When reading the Bible, do you ever find yourself convicted about some sin in your life? Do you find that the Bible sometimes points out something about the way you’re living that just isn’t right with God? That’s uncomfortable, isn’t it? Let me suggest a surefire way to keep that from happening. Try to always … Continue reading Pastor Note #137: Other People’s Sins & Reading the Bible
Tag: Bible
Pastor Note #136: Cable News Networks Are Evil
What follows will read like a rant. I’m sorry about that. Try not to traffic in rants. So, let me ask that you take it as a plea—a plea from the heart of a pastor who is concerned for your spiritual well-being. If you watch more than an hour or so of some 24-hour cable … Continue reading Pastor Note #136: Cable News Networks Are Evil
Pastor Note #134/Bible Note #55: Love of Jesus, Love of Neighbor
“Almighty God, you have taught us through your Son that love is the fulfilling of the law. Grant that we may love you with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourselves; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.[1] Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he … Continue reading Pastor Note #134/Bible Note #55: Love of Jesus, Love of Neighbor
Pastor Note #131: A Pastoral Response to Someone Struggling in these Divisive Times
Feeling connected and part of a community of believers has become increasingly hard for me, too, over the last several years. So, I can understand how you feel. There is a kind of spiritual homelessness that has set in for many of us. We can feel such a desire to isolate and retreat from community … Continue reading Pastor Note #131: A Pastoral Response to Someone Struggling in these Divisive Times
Pastor Note #130: The Government of Oklahoma Attempts to Usurp the Church
Effective immediately, all Oklahoma schools are required to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum across specified grade levels, e.g., grades 5 through 12. This directive is in alignment with the educational standards approved on or about May 2019, with which all districts must comply.[1] The above … Continue reading Pastor Note #130: The Government of Oklahoma Attempts to Usurp the Church
Pastor Note #128: The Resurrection–A Devotional
Introduction:If saving non-material human souls is all that matters, what is the point of the bodily resurrection of Jesus? If the goal of the Christian faith is to get souls into heaven, then the bodily resurrection of Jesus is irrelevant and unnecessary. And yet, there can be little doubt that the New Testament writers were … Continue reading Pastor Note #128: The Resurrection–A Devotional
Pastor Note #127: A Devotional on the Lord’s Return
Introduction:Surely, there are few biblical topics that have generated as many books, articles, Bible studies, and sermons as the topic of the return of Christ. They are often filled with charts and tables and complex speculations that make quantum physic seem simple. A. W. Tozer writes this, “There have been enough foolish formulas advanced about … Continue reading Pastor Note #127: A Devotional on the Lord’s Return
Pastor Note #126: A Good Friday Devotional
Introduction:At the very core of his being, our God is a relational God. Every fiber of God’s nature is biased toward relationship. We see that in the mystery of the Trinity—one God in three Persons, woven in a profound interrelationship of love, one with the other. We also see this relational nature of our God … Continue reading Pastor Note #126: A Good Friday Devotional
Bible Note #53: Colossians 3 Series–Raised with Christ
There is richness and deep truth to be found everywhere in the Bible, often in passages that might seem mundane and unremarkable at first glance. In fact, that sounds like an interesting challenge. So, maybe someday I’ll do a series of studies on some of those seemingly uninspiring passages of the Bible. But for now, … Continue reading Bible Note #53: Colossians 3 Series–Raised with Christ
Bible Note #52: James 2:5-7 & the Problem of Wealth
Photo by GAC I think I can safely say that James has a very low opinion of money and the accumulation of wealth. Along with Paul, James gets his ideas about money and wealth from Jesus. Jesus and all the New Testament writers are concerned about money and the accumulation of wealth because they believed … Continue reading Bible Note #52: James 2:5-7 & the Problem of Wealth
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