Browsing Tag:

Jesus

In Blog, Book Reviews, Spiritual Growth on
July 12, 2021

The Well-Watered Woman

I’ve had my share of dry seasons in my spiritual life. I’ve had times when my Bible study felt dull, when God seemed to be silent, when a cloud appeared to be hanging over my head. And my dry seasons weren’t for a lack of effort on my part. I still went to church every week. I tried different Bible studies and reading plans. I even went on mission trips to foreign countries. But there were times when I felt further from God on a mission trip than I did back home.

I’m sure you can relate. Every Christian struggles with dry seasons in their spiritual walk. Maybe you’re struggling with a dry season right now. You want to be close to God, but He feels so distant. You want to learn from God’s Word, but you can’t seem to comprehend what it’s telling you. You want to grow, bloom, and flourish in your faith, but you just feel stuck in the mud. If you’re feeling this way, Gretchen Saffles’ new book, The Well-Watered Woman, is just the book for you.

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In Blog, Easter, Theology on
March 29, 2021

Once for All

I’ve lived in Florida my entire life, so hurricanes are something I’m very familiar with. A few years ago, category 5 Hurricane Irma was headed towards Florida just a couple weeks after Hurricane Harvey had absolutely devastated the state of Texas. In the days leading up to her landfall, the models projected that the storm would hit our area. Because we lived near the coast at the time, we were ordered to evacuate due to the potential of flooding.

Our family boarded up our windows, packed up our most valuable items, and drove to a friend’s house that was just outside of the evacuation area. After seeing news coverage of what Harvey had done to Texas, I was scared about what might happen to us, and I didn’t sleep much the night that Irma hit. But, by the grace of God, the storm weakened and moved east, and the worst damage we saw near our home was debris on the roads and some uprooted bushes.

Natural disasters, though scary, are natural, and we almost expect to witness at least a disaster or two during our lifetimes. There’s a natural disaster in the Bible, though, that seemed rather unnatural, and its results were likely frightening to those who lived in the area at that time. The cause of this unnatural disaster was the crucifixion of Jesus.

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In Blog, Theology, Worldview on
March 1, 2021

A Christian Worldview

I got glasses for the first time three years ago. Growing up, I had great vision and never had any need for glasses. But in high school, I started noticing that it was getting more and more difficult for me to see things like information written on classroom whiteboards, sermon notes on the screen at church, and street signs when I was driving. I went to an optometrist, and sure enough, I needed glasses. When I put on my first pair of glasses, everything was so clear and bright, and it was almost like I was seeing a whole new world.

A person’s worldview is a lot like a pair of glasses. One’s worldview is the lens through which they view the world. Just like different eyeglasses prescriptions or sunglasses tints will alter how you see the world around you, different worldviews will alter what you believe about the world. Whether they realize or not, everyone has a worldview. Everyone, even those who claim to be non-religious, holds a set of beliefs that determine how they see the world. And every person’s worldview answers seven key questions about the world – the question of origins, the question of identity, the question of purpose, the question of morality, the question of the problem, the question of the solution, and the question of destiny.

It is important for believers to hold a Christian worldview, to answer these questions in a way that agrees with Scripture and glorifies God. If we don’t, we can easily fall into belief systems that are sinful and worldly and built on lies. Therefore, we must search the Word of God to figure out what a Christian worldview looks like and how it answers these seven key questions.

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In 1 Samuel, Bible Study, Blog on
February 8, 2021

The True and Better David

The story of David and Goliath is one of the most popular Bible stories of the Old Testament. It’s a story that is loved by children, and it’s been the focus of innumerable Sunday School crafts and lessons. It’s a story that is just as popular with adults, which is evidenced by the many David and Goliath sermons that have been prepared and delivered on Sunday mornings. Many well-known pastors, like Louie Giglio, Max Lucado, and David Jeremiah, have even written books that are centered on the David and Goliath story. Everyone loves an underdog story, and David was certainly an underdog!

But many teachers, pastors, and authors, even those who are very well-known, get the story of David and Goliath wrong. They focus on the wrong details, they miss the main point, and they end up leading their students, congregants, and readers astray.

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In Blog, Common Questions, Theology on
January 4, 2021

Was Jesus Simply a Good Teacher?

Jesus was truly the greatest teacher ever. He never made a bad sermon illustration. He never droned on for hours and hours about meaningless information. He never strayed from the truths of the scriptures. He always preached truth in a relevant and mostly understandable way. Jesus taught His followers to love and forgive others, even their enemies, and to treat others how they would like to be treated. He emphasized the importance of faith and repentance, and He revealed that it is impossible to enter the kingdom of God through doing enough good works.

While Jesus was truly a good teacher, some claim that that is all He was. They acknowledge that Jesus really did live in ancient Israel 2,000 years ago, and they may even acknowledge that He was crucified on a cross. He was a great man who taught great things, but He was not God. According to Ligonier Ministries’ 2020 State of Theology survey, 51% of Americans believe this.[1]

Is this true? Was Jesus simply a good teacher?

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