Browsing Tag:

Love

In Blog, Book Reviews, Church on
September 28, 2020

A Place to Belong

Church used to be a much higher priority in our society. Most everyone went to church on Sunday mornings. Businesses were closed and nobody worked so that they could spend their Sabbath worshipping the Lord and fellowshipping with other believers. Over time, things changed. Businesses did open on Sunday, which meant people had to work at those businesses. Other things such as sports games and self-care were prioritized over attending church services. 

Nowadays, church is no longer deemed “essential.” It is seen as something that is good to be a part of, but it is totally okay and normal if you only make it there fifty percent of the time. According to Ligonier Ministries’ 2018 State of Theology survey, fifty-eight percent of American adults agree with the statement, “Worshiping alone or with one’s family is a valid replacement for regularly attending church.”[1]

Yet, the Bible discusses the church and its importance often in the New Testament. Can worshipping alone, worshipping as a family, or watching an online service really be a replacement for going to church every week?

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In Bible Study, Blog, Ephesians on
September 14, 2020

Our Real Enemy

Our country is very divided right now, perhaps the most divided it’s been since the Civil War era. We’re constantly arguing and bickering with those we disagree with, and it seems like there is nothing we can all agree on. I feel like this is the most evident on Twitter. Twitter can often seem like a cesspool full of angry, bitter people who think that what they believe is right and anyone who disagrees with is them is a terrible, horrible, awful person. Now, this surely doesn’t describe everyone on Twitter. I’m on Twitter, and I certainly wouldn’t describe myself as angry and bitter ;). But there have been many, many times in recent months that I see a tweet that I think is completely wrong, and it takes a lot of self-control and restraint not to reply, or at least not reply in a way that is not Christ-like.

These days we can often see the people we disagree with on Twitter, on Facebook, or even in real life as our enemies. They believe in things that are completely antithetical to our beliefs and convictions, so we distance ourselves from these perceived enemies as much as possible. Scripture argues, though, that these people are not our enemies, but that we do have a very real enemy who is at work in this world.

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In Bible Study, Blog, Mark on
July 27, 2020

The Anger of Jesus

Is it a sin to be angry? No, of course not. The Bible clearly teaches that it is okay to be angry, to feel anger, as long as we aren’t quick to anger (Ecclesiastes 7:9, James 1:19) and don’t sin in our anger (Ephesians 4:26). And if I were to ask you for an example in the Bible that proves that it is okay to be angry, a vast majority of you would probably all give me the same example – the story of Jesus cleansing the temple. The story of Jesus storming into the temple, flipping over tables, and chasing the money-changers away.

Though this is a very well-known biblical story, many people do not understand its real meaning. Throughout the years, I’ve heard people justify their own unrighteous anger by saying, “Well, Jesus got angry, too!” And in recent times, I’ve seen many social media posts using this story to justify the violence and rage that spread across the country because “it was all for a good cause.”

We can’t just use this story of Jesus’ anger to justify our actions. We need to take a good look at the account and study the passage in context so that we can unearth its true meaning and apply that true meaning to our lives.

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In Attributes of God, Blog, Theology on
February 10, 2020

He is Love

We love lots of things! We love our family. We love our friends. We can love our coworkers, teammates, and fellow Christians. We love dogs and cats. We love tacos and pizza. We can love reading, hiking, baking, painting, playing an instrument, or doing some other fun hobby. We love sunrises and sunsets. We can love mountains or forests or beaches. We love laughing and having fun. We have a lot of loves, but these loves can change as we go through life. If you develop a dairy intolerance, you definitely won’t love cheese pizza as much! If you get attacked by a dog, it’s hard to love and trust other dogs. If a friend turns their back on you or a partner cheats on you, it’s hard to still show love to them.

But there is one love that never changes no matter the circumstance. It endures forever! This never-changing love is the love of our God.

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In Bible Study, Blog, Galatians on
December 16, 2019

Freedom

“They may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!” (1)

If you don’t automatically recognize this quote, it’s from the movie Braveheart. This proclamation is declared by William Wallace, a thirteenth-century Scottish man, who wears a kilt, paints his face blue, and fights against England for freedom.

In the movie, Wallace’s father also says something memorable about freedom:

“Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it.” (1)

People, especially Americans, love quotes like this. We love being able to dream and having the freedom to follow that dream. In today’s world, people often can be whoever they want to be and do whatever they want to do.

But we have sinful hearts, and if we follow them, we can misuse our freedoms.

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