Christian Living

Christmas might very well be the most wonderful time of the year…but it is also the busiest! I know for our ministry, the time between now and Christmas is packed with activity—extra Christmas outreach, special Christmas services, and unique opportunities for ministry. On top of all of that, we have our annual Vision Sunday just two weeks after Christmas.

Have you ever met someone who is like way too joyful? You know, the person who literally always has a smile on their face? The person who is always upbeat and never has a bad day? Sometimes those people are too much to handle. However, that person is most likely full of joy, not just happiness.

Our grandson, Chandler, recently went to the doctor for a follow up appointment on his lungs. (He had severe necrotizing pneumonia and lung surgery last year.)

Americans must never forget the origins of our national Thanksgiving holiday. Its spiritual significance is no longer taught in our nation’s public schools. In fact, most school children today are taught that Thanksgiving originated when the Pilgrims invited their Native American friends to dinner to thank them for their help in troubled times after the Mayflower landed. As with much of modern American revisionist history, there really is much more to the story.

Ill-gotten gain always comes with the attached string of eventual guilt. That is why there are many who are increased with goods yet decreased in their ability to enjoy them.

One of the plaguing sins of American Christians is ingratitude. So many people spend their lives looking for that something—some other place, person, opportunity, recognition—that will be better. Their discontentment diverts their attention from what they already have.

What is a true test of love? Men like to give chocolate, flowers, and even a nice dinner to demonstrate love. I’m sure my wife would love all those things. However, when it comes to building blocks in the Christian life, we must have a love for the church. How exactly should we show love to the church?

Have you ever been to a nursery? Not the one with screaming children, but one with thousands of plants? We have a nursery right in front of our house and it is huge! I often wonder how much water and plant food they go through each week.

In the previous post, we looked at eight indicators of an unraveling culture. We don’t study the needs, however, to become discouraged by them, but to more effectively meet them. I would suggest eight ways New Testament churches should be responding to an unraveling culture.

I don’t think any serious, observant American Christian denies that our culture is on a fast downhill slide.

The question has often been asked, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” That question should make you think. You cannot earn your salvation by works. However, your works and lifestyle can indicate whether or not you have truly been saved. A person who has been born again will manifest that change in the way he lives.

Have you ever wondered how some Christians have remained faithful for many decades? Some of the most influential men in my life have been saved for well over twenty years. So how does someone stay the course for so many years?

In the summer of 2013, during a much needed getaway trip with my wife, God revealed the truth of this wonderful promise in Scripture to me in a new and fresh way. We were at a point of decision. God had began to work in my heart about becoming a pastor.

The word panacea means “a cure-all for problems or difficulties.” It has the idea of an effective remedy or solution for all problems regardless of their dimensions, difficulties, or dismay. Trials and afflictions are part of the Christian life. Without them, we can’t grow in the Lord.

Many people who reject Christianity remain convinced that Jesus did exist. E. P. Sanders has shown that the core facts of Jesus’ life are accepted by the majority of historians, regardless of their religious beliefs. In fact, some former atheists like Dr. Michael Bird cite the evidence for the historical Jesus as a key reason for their conversion to Christianity.

The Epistle of James could be classified as a wisdom book of the New Testament, similar to the “wisdom books” (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon) of the Old Testament. It is also a book that has an emphasis on prayer. In the blessed promise of James 1:5 we find both themes combined.

On August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse crossed the continental United States, an event that had not happened for nearly a century. Tens of millions of people, crammed into a 70-mile-wide path that crosses our country from Oregon to the Carolinas, stood looking up at the sky.

In this Psalm, young David is running for his life from King Saul. God providentially preserves him, and he has a message for all who come behind him: there is a God in Heaven who hears the cries of His children! No matter why and how far we run, God is only a prayer away.

We are bombarded with error. Newspapers, television, billboards, radio, and magazines all try to fill our minds and hearts with philosophies and ideas that are completely contrary to Scripture. Here are some thoughts to help strengthen the Lord’s people against these attacks.

The early “infancy period” of the church is fascinating to read about in the book of Acts. In just a few years’ time, local churches of baptized believers were established in dozens of cities in the Mediterranean region.