuss witnesses and evidence in our pursuit of justice within the church. Witnesses and evidence are not narratives told by the loudest voice, hearsay that can’t be cross-examined, or allusions to confidentiality. What evidence do we need before we attribute guilt in our ecclesiastical courts? Do the Scriptures give us any guidance as we seek justice with accuracy?
I like to think of repentance like rain on a parched land. Sometimes rain will downpour, other times it comes as gentle rain, steadily and slowly. We know it has rained by the signs of life. In the soil of true repentance, life will spring out from the ground. Genuine repentance shows itself with fruit… Read More »
We come to Christ as beggars. Begging Jesus is what we observed in blind Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who sat on the side of the road, who pleaded for mercy from Jesus. (Mark 10:46-52.) What a picture of our miserable and needy state. We come to Jesus: blind, begging, and in need of a Savior’s… Read More »
I’m a big fan of helping Christians dwell together in peace and unity with a love for the truth. What do we do when Christians disagree about how to handle coronavirus? In seeking the peace of the church in this time, I’ve been thinking about the role of our conscience in Covid-19. What does conscience have to… Read More »
In his book, Union with Christ, Rankin Wilbourne reminds us of a key component of the gospel: our union with Christ. Rankin points out that the phrase “in Christ” is used over 160 times by the Apostle Paul. As Christians, Christ is in us and we are in Christ. Our union with Christ means that… Read More »
Recently I was amazed at our persecuted brothers and sisters in Egypt who were praying for the evildoers that sought to murder them. These Christians understood that evildoers can take their life but not their living hope in Christ Jesus (Matthew 10:28, 1 Peter 1:3-9). One persecuted leader, Fr. Boules George, explained that his prayer for his enemies was in faithful… Read More »
Where does a Peacemaker Find the Power to Persevere in Conflict? Answer: Through Complete Dependence on Jesus. What motivates you on a day to day basis? Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34). What would it look like if God’s glory… Read More »
Paul was gushing with confidence in God’s ability to complete his work in his fellow Christians. In Paul’s letter to the saints in Philippi, he says this: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:6. Paul was sure… Read More »
How often do you wear a mask? Does anyone know the real you? To be a good friend, it requires us to be vulnerable. Intimacy doesn’t just happen. It requires revelation. Just as we can have a relationship with God because he reveals himself to us, self-revelation is a prerequisite for intimacy in our close relationships. Ever… Read More »