AwesomeGod

This past summer, I married a young couple in our church. It came time after the dust settled to meet with them to see how married life was treating them. I try to do this about 3 months post-marriage, allow them to get settled, and give them plenty of time to fight and make up before intruding. Here is my general approach to try to assess how they are doing and learn best how to shepherd them through this first year. 4 suggestions: Sit down with them in their home. It is good to meet with them, but set a time where you are able to be in their home. Hopefully, a woman’s touch does nothing but improve the home of a bachelor and you are able to see how they have set up their home. Before marriage, they were meeting in my office for pre-marital counseling discussing what it would be like if they had their own home. Now they do and it is good to enter in on their turf and celebrate that. Ask questions and watch reactions. Come ready to ask questions of them both and how they are adjustin...

"...for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence." (Psalms 27:12) "Breathing out violence," perhaps no two words in Scripture more dramatically capture the powerfully damaging presence of sin than these two words. Imagine a human being, who was made in the image of God, made for loving worship of the Lord and loving community with others, getting to the place where they've fallen so far from God's original intention that they actually exhale violence! You don't have to look very far to see the dramatic damage that sin does to human beings. The high rate of divorce, the violence that is present in every major city in Western culture, the scourge of physical and sexual abuse of children, and something as common as the high level of conflict that exists in all of our relationships in one form or another. You may be thinking, "Paul, I'm not sure how it's going to help me to think about all of these terrible things." Here...

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that certain things about me are changing. It’s not as easy to stay healthy as it once was. In my youth, I was able to eat entire sleeves of Oreos without the slightest repercussion. Now, if I even look at an Oreo I immediately gain five pounds. I also feel exponentially more tired than I did when I was younger. I suspect this is because I have children. Those parenting books that tell you what to “expect” when you have kids should list exhaustion first. Nobody told me about the blunt-force exhaustion of having three young children. Perhaps most the most concerning change I see in myself is that I’m becoming increasingly cynical and jaded as I get older. I was pretty naïve when I was younger. I didn’t realize just how full of suffering and sadness life can be. The older I get, the more I’m aware of how royally life can suck. I’ve seen brain cancer rob a family of a husband and dad. I’ve seen fellow Christians turn on each other and treat one another ...

Like many believers around the world, I am horrified at the persecution of Christians in Iraq. It is a sobering moment to realize that the type of persecution I’ve read about so many times in the Book of Acts is happening in our day. Even our Lord Jesus spoke of the reality and the blessing that He will give to those who suffer for the faith. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” – Matthew 5:10–12 As I’ve pondered it all, here are five things that we can do about the persecution of the church in Iraq. 1. Be informed. There are a multitude of news agencies carrying the details of what is happening in Iraq and specifically in Mosul. My caution is to be careful as to what you read and watch. In o...

Building on the two previous posts regarding leadership development for church planting and revitalization in the book of Acts, this post will consider leadership development with the scattered saints. Logically, when the persecution in connection with Stephen’s death erupted (Acts 7:60–8:4), the scattered saints would have traveled to locations where they had some connection. Rodney Stark explains that the early spread of Christianity followed the lines of social networks, so that disciples connected with relatives or friends of friends, utilizing these relationships for gospel expansion. If Stark is correct, then the Hellenistic saints scattered from Jerusalem due to persecution made their way to Hellenistic communities, such as Antioch, where they networked for the sake of the gospel by establishing new churches. Luke narrates this movement of the gospel in Acts 8–12. Philip’s Significance While Luke does not detail the length of Philip’s service to the Hellenistic widows, and pe...

God doesn’t need our work. He doesn’t need our money, either. God can get everything done without a heavenly Kickstarter campaign. He didn’t ask for any help when he created the galaxies. He can get along just fine without our peewee contributions to the universe. He doesn’t need our worship either. He doesn’t need our praises to bolster his self-esteem. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. (Acts 17:24-25) God doesn’t need anything. He doesn’t need our worship, our work or our money. So why does God command us to worship, serve, and give our money to him? First of all, for his glory. Wait a second. If He doesn’t need our work or worship, how does it glorify Him? It certainly doesn’t add anything to His glory. Yet it does display His glory. When we sing His praises toge...

I saw Jesus once. Bihar, India, 2013. The room was hot and humid. As drops of sweat clouded my eyes, I looked at Kari—she sat at a table on the other side of this large concrete room. Gracefully, Kari moved her hands across the threads wound into newspaper clippings. The clippings were in the shapes of kids clothing; women in the room, one by one, were bringing clippings to her. My friend Biju leaned over and whispered to me: “She is testing them. She was once destitute, but through our empowering women program, she learned to be a seamstress and is now self-sustaining; she teaches these women to be the same.” Looking into Kari’s eyes as she worked, I realized that this is what Jesus, the carpenter, does. This is Jesus, working through her. I Know Where Jesus is and Will Be At the final judgment, when the world as we know it will reach its end, Jesus says he will say: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. F...

