by Craig McAndrews | Oct 26, 2015 | Articles, Testimonies
I heard a radio station share a story that really caught my attention. The host was discussing a study done by a prominent institution that revealed three characteristics of children who grew up in the church and continued to grow in their faith long after they went out on their own. I was super interested in the article because I have two boys at home who are involved in our church, have professed faith in Christ, periodically read their Bible and aren’t afraid to pray. However, I also know that they are young (15 and 11), and a good bit of their faith is still connected to my wife and I. The research suggested that the most important skills adopted were: (1) They learned how to read and study the Bible (2) They were taught how to share the gospel (3) They actively participated in discipling other believers. For anyone that is a follower of Christ and has studied the calling of Jesus this list may seem like Christ-follower 101. However, I realized that no one is going to teach these skills to my boys except for me; it is what God has called me to do! So to that end, I set out on a mission to equip my boys to do each of these. I would love to share with you the great success I am having by highlighting the progress of our work by listing the verses they have memorized, the number of people they have led to Christ, or the number of friends they are actively discipling. Unfortunately, none of that is really happening. The...
by Gayle Jackson | Oct 12, 2015 | Articles, Mentors Corner
The value of being a Zealot Words We learn and discuss and think with words. And yet we tend to be sloppy in our understanding and definition of words. This is especially true in matters of our faith. Remember the old saying “he who defines the words wins the argument”. Some words that are in much debate in the body are: 1. Salvation 4. Imputed vs Actual 2. Sanctification 5. Accountability 3. Legalism 6. Fear of God Your view of the commandments of the bible and their meaning and authority will bring you into conflict with the body. For instance, thoughts on obedience: if I said that we are called to live a zealous obedient life in God’s Word, and if I said that the number one expression of Grace in our lives is our obedience to God’s Word and if I said to be Holy, my life must be directed by obedience to God’s Word, most would classify me either as a legalist or a nut. In today’s church the committed man of obedience is looked down on in Christianity as legalistic. And a legalistic person is to be shunned and criticized. What does that word legalistic mean? It is not used in the Bible but is clearly in the lexicon of Christianity. There are 3 definitions that I know of that are commonly associated with being legalistic. One who thinks obedient behavior is a key to their salivation or favor with God (of course this is wrong). One who imposes their convictions, (convictions not commands) or standards on someone else as a requirement for an association...
by Walt Henrichsen | Oct 5, 2015 | Articles, Mentors Corner
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 There is perpetual tension between viewing Scripture objectively, on the one hand, and acknowledging its authority, on the other. Those who believe the Bible agree that it is the inspired Word of God, and that we are obliged to obey it. But authority is restrictive; I want to do what I want. Therefore we are more prone to manipulate Scripture than any other literature. For example, there is no necessity to manipulate the intent of the information in the morning newspaper, simply because we are not under its authority. This is the reason liberal commentators on the Bible are often more accurate than conservative commentators. Liberals don’t view Scripture as authoritative, don’t feel obligated to obey it, and therefore tend to be more objective in their interpretation. Dependence, surrender, neutrality, an eagerness to obey God, no vested interest in the outcome, not trying to build anything – these are key to knowing God and His ways. The urge to manipulate authority is great, and the more absolute the authority, the greater the urge to manipulate. CLICK HERE for more articles by this...
by John Hartshorn | Sep 28, 2015 | Articles, What Do You Think?
The Primary Objective Judging motives is a slippery slope. It can be an exhausting workout of an exercise in futility. Nonetheless, the reason behind an action taken can be significant. That was a recent consideration on a passage that is familiar to many. Both Matthew, (22:34 -40) and Mark (12:28-31) record the question posed by the lawyer (scribe) who ask Jesus “Teacher, what is the great commandment in the Law?” (What commandment is the foremost of all?). The passages infer, or state, that the Pharisees had been questioning Jesus. It could be another instance where the motive was “trap the teacher”. We can be critical of the Pharisees, but then emulate them when we come across His truth running contrary to our desires. Another option for the intent could be the frustration of trying to obey all the laws/commandments. Maybe if it could be narrowed to “the main thing”. One could then infer the others to be of less importance, maybe even “cultural”. Or possibly the very lucid thought of wanting to understand the primary objective, and be clear on the criteria for obtaining that objective, could at the heart of the question. As noted, knowing the true motive is speculation, but considering such possibilities can lead to some fruitful introspection, being that we could find ourselves having any one of those motives. For the purpose of this brief discussion, let us consider the third intent. Consider the initial imperative in Jesus’ response as recorded in Mathew’s account – “You shall love”. God both desires and requires our love, and all that we give to that love with what...
by Ed Allen | Sep 21, 2015 | Articles, What Do You Think?
Ezekiel 3: 16 At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. 18 “When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 “Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. 20 “Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 “However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.” (Observation) Ezekiel is commissioned by God to warn “the house of Israel,” Whenever God directs him, that the wicked man “will die in his inequity” if he does not turn from it. Likewise a righteous man will die in his sin if he “turns away from his righteousness.” Further God warns Ezekiel that if he fails to warn them as commanded...
by Sean Moorhead | Sep 14, 2015 | Articles, Testimonies
“[W]e are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Cor 10:5c I believe that the basics of the Christian life – basic blocking and tackling – happens between our ears (in our minds). Every sin either starts with a thought or consists of a thought, so how we handle our thoughts is critical. Sometimes I feel like I have a random thought generator in my head. There is stuff that God hears and I hear that I would never share with any human being (except perhaps an accountability brother). Talking with guys, I believe a lot of men have the same experience. Where do these thoughts come from? I’m not exactly sure, but it is usually safe to assume that such thoughts come from the world, the flesh, or the devil, or some collusive combination. What do we do with those thoughts? My current Paul (Christian mentor) says we need to change the channel of our minds. But how actually do we do that? From martial arts, I’ve taught myself to think in terms of “the instant of the thought.” Some martial arts teach actions at the instant of the punch, the instant of the grab, or the instant of the kick. We train to respond immediately and reflexively in those instances. I believe as intentional Christians, we ought to train ourselves to respond immediately and reflexively at the instant of a thought. I see this modeled by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In Matthew chapter 4 and Luke chapter 4 Jesus faced temptation by the master deceiver and master accuser. Jesus responded in the same manner...
Recent Comments