Have you heard about the Asbury Revival of 2023? The university has chapel services, and students are required to attend a number of chapel services each semester. At one particular service recently, something happened. The manifest presence of the Holy Spirit was like a stream of living water in the lives of the students. TheContinue reading “What God wants from revival – John 7:1-52, Part 4”
Tag Archives: social justice
Repentance leads to forgiveness and social justice – Advent 2022, Week 2, Part 5
Jesus’ disciple Peter once asked Jesus if he, Peter, should forgive someone seven times. Peter was on to something here. Peter was thinking about repentance the right way, that proper repentance will likely require multiple applications of repentance. (See Matthew 18:21) Peter is thinking about forgiveness from the perspective of the person who has beenContinue reading “Repentance leads to forgiveness and social justice – Advent 2022, Week 2, Part 5”
God’s heart for human flourishing (or Why God cares about social justice) – Ezekiel 45-48, Part 5
Years ago, I learned a song when I was a teenager in youth group, and I found it very catchy and fun, but I had no idea what it meant. “I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me, makes the lame to walk and the blind to see, opens prison doors, sets theContinue reading “God’s heart for human flourishing (or Why God cares about social justice) – Ezekiel 45-48, Part 5”
God’s heart to stop oppression – Ezekiel 45-48, Part 2
This week as we study Ezekiel 45-48, we are following these chapters as a map to God’s heart. In Ezekiel 45, verses 8-12, we see God’s heart very clearly in another way. Notice verse 8 where we read God say that the princes must not oppress the people. Who were the princes? God is referringContinue reading “God’s heart to stop oppression – Ezekiel 45-48, Part 2”
When we ignore social justice, we ignore Jesus – Ezekiel 21-23, Part 5
Anytime injustice is present in a society, it breaks God’s heart. As we learned in the previous post, injustice was quite prevalent in Israel. The people of Jerusalem had rebelled against God, some committing injustice, others ignoring the ones who committed it. To illustrate this awful rebellion, God has one more very intense story toContinue reading “When we ignore social justice, we ignore Jesus – Ezekiel 21-23, Part 5”
When God looks for one person to practice social justice, and he finds none – Ezekiel 21-23, Part 4
Preaching the content of the Gospel vs. Doing the deeds of the Gospel…which is more important? In the first post, I tried to argue that we need both. The deeds of the Gospel are many, and one important area is social justice. Some Christians teach that social justice is not necessary for the Gospel. IContinue reading “When God looks for one person to practice social justice, and he finds none – Ezekiel 21-23, Part 4”
How false worship and social injustice grieve God – Ezekiel 21-23, Part 3
As we continue studying Ezekiel 21-23, God asks Ezekiel to perform another skit to dramatize the invasion of Israel by foreign armies. Look at Ezekiel 21, verses 18-23. Ezekiel is to make what was probably marks in the dirt in front of his house, illustrating two roads. Much like children would do with their toysContinue reading “How false worship and social injustice grieve God – Ezekiel 21-23, Part 3”
Gospel and Social Justice…is it one or the other? – Ezekiel 21-23, Part 1
When my wife Michelle was running Imagine Goods, she made about 30 trips to Cambodia, primarily to work with women who were survivors of trafficking, helping them have employment as seamstresses, thus lifting them out of the precarious economic and cultural situation that initially made them vulnerable to being trafficked. Every now and then whenContinue reading “Gospel and Social Justice…is it one or the other? – Ezekiel 21-23, Part 1”
What actions are considered righteous? – Ezekiel 18, Part 3
Editor’s Note: I’m thankful to guest blogger Brandon Hershey for this week’s study of Ezekiel 18! How do you answer the question posed by the title of this post? One person’s view of righteousness might differ significantly from that of another. In America, righteousness is often viewed through whichever political lens a person holds. RepublicanContinue reading “What actions are considered righteous? – Ezekiel 18, Part 3”
When God feels distant or fictional – Intro to Ezekiel, Part 4
Does God feel distant, or have you wondered if God is just a thing of the past? Maybe he wasn’t even real back then? While the stories of God’s work in the past sound great, and might even be encouraging and inspiring, what we really want is for God to show up in our livesContinue reading “When God feels distant or fictional – Intro to Ezekiel, Part 4”
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