In 1 Timothy 3:12 we read that “all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Woah. Maybe God doesn’t want us to be happy, and only cares about us becoming godly or holy, even if it takes us being persecuted? How are we to understand this? Does GodContinue reading “God wants me to be happy, not angry, and never to doubt? [False ideas Christians believe about…God’s desires for Christians. Part 4]”
Tag Archives: Jesus
Religion/Ritual bad, Relationship good? [False ideas Christians believe about…God’s desires for Christians. Part 2]
Is religion automatically bad? Some Christians are very anti-religion because they feel it goes against the concept of relationship. But does it? Read James 1:26-27, and you’ll see James suggest that religion is not only a viable way to view our connection with God, but that God approves of religion that has a heart forContinue reading “Religion/Ritual bad, Relationship good? [False ideas Christians believe about…God’s desires for Christians. Part 2]”
Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship? [False ideas Christians believe about…God’s desires for Christians. Part 1]
What are God’s desires for Christians? He just wants us to pray and read the Bible, right? Well, actually there are a lot of ideas about what God wants his people to do. Unfortunately not all the ideas are based in Scripture. In fact, some of the ideas that Christians use to guide their lives,Continue reading “Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship? [False ideas Christians believe about…God’s desires for Christians. Part 1]”
This too shall pass? [False ideas Christians believe about…difficulty. Part 4]
Are the difficult times in life good or bad? You might read that and think, “How could difficult times ever be good?” Well, when we experience suffering, we tend to feel more helpless and needy and thus we pray more. Increased levels of communication with God, as with any relationship in which greater communication almostContinue reading “This too shall pass? [False ideas Christians believe about…difficulty. Part 4]”
The Bible is not the only Word of God [False ideas Christians believe about…the Bible. Part 1]
Did you know there is another more ancient Word of God than the Bible? Keep reading to learn about it. Last week I started a series in which I am looking at common sayings Christians use and believe, thinking those sayings are biblical, but they are actually false, not in the Bible. OR the sayingsContinue reading “The Bible is not the only Word of God [False ideas Christians believe about…the Bible. Part 1]”
Love the sinner, hate the sin? [False ideas Christians believe about…Sin. Part 5]
Have you ever heard a Christian say, “love the sinner, hate the sin”? We hear that all the time. Maybe you’ve said it yourself. On the surface it sounds really good. We should be a people that love others no matter who they are. What could be wrong with that? If that was all itContinue reading “Love the sinner, hate the sin? [False ideas Christians believe about…Sin. Part 5]”
Should Christians take up arms? [Christians & War – Deuteronomy 20, part 4]
How should Christians view war? We are not the nation of ancient Israel which had a special covenant with God. We are the church, and we are under a new covenant. So from this passage in Deuteronomy, we can learn God’s heart, but we have to also take into consideration the new covenant we haveContinue reading “Should Christians take up arms? [Christians & War – Deuteronomy 20, part 4]”
Are you dressed and ready?
Why did you chose to wear the clothing you have on today? Clothing is often about form rather than function. We want to look good, look appropriate. But clothing is also about function. Do you wear a uniform for your job? Or perhaps your employer or hobby requires you to wear clothing that makes theContinue reading “Are you dressed and ready?”
A Christmas Surprise [Fourth Sunday of Advent]
Today we’re going to meet shepherds. But as I studied these passages, what emerged was something surprising, something unexpected! During Advent, we have been following the readings in the Lectionary, and our first passage is Micah 5:2-5a. Micah gives us in verse 2 a prophecy of a future ruler who would come to rule overContinue reading “A Christmas Surprise [Fourth Sunday of Advent]”
How to bring righteousness to the world [Second Sunday of Advent, part 5]
In this series on the Lectionary readings for the Second Sunday of Advent, we have been following the life and ministry of John the Baptist and the message God was proclaiming through John: a huge roadwork project. What is that project? God wants us to repent, so that he might bring righteousness on the world. Continue reading “How to bring righteousness to the world [Second Sunday of Advent, part 5]”
Engaging Scripture 