A good question to ask ourselves is: Why do we attend our church? Hopefully, it’s not just because it’s where we grew up, but because we see something worthwhile here. The emphasis of the Great Commission is discipleship, not just conversion. Our focus shouldn’t be on what is the bare minimum to get to heaven or only doing the things that make sense to us. Instead, we should ask: What does Jesus want from me today? And will Jesus give me the power to do what He wants? Dirk Philips listed seven ordinances: Biblical teaching, scriptural use of sacraments, feet washing, separation of sinners, lov ..read more

How can we, as a church, bless and be an encouragement to each other? Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, commends them for their work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope. He also thanks God for them and prays for them. It is extremely important that a body of believers should be known for speaking good and not evil of each other. Speaking evil tears down. The devil wrecks havoc in those situations. Discouragement will come no matter where you live. The Jews, while in captivity, were not able to sing the song of Zion. They sat and wept as they thought of Jerusalem. They did get ..read more

Acts 1–5 is a picture of a vibrant, healthy church. These events took place within 4–6 months of Christ’s resurrection. Acts 2 describes the coming of the Holy Spirit “as of a rushing mighty wind” and “divided tongues, as of fire” that sat on each person, and “they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1–4). The Jews “from every nation” who were dwelling in Jerusalem heard them speak in their own language (Acts 2:5–6). Acts 2 also describes Peter’s sermon and the response to his sermon. In Acts 3, a lame man is healed ..read more

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The reason people struggle to stop doing the bad things they say they want to stop is that their choosing capacity is not an independent part of them that lives in a separate room of their house and can just choose the right thing no matter what is going on in other rooms of their house. What this means is that will alone cannot carry us to change because our will is dependent on what we think and feel and believe in the moment of choice. So before we can choose the right behavior, we have to first choose to think, feel, and believe the right things. The transformed will is surrendered to Chri ..read more

I John 2:6 – When we read the Gospels, we should ask ourselves if we have any resemblance to Jesus. John 4 – Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman can challenge us in several ways. 1) First challenge: Do I engage with people the way Jesus did? Jesus did not avoid this potentially awkward conversation. He showed interest and concern and made the conversation meaningful. 2) Second challenge: Am I experiencing the living water that Jesus offered? Do I have something I would like others to experience? We can impede the flow of living water. Where we turn when we are feeling dry can be part of ..read more

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Genesis 27 begins with Isaac who is sure he is dying, although he did live for 50 more years. But he was feeble and blind. Isaac decided that now was the time to give his blessing to his favorite son Esau. He called Esau to him and gave him instructions to bring him savory food. But Rebekah overheard this and wanted Jacob to get the blessing. So Rebekah had a plan and Jacob and her carried it out. Jacob deceived and lied to his father. Rebekah deceived her husband. Isaac and Rebekah each had a favorite son. There was dishonesty and a lack of communication between them. Isaac did not tell Rebek ..read more

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