“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” – Luke 16:10 Many times parents hear the outcry of teens as they accusingly yell, “You don’t trust me!” Often, unfortunately, parents respond by putting on a mantle of guilt and stumble for words to answer to assure the son or daughter that, indeed, they are trusted. Perhaps the response should be, “Of course, I don’t trust you. You haven’t proven to me that I … [Read more...]
‘Practicing radically ordinary hospitality’
Butterfield, Rosaria. The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway. 240 pp. $19.99. Rosaria Butterfield defines radically ordinary hospitality as “using your Christian home in a daily way that seeks to make strangers neighbors, and neighbors family of God” (31). Such hospitality makes your home a hospital, a place where people can find healing and grace, physical and spiritual good. It makes your home … [Read more...]
The hope of Martin Luther King Jr.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP) – The apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy is believed to be his last. While personalized to Timothy and his work in Ephesus, clearly the teaching of the letter was intended for more readers. At the time of his writing, Paul was in prison likely facing execution, and because of this, as Calvin notes, “all that we read here ... ought to be viewed by us as written not with ink but with Paul’s own blood” for what he was suffering and sacrificing. Timothy was losing … [Read more...]
SBC scholar Kostenberger delivers Midwestern Seminary’s Sizemore Lectures
Noted New Testament scholar Andreas Kostenberger delivered Midwestern Seminary’s annual Sizemore Lectures on March 13-14, emphasizing the importance of rightly studying biblical theology. Kostenberger, who has served for more than 20 years as senior research professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, focused his two-lecture series on the topic, “The Promise and Practice of Biblical Theology.” In the opening lecture, Kostenberger set … [Read more...]
Conversion without discipleship?
Hull, Bill. Conversion and Discipleship: You Can’t Have One Without the Other. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 250 pp. $18.99. Can we be Christians without living for Jesus? Is getting saved something different from being a disciple? Is discipleship a choice for the Christian, or a necessary part of being a Christian? As Christians we often use those terms, “Christian” and “disciple,” as if they meant different things. A Christian is something you are, a status or a belief that you hold, … [Read more...]
Power struggles stir trouble
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; ….does not seek its own, is not provoked,” I Corinthians 13:4,5 One need only listen to the news for a short time to find many examples of power struggles in Washington, D.C. Not only do we see them in Washington, we also see them in churches, schools, places of employment, and, yes, even our homes! What causes power struggles? What is the result of those struggles and what can we do to prevent them? Power struggles occur when we … [Read more...]
In step – two, three, four – with Jesus
I’m not one to dance like nobody’s watching. Mostly because I don’t want to watch it either. But I do sing loud. And big. Sometimes with motions. So while I might not necessarily dance like no one is watching, I have been known to sing like I’m vacuuming. A couple of months ago, I did accidentally bust a few new moves, but it was because a bug flew into my hair. That was some sweet choreography. Embarrassing, sure. I didn’t even know I had those moves. A couple of my kids saw it, as a … [Read more...]
The downward spiral of depravity
Romans 1 is a graphic depiction of human depravity, which is not a steep vertical fall, but a descending spiral of ungodliness that begins with rejection of God’s revelation and ends with a fateful last step into outer darkness. It’s a story we should tell more often because it cuts to the chase. Paul doesn’t promise happiness, wealth, or comfort to the sinner who receives Jesus as Savior. Rather, he warns those who persist in rebellion against God of the peril they face when the divine … [Read more...]
Brookline pastor encourages the use of study tools
BROOKLINE – In this technology age, many online and downloadable Bible resources are available. Dan Swadley, pastor of FBC Brookline, near Springfield, had used various Bible software programs in sermon preparation. After comparing them, he chose WORDsearch, a LifeWay product. Swadley has an education technology degree and said education “has always been important to me.” “We rely on the Holy Spirit to give us the message, but there is a part of it that’s academic. I found WORDsearch is … [Read more...]
‘Conversion: How God Creates a People’
Lawrence, Michael. Conversion: How God Creates a People. Wheaton, IL: Crossway. 137 pp. $14.99. When people find out I’m a pastor, they often want to tell me about their relationship with God. These can be wonderful conversations; there are few things more encouraging than meeting people with an evident love for Jesus. More often than not, however, I leave those conversations discouraged. Many people identify as Christians but don’t seem to have any interest in Jesus or his church. … [Read more...]
Raising Christians to spiritual adulthood
Recently, a secular journalist wrote a book, called “Death of the Grown Up,” where she catalogued the shift in western culture over the last 10 years. The book has some fascinating statistics: • Nearly one out of three 30-year-olds have not left their parents’ home. • There are more adults today in America, ages 18-49, who watch Cartoon Network more than they watch CNN. • The average video gamester in 1990 was 18; today, it is 35 years old; many spend 20 hours a week playing. • The … [Read more...]
‘Taste and see the Lord is good’
I was more than a little worried that my new diet was going to be altogether too difficult. Oh, these meal plans. The first day went something like this: Meal one: 6 organic, conflict-free cashews and a teaspoon of orange peel, zested Meal two: 3 almonds, 4 banana strings and 2 medium-sized ice cubes For meal three, the instructions were to lick three carrots, read the label on a box of rice cakes and then stare long and hard at those jeans that once fit. A little harsh, right? Is … [Read more...]
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