Category Archives: Faith

The order of regeneration and faith

Do we wait until the man is cured and then bring him the medicine? Do we preach Christ to the righteous and not to sinners? Continue reading

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Faith and Suffering

I believe that there is a sad back-story to our suffering and a glorious end-story for those whom God loves. Yet pain in this life is often hard to reconcile with God’s love and power. Continue reading

Posted in Devil, Evil in the world, Evil One, Faith, Problem of evil, Suffering, Trials | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A conversion story

A young man from an influential Chinese family believes in Jesus as his creator and savior. Continue reading

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Searching for a plausible worldview

What way of seeing things corresponds most with reality and does not contradict what I clearly know to be true? Continue reading

Posted in All religions the same?, Apologetics, Christian worldview, Christianity, Evil in the world, Faith, Philosophy, Religion, Religion-not the answer, Worldview | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What would you do?

How would you respond to someone who was cursing you and throwing rocks at you? Continue reading

Posted in Faith, Humility, Humor, Resentment, Revenge, Walking with God, Wisdom | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Four servants of God who battled fierce despair

Four servants of God. Each one reached an extremely low point in life. All of them felt that life was no longer worth living. Continue reading

Posted in Abuse, Addiction, Anger, Anxiety, Assurance, Bitterness, Broken Relationships, Call to ministry, Character, Childhood trauma, Christian life, Comfort, Complaceny, Conceit, Conflict, Contentment, Crisis, Depression, Despair, discouraged, Discouragement, Divine Lottery, Doubt, Elders, elders in the Church, Emerging Leaders, Emotions, Encouragement, Failure, Faith, Fear, feeling hopeless, Freedom, God's Patience, God's Heart, God's Love, Grace, Gratitude, Grieving, Hope?, Kindness, Leadership, Life of a pastor, Loss, marriage problems, Meaning of life, Mercy, Middle life, Mind Renewal, Nihilism, Pain, Pastors, personal, Praise, Prayer, purpose, Questioning God, Repentance, Sadness, Seeking God, Selfishness, Spiritual Detox, Spiritual inventory, Spiritual transformation, Suffering, Suicide, Temptation, Trials, Truth, Victory, Walking with God, Will of God, Wisdom, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Security, peace, and safety

Where to look when you feel vulnerable or anxious, or when you feel misunderstood or misrepresented… Continue reading

Posted in Comfort, Faith, feeling hopeless, God, God's Heart, God's Love, God's power, God's Protection, Hope?, Suffering, Trials, Weather, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Meet the citizens of heaven

It might surprise some to meet the true citizens of heaven. Many religious leaders “shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces” (Matthew 23:13). Jesus said of them,  “You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. ….You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are” (Matthew 23:14-15). Jesus said to these religious leaders, “religious leaders “shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces” (Matthew 23:13). Jesus said,  “You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. …Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you” (Matthew 21:31). Continue reading

Posted in Afraid to die, Afterlife, Assurance, Atheism, Atheists, Belief, Blessed by God, Born again?, Christian worldview, Christianity, Cliches, Comfort, Cross of Christ, Cross of Jesus, Crucifixion, Death of Christ, Depravity, Disciple-making, Elentics, Eternal life, Eternal security, Evangelism, Faith, Fear of death, God's Heart, God's Love, Godly sorrow, Gospel, Gospel-centered, Grace, Greatness, Heaven, Human depravity, Humility, Jesus Christ, Justification, Legalism, Main problem, Matthew 7:1-6, Meekness, New Creation, Pharisees, Poor in spirit, Proud, Reconciliation, Regeneration, Religion, Religion-not the answer, Repentance, Salvation, Searching, Security of salvation, Seeker Services, Seeking God, Selfishness, Sin, Spiritual inventory, Teaching of Jesus, The cross of Christ, Unbelief, Walking with God, Witness, Worldly sorrow | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Understanding salvation

Salvation is what God in grace did for me, not what I do to try to keep myself worthy of His grace. Continue reading

Posted in Afraid to die, Afterlife, Assurance, Christian life, Christian worldview, Christianity, Eternal life, Eternal security, Faith, Heaven, Religion-not the answer, Salvation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Why do I feel so torn?

If you are a teacher in the Church or one who influences other followers of Christ, please make sure they understand the painful reality of the tension they will experience and how torn they will feel because of God’s Spirit living in them. The Christian life is one of tension between the already and the not yet. Continue reading

Posted in Blessed by God, Christian life, Christian worldview, Christianity, Church Leadership, Conflict, Contentment, Depravity, Depression, Despair, Discouragement, Doubt, Encouragement, Eternal life, Eternal security, Faith, God's Patience, God's Heart, God's Love, Gospel, Gospel-centered, Guidelines for living, Holy Spirit, Hope?, Meaning of life, Pastors, Salvation, Sanctification, Spirit filled, Spiritual growth, Spiritual inventory, Spiritual transformation, Suffering, Temptation, Trials | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments