Christian Living

The first chapter of Acts gives the account of Christ’s ascension. This passage also details our orders as we await His return. In verse thirteen, we see the eleven names of the most powerful men in the Bible. They had just witnessed the ascension of the Lord. They had gathered in the upper room.

I can’t tell you how many times I have emphasized the importance of God’s timing to someone. It has struck me over and over that God has good things for us at the right time. This is very evident in the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15.

In Paul’s letters, he was conscious to list believers in the churches whose fellowship he valued, like Onesiphorus, who is said to have “oft refreshed” the Apostle. A quick survey of this topic in the New Testament demonstrates that real fellowship accomplishes the following:

In order to most effectively serve the Lord and His church, a church staff must have certain qualities. The following are ten characteristics I emphasize to our staff so that we may continue to grow in the work of the Lord:

One Saturday afternoon after soulwinning, my family and I were making our way from our car into McDonalds. As we approached the front doors, another family was leaving. The dad stopped and curiously asked if we were Christians. I gladly told him yes and spent a moment talking to him about the Lord.

I remember throwing rocks into creeks and skipping them across ponds as a young boy. My brother and I would often compete in trying to make the biggest splash and the farthest-reaching ripples in the water.

The sheriff and outlaw stand at opposite ends of a dusty street, hands twitching with energy and deadly calm. Doors slam with locals rushing for cover, and curtains part for faces watching what’s to come. The sun glares straight overhead, but every store sign reads ‘CLOSED’ for this morose holiday.

Have you ever realized while driving down the freeway that you were going the wrong way? That five miles to the next exit seems like thirty as your mind begins to calculate the time you are wasting. That little gravel path in the median that is reserved for “official use only” looks pretty inviting, doesn’t it?

One dictionary definition of religion is “the ritual observance of faith.” It is perhaps this connotation that is most often in our minds when we use the word religion. We may think of the repetition of certain prayers or a formal and liturgical service or some other form and order.

If you look around you will find plenty of reasons to worry. The trouble with worry is that it doesn’t seem all that harmful. The sun blasts cancer-causing rays. Air vents blow lung-clotting molds. Potato chips have too many carbs. Vegetables have too many toxins.

Our generation is relationship-conscious but not relationship-wise. In every heart there is a legitimate hunger to be close to someone—to love and be loved, to know and be known. People search online, in social groups, and too often in wrong places to find that one deep, personal and fulfilling connection.

Leadership is never static. It requires intentional personal growth. Below are five quick thoughts I shared during our recent Spiritual Leadership Conference on steps to personal growth as a leader:

One of the most maligned words in the current religious glossary is the term fundamentalism. The term is misused often. Dictionary definitions of fundamentalism acknowledge its original use in reference to what they call “a twentieth century movement in Protestantism” which emphasized “the literal interpretation of the Bible.”

When sorely tried, stand still on the promises of God. When everyone but God is saying, “Move,” do not jump ship and wreck your family. Do not forsake in the dark what God has given you in the light.

In First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul exhorts the Corinthian church to be laborers together: “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). There are many things the first century church had right, but there are many things they did not have right.

Americans are not always good at remembering. We forget the sacrifices made for us so we can enjoy freedom today. We forget the blood, sweat, and tears of those who have given their all that we might have liberty.

History tells us Abraham found shade for his family under a grove of large oak trees known as the “Plains (or the Oaks) of Mamre.” The trees were situated at the top of Mount Hebron as it looked over the area known as Sodom and Gomorrah. This site became known as “Abraham’s Oaks.”

An 8:00 am flight out of Detroit, through Phoenix, to Los Angeles seemed simple enough. The airport was only fifteen minutes from the hotel, and after returning my rental car, I was two and half hours early—just like I had planned.

In early 2011, my health made it necessary to take some medical and rest leave. I knew that the Lord would use this time in my life to help me make significant mid-course adjustments. But far beyond schedule or administrative changes, the Lord gave me a full journal of scriptural insights regarding stewarding my life as a whole.

Walk with God: “Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.” Proverbs 23:17