This is part four in a series on “worship.” Previous posts answer: Who do Christians worship?, Why do Christians worship?, and When do Christians worship? Today, we answer the question “Where do Christians worship?” The question of the Samaritan woman for Jesus was, in part, a question of location: “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that…
This is part three in a series on “worship.” (To read part one, click here; to read part two, click here) Today, we answer the question “When do we worship?” “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). The infinite wisdom of God speaks to every arena of life.…
What would be the answer if we asked people “Who do Christians worship?” I imagine we would get the same response: from new believers; from young children; from atheists. “Christians worship God.” Few would diverge from this fairly well-known fact. However, “who is God?” would yield altogether different responses, even among His redeemed. Not only would different denominations and traditions…
This blog post is post #2 of 5 in a series on “Worship.” To view post #1, click here. As George Mallory prepared to climb Mount Everest in 1924 he was asked “Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?” He replied, “Because it’s there.” I suppose at the most basic level one might respond this way to the question…
In a Sunday morning message, we discussed “blind spots”—those areas of our lives that do not align with the Word of God, yet remain undetected. You were challenged to consider what you would do when the Lord shows them to you. If you accepted the application, you have been praying one simple, yet potent prayer this week: “Lord, I want…
This post is a continuation of a previous one. Here, I selected five small, yet potent words we often see when reading the New Testament. We now conclude with explanations about five more words with a view to enhancing our Bible reading. Therefore – This word functions like a hinge. It connects what came before with what follows. It introduces…
Who thought one little letter could mean so much? The Gospel of John declares “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, New American Standard Bible). Historically, centuries of translations accurately printed this. However, when the Watchtower Society (Jehovah’s Witnesses) printed their translation a small change occurred: “In the…
In the “Parable of the Unforgiving Servant,” Jesus taught us about forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-35). In this parable, we learn when to forgive, why we forgive, and how to forgive. Much can be said about the theme of “forgiveness.” I would like to explore it further in Colossians 3:12-13. 12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and…
(The following are my favorite quotes from the booklet “Risk is Right” by John Piper) The Word of our Lord did great harm to the beliefs of American Christianity (Matthew 16:24-27). As though tables in a temple, Christ turned over their doctrines: the self-exaltation of personal preferences, the self-preservation of comforts and safety, the self-insulation that claims to love God,…
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted a written protest against the Roman Catholic Church. Out of his effort to reform Catholicism, the “Protestant Reformation” was born. You and I are direct “descendants” of what transpired: our lives both in the church and outside the church still receive the influence of the Reformation. In the religious sphere, the impact is…