14 The fortress will be abandoned, the noisy city deserted; citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever, the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks, 15 till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. 16 The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness […]
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lamp stand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may […]
Every believer thinks that they have the tares identified: it’s those people whose doctrine is wrong. They aren’t saved. Everybody thinks they have revelation about what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was: it’s whatever is tormenting them relentlessly. John said that there were already “many antichrists,” so it is probably ok for everyone to disagree about who THE antiChrist is […]
Every healthy congregation should probably be giving birth to other congregations. Any congregation that we plant that does not produce leadership to “give birth” – become the leaders of a new congregation – is unhealthy and probably needs to have its members distributed among a few other healthy congregations. Every congregation that has access to unbelievers should be fruitful, though. […]
The more creatively you think and act, the more likely you don’t see problems as problems. In fact, if you simply respond to problems by fixing them, it points to your skills set as being more like a maintenance person than a builder. That is not a failure – we need both, but identifying your place and doing good work […]
Religious leaders have taught us to memorize the prayer Jesus used as an example of how to pray. He was responding to his followers when they got upset because John’s disciples knew how to pray but they didn’t. We were told to call that prayer the “Our Father” or the “Lord’s Prayer.” The implication is that it’s what Jesus prayed […]
One day, congregations will serve their members and their neighbors and their God by using the Holy Spirit’s empowerment of each member. Evangelists will be spending more time with unbelievers than with members of the body of Jesus. When they lead someone to Jesus, they will introduce them to the people who are gifted to teach and prophesy and pastor, […]
I had a short discussion recently with one of Joseph Smith’s tribe (a Mormon) about “the Trinity.” He has been taught that Adam created the world we live in. Jesus is his Son. The Holy Spirit is not a person, but more like a breath. A mysterious influence, like the Christmas spirit. Other gods in other worlds muddy the […]
When Constantine gathered people he perceived to be the leaders of Christianity together in Nicaea in the year 325, part of what he caused to occur was an entitlement of “ecumene” over the church. This description means literally “the whole inhabited world.” It is as much a mistake as calling the church of Rome “catholic,” which means literally “the universal” […]
Being baptized is a three part process like sanctification and repentance are. You were this, then this happened, then you were that, or you were here, then this happened, then you were there, or you thought this way, then this happened, then you thought this other way. An image that appears often in discussions of baptism in the Bible is […]