As a Christian, I believe there are numerous compelling reasons to become a Christian. First, death is real. While we prefer to insulate ourselves from this hard reality, that doesn’t make it go away. By becoming a Christ-follower, however, Easter is a prediction of my future. Christians will live, even though they die (John 11:25-26). Second, Christianity is…
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Jonah is a biographical account of a man who is deeply religious, but far from God. This book gives the reader various aspects to a life that is religious, but spiritually dysfunctional. In chapter 1, we discover one aspect to a dysfunctionally religious person. Like Jonah, people like this have a category in their heads…
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There are two things every religion in the world agrees on. First, they all agree there’s something wrong with our world. Second, they all offer some ideal future. But that’s where the similarities end. In Hinduism the “problem” is Samsara, or the cycle of reincarnation. The goal is Moksha or freedom from this cycle. And…
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Our nation is experiencing some tense times internally. Battles have been and are still being waged over same-sex marriage laws and all the implications of it. Dust-ups over religious liberty and abortion rights land on news websites every day. As a pastor, moments like these are opportunities to remind Christians of the bigger picture. Sometimes…
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Jonah is a biographical account of a man who is deeply religious, but has an incredibly faulty view of God. This faulty view of God leads Jonah to demonstrate some pretty destructive attitudes and behaviors. Additionally, it becomes apparent Jonah’s view of God prevents him from keeping in step with the mission of God. The book of Jonah was…
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The term ‘Christian’ is now a voter bloc. Did you know that? This is another example of how people can come to a faulty understanding of what a word means. Because ‘Christian’ has been absorbed into the political parlance, there are many folks who think they know what being a ‘Christian’ is, but sadly, the…
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“I feel empty.” Have you ever admitted that to someone? Or just uttered it to yourself? I have! While I don’t know for sure, it’s probably a pretty common human experience. Why? There’s a story recorded in the New Testament that tells us why. It was the middle of the day and Jesus was thirsty so he…
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Why will God let you into heaven? Have you ever thought about that question? Over the past twelve or so years in ministry, I have asked that question of dozens of people. Common responses include: People often respond with some sort of “moral resume” in a sentiment that says, “God, will let me into heaven…
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Atheist illusionist Penn Jillette once said, “I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially…
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A church’s culture will be shaped by the beliefs and convictions the people in that church have. Some of our beliefs are known to us, but some aren’t, at least not immediately. Why? We hold to beliefs and convictions that lie underneath the surface and we may not even be aware of them. It’s those beliefs…
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