I would like you to think through the question in the title of this message because I think it will lead us to a place of agreement. My first question is really, Are you authentic? Do you value authenticity in other people? Honesty, integrity, consistency? I think we’d all agree that we value those characteristics in others, and I think we probably generally think of ourselves as that sort of person. Truth matters even in popular culture such as the phrase “keep it real”. The idea … [Read more...] about Christmas Trees: Authentic Worship?
Idols
Focus on the Goal
The weekly Sabbath is a representation of entering into the Kingdom of God. Its very interesting that God has made the high point of the week, the focus on His Kingdom. But why does God want us to be reminded of this so often and so strongly? An interesting experiment called the “invisible gorilla experiment” by Daniel Simmons and Christopher Chabris will help us understand why. It is very important for followers of Christ to capture it’s meaning. In the experiment there were … [Read more...] about Focus on the Goal
Is Christ Your King?
When Christ returns, every human ruler will be dethroned and every idol will be dismantled. We who have already accepted Christ’s dominion look forward to that time. But do we really see our King clearly? The first commandment prohibits idolatry and reinforces God’s primary rule over all things. But throughout the history of God’s people putting God first has been a continuous struggle. In 1446 B.C. the Israelites, having come out of Egypt witnessing God’s miracles, lost sight of Moses and … [Read more...] about Is Christ Your King?