Before we can answer the question, we have to make sure something is clear: the gospel calls churches into existence. That is, the gospel creates churches. Think about it… The gospel is the good news that Jesus has come into our world, lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have…
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I’m sure you’ve noticed our propensity to name drop. “I shook hands with the President!” “I sat next to Aaron Rogers on the plane.” “Channing Tatum smiled at me!” Having close encounters with famous people makes us look good; it makes us look like important insiders. But name dropping only works if you have a…
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Words. They are everywhere. Life without them would be…well…confusing. Think about how pervasive language is. Just today, I used language in the preparation of a sermon. I used it to correspond with dozens of individuals. I used language to give an instruction to a fellow staff person in our church. Not only is language pervasive,…
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When there is a conflict between external circumstances and internal desires, discontentment is often the result. The more of life I live and see, the more I’m convinced discontentment is close to the root of many of our problems. So how do we deal with it? 1. Show some humility If discontentment results from our…
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Job is one of the most read stories in all the world even to this day. You know the story. Job is a very godly man whom God himself speaks highly of. God permits Satan to ravage Job’s life. Once wealthy, he becomes impoverished. He loses everything. Once blessed with ten children, all ten are…
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In Joshua 1:7-9, God instructs Joshua, the new leader of the people of Israel, twice to “be strong and courageous.” They were about to cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land God had promised Abraham centuries earlier. In the middle of this bookend to “be strong and courageous” is the exhortation to…
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A quick fix. Take a pill to lose weight, lower cholesterol, and calm our nerves. We love a quick fix. Sometimes I think we read the Bible looking for a quick fix. “Just read this passage, apply what it says, and you’ll be fine.” I want to make a bold proposal in this little blog…
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When I say “affinity-based small groups” do you know what I mean? In the American church today, we organize many of our small groups around certain “affinities.” It could be “young families” or “20-somethings” or “singles” or “retired couples.” Organizing our groups around that can be helpful. I’m thankful for the newly married small group…
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So I’m reading through Romans and I came across a couple of verses I never really stopped to think about before: “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong — that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”…
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