Blog
It is wisdom to judge our own hearts. Judging what is just and right is to have a conscience shaped by God’s truth. As we face the issues of the day, our God-shaped conscience bears witness. Our conscience takes a stand and testifies to what is true or not about our...
We are called to enter the battle over our cities and lift them up higher. And there is a measurement we can use to discern the spiritual condition of our city, state, and nation: Corporate godliness and righteousness (all that is just and right) brings a benefit to...
There is something much deeper that we can all possess beyond personality types, family dynamics, lineages, and inheritances. Those who know God can learn to discern spiritual realities. Ignoring important truths distorts our thinking. Human interpretations of reality...
Years ago, on a flight from Los Angeles to Seattle, I had a window seat as we flew over the Pacific Northwest. As we crossed Springfield, Oregon, a place where our family once lived, I looked down and could see familiar landmarks—the streets, parks, shopping malls,...
A question surfaced in Paul’s writings: Who can be saved? I’ve heard several podcasts and interviews this year discussing Israel, her relationship with the Church, and her place in modern history. In one discussion on social media, there was a halting comment...
Continuing on from my previous post about a Gospel of grace, Paul wrote a warning to the churches in central Turkey. Speaking with apostolic authority, he pronounces judgment on Jewish preachers who were perverting the Gospel of grace. They were mingling grace with...
It’s not pleasant to buck an evil world system that also includes a religious system, It is uncomfortable to face the mixture of half-truths that have infiltrated and compromised the Church by that same system. It’s not easy to face our own propensity to live from our...
At this time in my life, I am struck even more by this writing of Paul’s: “As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has...
I’ve never wanted to be prideful. Yet, I laugh because even that desire hides a point of pride. In fact, I’m full of it! And I am grateful when the Lord points out all the many facets. Here is a big one. I never want to be or appear to be weak. I’m the protector of my...
I’ve been thinking of new ways to appreciate, expect, and desire the Holy Spirit’s warnings and corrections. I’m well aware of how easy it is to try to escape the discomfort it brings. I have been praying for years to have and keep a teachable heart. In 1980, at a...
This morning, I turned on some quiet instrumental worship music. I listened and waited. Then I was impressed to say, “Lord, I love you above all things.” I began reciting a list of people and situations. I love you above my family and friends. I love you above the...
The Old Covenant ended, and the New Covenant began with the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God. Rather than a repeated yearly ritual, reconciliation on this side of the cross is a finished work we receive. God’s mercy seat isn’t in a tabernacle. The mercy...
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). On the other hand, those who do not know God are blind and deaf because they are not alive spiritually. Paul described it as a veil...
Of late, I have seen well-rehearsed heresy hunters broadcasting their evidence on social media. It’s nothing new in Church history. At times, it can resemble a public burning at the stake for the offenders. A few days ago, I wrote about a house church in Corinth that...
When I was a young pastor, another pastor more experienced than I told me that one of the most concise representations of our faith is found in chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians. The importance of Christ’s resurrection is mentioned at great length in these verses. Paul...