The Church today presents a fairly complex panorama. Many different organizations each claim in their own way to be the true Church. But there are various flavors of culture and to some degree flavors of doctrine. Consequently, it is important to help young people figure out how to navigate the Church landscape today. There is a chasm between what the Church is and what itâs supposed to look like. Itâs difficult for all of us. But it is especially problematic for young people who are … [Read more...] about Navigating Church Dichotomy Without Cynicism
Church
The True Nature of Leadership
I think we can say factually that we are in a crisis of leadership in this country and the world. It is not just political government. Leadership is also suffering in education, business, city governments, families and in the Churches. Today I want to take a practical look at this issue of leadership. Itâs not so much a discussion of leadership principles but more about the whole concept of leadership, the nature of leadership. First, I want to look at leadership from a worldly … [Read more...] about The True Nature of Leadership
God Is with His People
One way that we can make sense of the Church today is to look at the blueprint of how God built up a people to be His people. Since Christ doesnât change, His consistency will be evident in how He dealt with ancient Israel and how He deals with the Church today. As Moses prepared the children of Israel to enter the land of Canaan, he wrote the words of the law in a book and placed that book in the Ark of the Covenant. Then God through Moses addressed the people of Israel … [Read more...] about God Is with His People
The Times of the Gentiles
The prophet Amos informed us that âGod doesnât do anything without first revealing His secrets to His servants the prophetsâ (Amos 3:7). Since Godâs plan of salvation is central to messages of prophecy, it is important to look at the writings of the prophets within the context of any section of scripture. Doing so tells us why a particular thing was said. The knowledge imparted by prophecy is meant to be very motivational to those who are or who will be in a relationship … [Read more...] about The Times of the Gentiles
A Future and a Hope
We have seen lots of cultural revolutions in this country, but now the foundations of this country are being razed. And part of that foundation is simply God. At least God was mentioned and a certain amount of the moral underpinnings of this country came from that source. And that is being eliminated. We live in an increasingly difficult environment and as followers of Christ we need a perspective to help us deal with the real world. We need a clear vision of how God views and feels about us … [Read more...] about A Future and a Hope
Ethnic Gnosticism
Ethnic Gnosticism is a term crafted by Voddie Baucham to explain the phenomenon of people believing that somehow because of oneâs ethnicity that one is able to know when something or someone is racist. Voddie Baucham is an American who is currently Dean of Theology at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia. He sheds light on the way this ideology is undermining the gospel and compromising genuine Christian relationships in the broader Christian church today. His message is not from … [Read more...] about Ethnic Gnosticism
Gnosticism: Why John Wrote 1 John
The New Testament Church began with a bang. We note in the book of Acts that one day 5,000 people were added to the church. Soon after another 3,000 were added. But over time, Satanâs influence sapped some of that initial âfirst loveâ that the Church had when it began. False teachers began to worm their way into the Church. We know this from Christâs words regarding the Churches in Revelation, particularly the Church in Ephesus. It was significant enough for Christ to … [Read more...] about Gnosticism: Why John Wrote 1 John