Truth Archives - Page 3 of 4

In Bible Study, Blog, Revelation on

August 23, 2021

Lukewarm Laodicea

For a lot of people, Revelation is a scary and daunting to book to read. It talks of various seals, bowls, trumpets, angels, and plagues. It describes a dragon, a prostitute, and a leopard-ish, bear-ish, lion-ish beast with seven heads and ten horns. It speaks of much death and destruction, but also of the final victory of Jesus and the beauty of the New Earth. The book of Revelation is difficult to understand and difficult to interpret, so many try to avoid it at all costs.

But these people often forget that not all of Revelation is filled with frightening images and confusing apocalyptic language. They forget that the first three chapters of Revelation are actually letters from Jesus to seven first-century churches. While these short letters were written almost 2,000 years ago, they are still very applicable to the Church today. And one letter that is particularly relevant for the American Church is the letter to the church of Laodicea.

Tristany

In Blog, Feelings, Theology on

August 16, 2021

My Feelings are Valid, or Are They?

My feelings are valid!

If you’ve followed any female influencer who prioritizes self-love and self-care for any length of time, you’ve probably heard this phrase before. Or perhaps you’ve even used it yourself. We live in a culture that highly prizes, validates, and affirms one’s feelings, whether they be good or bad. And this culture is even trying to train us to always speak in a way that will never leave anyone out, offend anyone, or hurt anyone’s feelings. Rene Descartes, a French philosopher who lived in the seventeenth century, once said, “I think, therefore I am.”^[1] But is appears our culture has changed this to, “I feel, therefore I am.”

Many people today find their identity in how they feel, so they want their feelings to be validated because that then validates their identity – who they are as a person. But the problem with this phrase is that not all feelings are valid. Therefore, as believers, we cannot and should not affirm those feelings which are in fact invalid.

Tristany

In Bible Study, Blog, Ephesians on

June 28, 2021

Truth in Love

If there’s one thing the American church overemphasizes, it’s this: love. Don’t get me wrong; love is an important thing for Christians to have and to practice in their daily lives. We are called to love God, love our neighbors, and love our enemies (Matthew 22:37-39, Luke 6:35). Love is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and it’s greater than faith or hope (1 Corinthians 13:13). Those who do not love don’t know God. How do we know this? Because God is love (1 John 4:8).

Love is important for the Christian. But many people today, including many in the church, are redefining what love is. To them, love is an acceptance and an affirmation of a person and their lifestyle. To them, love means that you cannot judge someone, regardless of the choices they are making in their lives. To them, love equals avoiding controversial or uncomfortable conversations for the sake of “keeping the peace.”

This love is not a biblical form of love. These practices are not what the Bible calls us to. Instead, God’s Word calls us to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). But what exactly does this mean?

Tristany

2 Comments

In Blog, Book Reviews, Prosperity Gospel on

April 19, 2021

God, Greed, and the Prosperity Gospel

What do Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, and Paula White have in common? They all preach an incredibly false gospel. The gospel they preach is commonly known as the prosperity gospel, though it has also been called the health and wealth gospel or the name it and claim it gospel. Essentially, they teach their congregations that if you have enough faith, if you give enough money, you can receive whatever you desire. And they grow rich off of deceiving and lying to the people who trust them.

Maybe you think this description is a little harsh. After all, I don’t know any of these people personally. They seem like nice folks with good hearts who are truly trying to help people. Who am I to judge them? I may not know much about these teachers, but there are many who do and have come to the realization that they do not preach the truth. One of these is Costi Hinn, the nephew of Benny Hinn, and he wrote his book God, Greed, and the Prosperity Gospel to expose the false gospel of prosperity preachers.

Tristany

1 Comment

In Blog, Book Reviews, Justice on

February 22, 2021

Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth

This past year we’ve heard a lot about social justice, the importance of it, and why it is necessary to fix the injustices happening in our nation. There is no doubt that there are numerous injustices that occur on a daily basis. We live in a fallen world full of sinful beings. As Christians, we are called to do justice (Micah 6:8). We are called to help orphans and widows (James 1:27), feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and clothe the naked (Matthew 25:35-40).

However, a lot of the solutions to injustices being presented by our culture are rooted in humanistic ideologies rather than biblical truth. They seem to value perceived experiences over facts, and they divide everyone into social groups rather than treating everyone equally as image-bearers of God. Also, these “solutions” often end up doing more harm than good. These social justice ideologies are beginning to seep into churches and Christian writings all across the country and the world, but we must take a step back and analyze these ideas to determine if they really line up with what the Bible teaches. And this is exactly what Thaddeus Williams writes about in his book, Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth.

Tristany

1 Comment