Faith
-
New to the Faith: How do I Study the Bible?
Part 2: Bible Study One of my favorite memories of my mom is of her studying the Bible. She would sit at the kitchen table with at least two different versions of the Bible, a Bible dictionary, a concordance, a couple of commentaries, plus other various materials. She would sit there for hours studying the Word of God. She taught me how important it was to have a deep understanding of the Bible. Many people believe the Bible is an ancient book, and therefore it no longer applies to us today, but that is simply not true. The God we serve is the same yesterday, today, and forever, which means…
-
New to the Faith: Now What?
Part 1: Next Steps So, you’ve recently accepted Jesus as your Savior. Now what? For a new believer, it may be difficult to know what to do next, particularly when many churches are unable to meet together during this world-wide pandemic. Though some churches are able to offer online classes and information, others aren’t. If you are a new believer, I want to encourage you as you begin your new journey of faith. This will be a 4-part guide that will hopefully help you dig deeper, draw closer, and cultivate your relationship with Christ. You’re not alone in this journey, as the Holy Spirit is with you and will guide…
-
Faith Over Fear
“Do not be anxious about anything, but with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:6-8, ESV) In this moment of panic in our country, we can’t let fear rule over or lives. I will admit, as a parent of an immunocompromised child, this pandemic has me slightly…
-
Deep Roots
Within the last month or two, we have seen at least two prominent Christian figures leave the faith. The Bible warns us of a “great falling away” during the last days. Some versions use the word “rebellion” while others use “apostasy.” The original Greek word is “apostasia” and it means “a falling away, defection, apostasy.” (Strong’s Concordance). Basically, it means to abandon or leave the faith. I don’t know why these two people left the faith and it’s not my place to try and guess. For those of us who are still walking in faith, though, we need to stay strong. But how do we do that? The first thing…
-
My Faith – His Story
Shortly after my birth, my parents became Christians. As I’ve written here before, my mom played a pivotal role in shaping my faith. She taught me about God, Jesus, sin, redemption, and love. Though we weren’t regular church attenders as I grew up, there was still a focus on God that centered on following Him and His ways. At some point, though, my parents’ faith had to become mine. I had to “work out my salvation” and make the choice myself to either follow Him or disregard everything I was taught and follow the ways of this world. I reached this crossroad when I was 19. I had just completed…
-
It’s Not Us vs. Them
As true Christ-followers, we need to stop politicizing God and our faith. When we politicize Him, we are effectively putting Him in a man-made mold, trying to form Him into an image we created – an image we desire God to fit because it falls in line with what we believe. That image is not God. That image is an idol. The truth is God does not fit neatly into any political party. Labels such as conservative and progressive divide the church. When we place labels before our faith, we are telling the world we follow the ideologies associated with that particular political party. Though the intention may be innocent…
-
Why We Need Jesus
We are all born sinners. I don’t care what your race is, what your gender is, what your sexual preference is – we are ALL born sinners (see Romans 3:23). Because of our sinful nature, there was a separation between God and us. In order for the relationship to be restored, a sacrifice had to be made. According to John 3:16, God loved us so much, He sent His Son as THE sacrifice for us. If you believe in Him, you will have eternal life. Jesus not only died for our sins, but He also defeated death, as He was resurrected on the third day. His death and resurrection made…
-
When We Lack Faith
Lately, as I’ve re-read books in the Old Testament, I’ve asked God to reveal Himself through His Word, to help me learn more about Him and who He is so that I can apply it to my life. While reading the story of the twelve men who were sent out by Moses to spy on the land of Canaan, I believed He answered my prayer as I had new insight into how important it is to keep the faith, rather than live a faithless, fear-filled life. Let me recap the story here: God told Moses to send twelve men (one from each tribe) to spy out the land of Canaan.…
-
Just Be
I recently read a letter C.S. Lewis wrote to a woman answering her question of why God wants us. In the brief letter, he explained God didn’t want us “for anything,” but rather He just wanted us. As I read those few, brief words, excitement and conviction filled my soul. Excitement, because they reminded me of God’s love for us. Yes, God may have a purpose for our lives, but He didn’t redeem us for what we can do for Him. He redeemed us out of His pure mercy, grace, and love. He knew there was no way anyone could live a perfect life, so He sent His Son, Jesus…
-
Letters to Me
What is my responsibility to the church as a member of the body of Christ? Am I fulfilling those responsibilities? These are just a couple of questions I asked myself while reading Francis Chan’s Letters to the Church. In it, he compares the church in the Bible to the church of today. He also compares modern day churches in America to other churches around the world. He is careful to point out his motivation for writing this book. It is not to condemn, but to rather encourage the members of the body of Christ to reflect upon their own role in the Church and to seek guidance in areas to…
