If you noticed something different about that title, you are not mistaken. In an effort to keep things fresh and to make sure you know what you’re getting into when you start reading, I’m going to introduce a new section of the blog. I’ll call this new part, “Morning Musings” (with many thanks to Ron for the title). Read the rest…
“But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler–not even to eat with such a one.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
This is tough stuff! Let’s just lay bear what Paul is saying here: If someone insists on claiming the name of Christ, but is also incorrigibly committed to a lifestyle of sin, we are to kick them out of the church and not even be willing to fellowship with them. Can you imagine anything that would so fly in the face of our culture or be so inviting of a lawsuit today? Why would Paul call us to such a thing? Read the rest…
This Sunday we kicked off a brand new teaching series called, “A Word on Reality.” For the next few weeks we are going to be working through 1 John and taking a close look at his invitation to be a part of the real world and what it looks like when we do. In this first part of the series we talked about what needs to happen before any movement in this direction can take place. Keep reading to find out what this is.
A Vibrant Realism
Have you ever tried to teach someone who thought they knew what you were talking about better than you did? How’d that go? It was pretty frustrating, wasn’t it? You probably kept trying to tell them one thing or another, but you could tell they weren’t really listening. Maybe they were hearing, but not listening. Then, when you sent them out to put whatever it was into practice they failed. Miserably. But then, instead of getting mad at themselves for not being a very good student, they got all upset at you for not teaching them well enough. The problem was: While they thought they were living within the bounds of reality on whatever the issue was, you knew they weren’t. But, because of their deeply ingrained false belief, they weren’t willing to listen. Have you ever been there? Read the rest…
“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
If we are going to be in a relationship with God, it is going to be on His terms, not ours. In spite of our sinful nature, we naturally recognize that there is something wrong with the world; something wrong with us. This is the result of our being created in God’s image along with the echoes of eternity still ringing in our hearts. Read the rest…
“What I mean is that each one of you says, ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Unity is a hard thing to establish in the church. The reason is fairly simple: Sin causes divisions. One of the fundamental consequences of sin is that it divides us from one another. This was the case right from the start. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, the first thing they did was to hide from one another. Division. Read the rest…
The Nexus 