Christianity

SHAI LINNE ON CHRISTIANS LABELING EACH OTHER

6/24/2020 Back in January, we made arrangements for Shai Linne to visit Alliance Bible Church this October. Given our COVID saturated world, we’re praying this still happens. He’s a multi-talented man and, much more, a Jesus-obsessed man. He posted a tweet thread (posted to another blog) that I think is worth posting here. His words are directed…

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THE IMAGE AND WRATH OF GOD: A Reflection on the Events in Minneapolis

When the Coronavirus pandemic descended upon us, one of the many musings that ran through my mind was: will any news story be able to knock this virus off the front page? Tragically, something has: the murder of George Floyd. God is ultimate reality. Therefore, there’s nothing we do that doesn’t relate to him. This is what…

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GET READY FOR THE RETURN OF CHRIST

Yes, I’m keenly aware that Christian history is littered with failed predictions of the end of the world. But the fact still remains: Jesus is coming back. “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God…” – 1…

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CHRISTIAN? OR JUST RELIGIOUS? NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO FIGURE IT OUT

Jesus told a story. It was about a father and his two sons. His older son was loyal, obedient, and followed all the rules. The younger son was a “free-spirit.” After demanding his share of his father’s inheritance, the younger son left home and squandered all he had on prostitutes and other displays of wild living. For…

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IS GOD JUDGING US?

Yes…and no. God’s Word is there to help us see past appearances and plunge us into the reality. Such must be the case with interpreting events unfolding around us. Is this pandemic a manifestation of God’s judgment? Luke 13 provides a good starting point.  In vv. 1-5, Jesus is asked to assess the theological reasons for…

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CHRIST OUR HOPE IN LIFE AND DEATH

Your heart, soul, mind, and strength need to worship with this one this weekend.

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WHAT DID CHRISTIANS DO IN THE PAST?

The year was 165 AD. Marcus Aurelius was emperor in Rome. A devastating epidemic swept through the empire. Some medical historians suspect it was the first appearance of smallpox in the West. Regardless of the actual disease, it was lethal. During the fifteen year duration of the epidemic, between a quarter and a third of the empire’s population…

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TRUSTING GOD FOR THE FINISHED PRODUCT

Suffering often leaves us wondering, “how is this all going to work out?” Suffering creates a sense of chaos; like the puzzle pieces aren’t fitting together.  Elisabeth Elliot relays an amusing story that’s helpful for us. Apparently, her husband Jim was quite the handyman. He had the ability to build many things from scratch. Elisabeth…

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HOW YOU DETERMINE SUFFERING’S POTENTIAL IMPACT

“Glory.”  It’s not a word we can define quickly or easily. We know God is glorious (Ps. 106:20; Jer. 2:13). We know we’re supposed to “glorify” God (Ps. 69:30). But what does it mean? Theologians have debated this for centuries, but one of the best directions to move in is consider what glory literally means: “weight.” When something is “weighty” it’s…

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EVIL AND THE 3-YEAR-OLD TEST

In my last post, I contend that a God who is infinitely more powerful than me would also be infinitely more knowledgeable than me. So if God is infinitely knowledgeable, why couldn’t he have morally sufficient reasons for allowing evil that I can’t think of? Just because I can’t think of any, doesn’t mean an infinitely knowledgeable…

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