But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:19–20)Christian theology is full of apparent paradoxes: God is three and yet one. Jesus was fully man and fully God. The Bible is God’s Word written by humans. And God is sovereign, yet we are fully re ..read more

TodayaE™s Pulse article is adapted from the March 1st, 2022 Pulse.A aEoeI have food to eat that you know nothing aboutaE¦ my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.aE (John 4:32,34)A I still remember one of the lessons I taught to the NewLife Junior High kids way back when I was the youth pastor of the church. I played for them one of the simplest worship songs, and then encouraged ..read more

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be h ..read more

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy wi ..read more

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1)The first words of Satan recorded in the Bible – spoken in the form of the serpent in the Garden of Eden – come in the form of an insidious question: “Did God really say?” Thousands of years later, this question ..read more

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” (Titus 2:11-12)            One of the central aspects of the gospel, the good news of Jesus, is found in 2 Corinthians 5:21, where Paul writes that “God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be ..read more

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."  (Matthew 13:44) This past Sunday, I preached on the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great price in Matthew 13:44-46. One of the implications of these parables seems to be that the kingdom of God is not easily found. Like a field with treasure hidden under the surface, our world may seem ordinary and unspiritual until God gives us the spiritual eyes to see that “the whole earth is full of His g ..read more

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) One of the all-time genius psychology studies was conducted by John Darley and Daniel Batson in the 1970’s at Princeton Theological Seminary. Darley and Batson were studying the psychology of prosocial behavior – why people do good things for others. Specifically, they wanted to examine whether acts of kindness are due more to innate qualities or to situational factors. In the study, a group of seminary students were given the task of preparing a talk on Luke 10:25-37, Jesus’ parable of the good Sama ..read more

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. (1 Peter 4:8–9) For many Christians, the word ‘evangelism,’ or the idea of talking to someone about your faith, is a frightening prospect. For some, it is the fear of not knowing what to say; for others, it is the fear of rejection or of being seen as weird or primitive for believing that Jesus is Lord and not realizing you’re supposed to keep that sort of thing private. But I believe there is another way of sharing our faith that may be more doable for some of ..read more

Within the last generation or so a new objection to God’s existence has gained ground both in academia and in more popular circles—the problem of divine hiddenness. The leading proponent of the hiddenness argument is Canadian philosopher and professor J. L. Schellenberg. As the name of the argument suggests, this objection hinges on the premise that God is hidden from mankind. His existence isn’t obvious enough to all persons such that we don’t all come to believe He exists, let alone that He sent His Son to die for our sins (John 3:16). Schellenberg and others suggest that if God exists, then ..read more