When I was a kid, I liked the section of the comics that challenged the reader to identify the things that were wrong in a picture. I admit that sometimes I still glance at the children’s section of the comics to see how quickly I can find the problems in the picture. Keeps my mind …
Continue reading “Preaching: What’s Wrong with This Picture?”
We don’t know what to do with God! We want to control him, box him, understand him. We want our Christianity in neat, little, predictable packages. We want a Holy Spirit under control. We are so committed to “decently and in order” that we limit God. Christianity is a personal treasure hunt! Treasure hunts are …
Continue reading “It’s Sunday Again: Will Anything Surprising Happen Today?”
He was an excellent student. He had grown up in a Christian home. He wanted to become a preacher, but….he had doubts. “What if I can’t make it as a preacher?” He sat in my office during the scheduled advisor-advisee conference. He shared some of his story. He had watched a parade of preachers who …
If we don’t understand God, it is unlikely we will understand much else of our place and life. Understanding God is foundation for understanding Christ; yet Christ shows us God. This is a paradox in Christianity. We do not study God. We do not seek to know him nor understand him. God’s entire purpose is …
Do you know Jesus? In seminars, workshops, and weekend appointments, I sometimes use a short sermon series entitled “Do You Know Jesus?” We must never stop helping people come to know Jesus. We must distinguish knowing about Jesus from knowing Jesus! Knowing about Jesus helps us recognize him for who he is but does not necessarily demand …
It is not easy to hear the call of God. Think about God’s way with Elijah (1 Kings 19). God is not where we think he is. He does not call us in the ways we imagine or expect or to the places we expect. When God calls us, he calls us to his work, …
Sunday morning I will teach the Bible Class at Iglesia de Cristo. We are studying Matthew 10, Jesus’ second major discourse. After commissioning the Twelve and giving them specific instructions that relate to their mission (verses 1-23), Jesus gives them words of encouragement that can be applied more generally. We can call these “principles for …
Paul wrote to the Corinthians that we Christians, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into his image with increasing glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). We are transformed into his image; we become more and more like him. This is a change in our identity, a change in who we. We in our new …
Preaching is challenging. Preaching done well is an art. Lives are changed little by moralizing (you should, we must, we need to….). I know what I ought to do, but I just can’t do it. Lives are changed by the renewal of our minds so that we are more and more focused on God. It …
Continue reading “The Problem of Preaching: Short on the Why?”
My question today is simple: Have we focused on the changed life so much that we have forgotten that the foundational element in Christianity is the exchanged life? We are “into” transformation, valid Bible principle, essential, ultimate goal. Formation is big business. Spiritual formation sounds good–who wouldn’t want it? But….I fear that too much of …
Continue reading “It’s Sunday Again: “Going about it backwards””