In my reading of John 11 this morning, this phrase just landed on me. Mary and Martha appealed to Jesus for help on account of his love for Lazarus. Indeed, Jesus loved him deeply. Twice we read in this account that Jesus was “deeply moved,” and sandwiched between these two references is the simple verse that says, “Jesus wept.” Jesus was not indifferent about the sickness of Lazarus and the sorrow of Mary and Martha. But what strikes me even more, is that though we cannot plumb the depths of Jesus’ love, His commitment to His glory is even deeper. Both Mary and Martha said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would have not died” (Martha v. 21; Mary v. 32). The implication is, “Jesus you say you love us, and we know that you love Lazarus, but if you really loved him, you would not have let him die.” Jesus’ love was challenged and concluded to be ineffective in meeting their urgent needs. Not only did Jesus’ dear friends question him, but so did several others who said, “Could no...

I’ve planted two churches. In each plant, God overwhelmed us continually with what He did among us. I feel humbled and blessed to be a part of such healthy environments God uses to reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ. I have learned a few things in the process. Some of these were new insights and some of were things I had confirmed, but all are things I would suggest other church planters consider. Here are 5 lessons I learned in church planting: Don’t shy away from leaders, even though they are churched — you’ll need them – When we started, if a person showed up who regularly attended another local church, we shied away from them. We weren’t rude to them, but we really didn’t pursue them as we did other visitors, simply out of respect of other churches. What I have learned, however, is that many times this was standing in the way of something God was doing in the person’s life. At the same time, we were suffering from a leadership void not having enough people ready to ...

I’ve planted two churches. In each plant, God overwhelmed us continually with what He did among us. I feel humbled and blessed to be a part of such healthy environments God uses to reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ. I have learned a few things in the process. Some of these were new insights and some of were things I had confirmed, but all are things I would suggest other church planters consider. Here are 5 lessons I learned in church planting: Don’t shy away from leaders, even though they are churched — you’ll need them – When we started, if a person showed up who regularly attended another local church, we shied away from them. We weren’t rude to them, but we really didn’t pursue them as we did other visitors, simply out of respect of other churches. What I have learned, however, is that many times this was standing in the way of something God was doing in the person’s life. At the same time, we were suffering from a leadership void not having enough people ready to ...

1. Do you call yourself a Christian? 2. Do you believe in the power of God’s word? 3. Do you believe The Bible is the inerrant and inspired word of God? If you answered “yes” to these questions, congratulations… you’ve just applied yourself to a life of full-time ministry. Some of you are thinking… 1. “But, I don’t work at a Church…” 2. “But, I don’t work for a Christian company…” 3. “But, I don’t have time…” LET’S STUDY: Philippians 1:21 – For to me, living means living for Christ, and to die is gain. - If you claim to be a Christian, your life is meant to be lived FOR HIM. Meaning, you have all the time in the world to do what you’ve been called to do in the first place. Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. - If you claim to be a Christian, then it is no longer you who lives, but Chri...

A frequently asked question from my graduate advisees is this: How do you keep up with the latest scholarship in your discipline? Or, how do you stay on the “cutting edge” in your academic field? There are at least five maintenance disciplines that come immediately to my mind. My first suggestion is probably the most obvious: read, read, read. The best way to do this is to follow the leading journals in your interest areas. Personally, I have subscriptions to Journal of Biblical Literature, Review of Biblical Literature, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, Near Eastern Archaeology, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society and Bulletin for Biblical Research. I also have subscriptions to popular magazines like Biblical Archaeology Review and Christianity Today. Besides subscriptions (some of which are included in society memberships), it is also a good idea to peruse additional journals at your closest university library. In my case, I periodically stroll throug...

1. Do you call yourself a Christian? 2. Do you believe in the power of God’s word? 3. Do you believe The Bible is the inerrant and inspired word of God? If you answered “yes” to these questions, congratulations… you’ve just applied yourself to a life of full-time ministry. Some of you are thinking… 1. “But, I don’t work at a Church…” 2. “But, I don’t work for a Christian company…” 3. “But, I don’t have time…” LET’S STUDY: Philippians 1:21 – For to me, living means living for Christ, and to die is gain. - If you claim to be a Christian, your life is meant to be lived FOR HIM. Meaning, you have all the time in the world to do what you’ve been called to do in the first place. Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. - If you claim to be a Christian, then it is no longer you who lives, but Chri...

