HEAVY BURDENS

  In my blog, “The Carnal Christian”, one of the Scriptures I shared was 1 Corinthians 10:13. Before proceeding into the subject matter in “Heavy Burdens,” it is necessary for me to revisit that Bible verse, but for a different reason:   1 Corinthians 10:13:  No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common […]

THE CARNAL CHRISTIAN

  There is a term we hear sometimes in Christian circles—lukewarm. That comes from what Jesus said to the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22. There is another term we may hear sometimes: the carnal Christian. For those of you who are not familiar with the Bible, yes, it’s in there:   1 Corinthians 3:1-4:  […]

MUSIC IN THE HOUSE OF GOD

  As in virtually every other detail of Christianity, there have been both controversy and conflict about music in the Church: What style, should we have instruments or should we sing a cappella, should there be music at all, do we need a choir or a band, and so forth. One thing some believers do, […]

HYPERSPIRITUALITY

  At least some of you have heard this joke: “How many Pentecostals does it take to change a lightbulb? Ten—one to change it and nine to cast out the spirit of darkness.” First time I heard it I got a pretty good laugh out of it. What I have become aware of over the […]

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

  Some time ago I wrote a three-part blog series on spiritual warfare. – (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). This is not so much a revisiting of those blogs as it is a discussion of our enemy—really, enemies—in the spiritual realm. In this era of derailed Christianity we as believers must not only have […]

IDOLATRY IN THE HOUSE OF GOD

  The kingdom of Israel had a golden age under Kings David and Solomon. However, when Solomon was old, he made a major excursion into idolatry (1 Kings 11:1-8). Solomon, a Jewish king, the builder of the first great temple in Jerusalem, in his backsliding erected high places for false gods! Thankfully he came to […]

THE CONSCIENCE

  No matter what sort of person anyone becomes in life, all human beings are born with a conscience. We know of it as an innate ability to tell the difference between right and wrong. That sounds like a rather vague statement, and it is because alone it does not tell us what “right” and […]

WHEN TIME RUNS OUT

  A young wife and mother gets into her car one sunny Saturday morning, intent on going to the grocery store. She has no idea that less than a mile away a drunk driver is also out on the road, and that the crash he would cause would take her life. The drunk driver would […]

INFIGHTING

  Those who have read my blogs know that one theme which appears from time to time is disunity in the Church. I personally cannot see denominationalism and the associated lack of cohesiveness going away until Jesus Christ comes back, but I can see the potential for improvement in individual churches and among other, smaller […]

A WORD TO CONSERVATIVES

  However things may be viewed in other countries, in the United States we have long had the viewpoint that there are conservatives, moderates, and liberals, the latter now calling themselves progressives. This is especially true in politics and has some usage in other areas of life. We certainly hear of it in churches, at […]

ANGER

  Many of us have known someone who is easily angered. We may say they have a short fuse, or they are hotheaded, or things like that. There are others who store up anger to the point that when it is finally released it is as explosive as a volcanic eruption or a nuclear blast. […]

ABOUT ST. PATRICK’S DAY

  Many people either celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or at least know about it. We have such things as green beer, rivers being dyed green, corned beef and cabbage, the wearing of something green, and pictures of shamrocks as well as comments about luck or the luck of the Irish. These multiple traditions have developed […]

THE REAL MISSING LINK

  There are likely many people who have heard the phrase “the missing link.” Often it applies to evolutionary theory, particularly in the evolutionists’ search for an intermediate species bridging humans and apes, since they believe we are descended from those animals. Having been a Christian for almost half of my life and thus having […]

THE CALLED AND THE UNCALLED

  When we speak of callings in Christianity, we must understand for clarity’s sake that there is more than one type of calling. First of all there is a general calling which comes to people, the calling to be saved and then, once saved, to grow in sanctification and holiness (Matthew 20:16, 22:14; 2 Peter […]

A JOURNEY IN TRUST

  Trust is something that can be hard to gain and easy to lose. It is unequivocally a vital element in the formation and endurance of relationships, particularly those of quality and those of close ties, such as marriages, parenthood, and deep friendships. One who desires an intimate relationship with us is God. Of all […]

THE CRY FOR JUSTICE

  Psalm 73:2-3, 12:  But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked…Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease; they increase in riches.   The psalmist Asaph in this passage, though he […]

BALANCED AND INSPIRED

  Acts 20:25-27:  “And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole […]

I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE

  Critical Race Theory has been making inroads into all facets of our society. Among other things, it asserts that racism is systemic, endemic in the various institutions of America including the legal system, and that whites are “at the top,” with the other races at lower tiers. Despite the claims that CRT is not […]

THE “GETCHA” GOD

  Those who have been Christians for at least a short time know that there are differences of opinion in the faith regarding a variety of subjects, including whether a believer is eternally secure or if salvation can be lost. I have been on both sides of the equation. Two of the things I’ve battled […]