'Christian Living' Tagged Posts (Page 5)
A 12 Point Cure for Complaining
Complaining is unbecoming of the true Christian and yet we are proficient at it. The cure is found in these verses. In Christ we are never hopeless or forsaken. Every trial has meaning. Meditate on this cure in order to change both your language and your heart. 1. God commands me never to complain. Do all things without complaining and disputing. (Philippians 2:14) 2. God commands me to give thanks in every circumstance. In everything give thanks, for this is…
Say “Goodbye” to Social Media?
I used to utilize social media much more. I still view it, but I can’t remember the last time I posted. I’ve wondered if I should eliminate it entirely. Here are a few reasons why I might just say “goodbye” to social media. 1. Social media is an easy way to waste time. That does not mean all time on social media is wasted, but too much of it in my life has been. What I think will only be…
No Lay-up Shot: A Lesson from the Masters
For some reason unknown to humankind, my older brother got to play golf on the distinguished Augusta National Golf Course, the course where perhaps the best tournament of the year is held—The Masters. It was there that the following life-shaping event took place. He was playing through the course with the required caddy. After he landed in the middle of hole 13 of the notorious 3-hole Amen Corner, he asked the caddy for a certain short iron. Astonished, the veteran…
Are You A Theological Ignoramus Like J.I. Packer Once Was?
J.I. Packer tells a personal story about his freshman year in college (see Bruce Milne, Know the Truth, IVP, 1998, p. 9). The chaplain at his school took some of the students on “pastoral walks.” Packer was on one of those strolls and said of the chaplain, “He was urging me to read theology, the subject which he himself taught, as a sequel to the classics degree on which I embarked.” Packer explains the exchange that happened next. I explained…
A Biblical Case For Biographies and Autobiographies
The men of my church recently got together for two hours on a Wednesday evening, and then the women did the same the next Wednesday. On both occasions, part of the meeting involved watching a video of someone giving a biographical sketch. I was given the task of introducing the videos for both meetings, and I also included a few thoughts concerning what the Bible says about observing and learning from and even being inspired by other followers of Christ.…
Witness of the Spirit
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God . . .” Romans 8:16 This “witness” which leads to assurance that we are in God’s family is not a direct or immediate feeling or sense that we are God’s children—some inner confidence that may be entirely misplaced by being based on nothing but the notion itself. The believer will not say merely, “I know that I know that I know.” In fact, having confidence in…
Our Parents Should Have Told Us: Manners for Polarized Times
1. Describing others with demeaning epithets is arrogant and unbecoming. Let’s run as far from it as we possibly can. Calling a person “stupid,” or “an idiot,” for instance, tells us more about our character than theirs. 2. Making uninvited humorous comments about physical characteristics of others is childish at best, but also rude and condescending. It often shows disrespect for God as creator. Even in jest, it should be cut out of our speech repertoire. It would help to…
The Call to Faith in Christian Ministry and Practice
A well-loved Christian conference speaker once posed this question to me after his message: “Is there any sin in trusting God?” Strange question, isn’t it? The answer has to be, “No.” I know that. You know that. The man who posed the question knew it also. He only wanted to emphasize that the best action all the time, regardless of the circumstance we are in, is to trust God. But . . . is that what we are doing? We…
What Can I Say in a Small Group?
As small groups meet and provide open possibilities for sharing with each other, do you have something to say? Keep this list with you in your Bible and consider these options along with any others God brings to your mind. Your words are important, even if you feel like you’re not eloquent. God may use you to build up the body of Christ. You may pick any of these you believe God wants you to share in an open session,…
Only God Can Do This!
While pastoring in Athens, Ohio, in the early 2000s, I had a good relationship with several individuals serving with a large campus ministry at Ohio University. One staff member, a young lady, eventually joined our church. We have remained in touch ever since. Several years ago, close to Christmas, she wrote and shared a beautiful story of God’s grace in the life of someone she loves very much — her father. She’s given me permission to share this. Here’s the…
Toward Obeying The “One Another” Commands
Once you get past the four Gospels and Acts, the “one another” commands start appearing regularly in the New Testament. Here are just a few: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10) “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3) “But exhort one another every day,…
15 Resolves for Maintaining Spiritual Balance in Severe Interpersonal Conflicts
The pain of interpersonal conflict may seem too acute to bear. Sometimes we see these conflicts erupt suddenly among families, or between church members, or at work or school. They may involve serious allegations that tend to rip people apart in ways that seem irreparable. In these most severe ruptures of confidence, when the necrosis of sin is eating up the lives of those involved, is it possible to rise above and maintain a spiritual composure? Certainly that must be…
William Thomas of Wales: The Kind of Older Man I Hope to Be
One pastor said of William Thomas of Pyle, Wales, “He was better known as William Thomas the pray-er than as William Thomas the preacher” (all information and quotes about Thomas are from The Calvinistic Methodist Fathers of Wales, Vol. 2, Banner of Truth, 2008, 160-5). In his old age, he became deaf, but he could still pray. Though the image perhaps seems strange to us, in his later years he would “stand at the pulpit steps” and the congregation would…
Busy Unlike Jesus
We fail to remember the walking that Christ and the apostles did. In our frenzied lives, failing to remember that these men walked every place they went may fix in us a very wrong view of Christian ministry, Jesus and his followers had time to process, to meditate, to ponder with brothers, to detoxify after encounters with lies and demons and countering authorities. Not only did the walks give them the space and time they needed, it also strengthened them…
Believing What Christ Believes
If we claim to be Christ’s followers, we must, at the very minimum, believe what he believed when he spoke on earth. Jesus believed in . . . God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Heaven and hellHis pre-existence with the Father AngelsSatan and demonsScripture, which “cannot be broken”A future resurrection of the bodyThe creation of man and womanNoah and the floodThe destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah Lot and the judgment on Lot’s wife The exodus from EgyptMoses’ leadership of…
Memorized Scripture: An Aid to Ministry, Sometimes in Surprising Ways
Awhile back, I finished memorizing Philippians. Since that time, I have tried to keep those four chapters memorized — a harder task than I imagined! Also in the days after memorizing this little book, I have had three unexpected experiences that have shown me that memorizing Scripture is even more beneficial for church leaders than I might have originally thought. The first unexpected experience happened during an elders’ meeting. We were discussing an issue in the church when one of…