What is the Church, and why does it matter?” The answer to that question very much depends on the narrative that one places himself into. What is the story that surrounds our life? Secular narrative is evolutionary where all change is progress. Anything that’s happening must necessarily be contributing to the betterment, the evolution, the growth of this naturally occurring world. This concept, however, does not present those who adhere to it a sense of purpose. Christians who adhere … [Read more...] about Being the People of God
Church
Pentecost, the Spiritual Connection
There are many things that we can learn and understand in our walk with God when we observe God’s walk with the nation of ancient Israel. There’s much about the nation of Israel that sets a pattern for us to learn from. By covenant, they became a called-out people who were destined to live according to the will of God as expressed by His law. The feature of the special relationship was the fact that God would dwell among them: “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among … [Read more...] about Pentecost, the Spiritual Connection
British-Israelism
If ideas about Israel are discussed within a non-church environment, it could be quite uncomfortable because many of those ideas can point to some concepts contained in British-Israelism which are widely considered to be racist. British Israelism is a belief that asserts the people of Great Britain are the descendants of ancient Israel. When asked if British-Israelism is racist, ChatGPT, an AI language model for generating human language, responded: “Yes, British-Israelism can be … [Read more...] about British-Israelism
Women: Rethinking Self-Image
In a culture of exposure, I grew up hearing one message repeated over and over to young men: “Stop viewing women as sexual objects.” It was a needed message. Men needed to be told to see women as human beings—daughters, sisters, mothers, made in the image of God. But lately, I’ve found myself wondering when will we also tell women to stop viewing themselves as sexual objects? We now live in a time where it’s not uncommon to see women showcasing themselves online in ways that leave little to … [Read more...] about Women: Rethinking Self-Image
Let God Prevail
The Book of Ecclesiastes reveals the thorns in our life, the paradoxes, and the quandaries that hit us. Solomon talks about the dilemmas which we all face, the difficulties, predicaments and roadblocks that affect us all (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). And that everything that happens in our life is not unique. At the end of his book, Solomon is ready to state the culmination of the reason for his book and for our lives: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: "Fear God and keep His … [Read more...] about Let God Prevail
Prophecy’s Relevance Today
As events in this world move along at a rapid pace, there’s an ever-growing interest in prophecy. We don’t want to get into the position of forcing parts of prophecy to come together to fit like a puzzle, but to take what is revealed to us by God, progressively putting them together to make an image that is factual according to scripture, not an interpretation of man. Peter is a particularly good place to start: " knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private … [Read more...] about Prophecy’s Relevance Today
Hindrances of Unity
Paul stresses the importance of unity to the Church in Ephesus: “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is … [Read more...] about Hindrances of Unity