One of the best ways to discourage a pastor is to make him feel he is unneeded. In fact, a pastor’s desire to feel needed shows itself in a variety of ways. The most obvious way the desire for significance manifests itself is in the pastor wanting to do all the work. He has to make every visit. He has to preach every Sunday. He has to be at every meeting. He has to conduct every wedding and funeral. Because of this desire, he will not delegate tasks. He will not take his vacation time. He will not allow others to help. This controlling posture in the church can easily be camouflaged as faithfulness and zeal to labor hard in the work of the ministry. However, it eventually leads to two common results: burn out and family neglect. The demand for significance can also lead to the neglect of the family when certain people in the church make him feel more significant than his wife and children do. A pastor can easily deceive himself that he really needs to meet with a young man in the chur...

The Christian’s Purpose “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.” John 1:6-8 Mark Twain may have been at least partially right, that “the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” But his proverb has nothing in it of the eternal, without which all purposes and discoveries come to an end. So with an added spiritual dimension, I will say that the two most important days of my life were in being born again and then discovering why. Why a holy, righteous God would inhabit my darkened soul, lighting me from within like the glow of radium – so light is not something I have, it is something I am. I know, because that is the name Jesus gave me, “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). In the first chapter of Genesis we read, “And God made the two great lights – the greater lig...

There are times when, for whatever reason, our devotional life goes stale. Bible reading seems like a colossal chore, our prayers feel tepid and weak, and our love for God ebbs. We feel like we are stuck in a spiritual rut, like we don’t have any soul traction, like we’re just spinning our spiritual wheels. These times of staleness can be incredible frustrating and discouraging. Are you in a spiritual rut? Here are a few practical tips to breathe new life and vigor back into your devotional life. PRAY! PRAY! PRAY! All the practical tips in the world won’t make a lick of difference unless God moves mightily on your heart. God cannot be controlled. He is not a personal genie who can be summoned on command. He cannot be summarized or contained in a neat formula. But he promises to respond to our humble requests. He is a good father who loves to give good gifts to his children. In Luke 11:13 Jesus said: If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much m...

In his letter to the Roman church, the Apostle Paul wrote, “According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of one’s faith; if service, in serving; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness” (Rom 12:6–8, HCSB). This particular passage teaches that leadership is not only something that is practiced, but it is something bestowed to members of the church. The first issue is to understand the word “gift” being used in the passage. The Greek word is charisma, and is used in numerous places throughout the epistle to the Romans (1:11; 5:15, 16; 6:23; 11:29), as well as in other letters by Paul. Most specifically, in 1 Corinthians 12–14, Paul teaches on the issues of what is commonly referred to as spiritual gifts. In the Corinthian passage, Cranfield states that charisma is “used of the gifts or endowments which God bestows on believers t...

God doesn’t afflict us or allow us to be afflicted for no reason. He has wonderful purposes for all he does in us. God is the great artist who produces the ultimate masterpieces – sons and daughters in the likeness of his Son Jesus Christ. So he makes every stroke of the Master’s brush, every tap of the Sculptor’s chisel count. So in God’s plan, afflictions have great benefit to us, as painful as they are at times. If we keep these benefits in mind when we suffer, they can help us endure joyfully. Afflictions deliver us from pride. Paul said God gave him his grievous thorn “to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations” 2 Corinthians 12:7 Afflictions make us sympathetic, merciful and slower to judge. If you’ve suffered the fury of depression, you won’t assume that others who are depressed are in sin. If you’ve been grieved by a rebellious teen, you’ll be quick to sympathize with other struggling parents. Afflictions remind us of the brev...

want to elaborate on the two paradigms for engaging non-Christians in Post-Christendom. The Attractional Paradigm During the times of Christendom and its decline, the attractional paradigm enjoyed much success. It was a time when the majority of non-Christians in culture found Christianity relevant and were quite conversant from a cultural standpoint. Christianity was looked upon favorably by the many, and churches seemed to engage the “unchurched Harry and Mary.” The attractional paradigm saw the rise of the seeker-sensitive movement, where a large focus of the church’s mission was to get non-Christians to “come and see” through the church event what Christianity was about. Missiologists call this a “centripetal” movement where the draw is toward the center, namely the Sunday morning event/experience. The attractional paradigm found ways to reach the non-Christians through a focus on relevance and pragmatism. The event focused on “the experience,” wherein the message would have rel...

Does the Bible have a central story? And if so, how can we figure out what it is? Those are the questions Dr. Matthew Harmon tackles in "Reading the Bible in Light of the Whole Story" (a BST exclusive). Here's a little excerpt to get you started: After his resurrection Jesus made it clear to his followers that we should read all of Scripture as in some way related to his death/resurrection, the call to repentance and the offer of forgiveness through Jesus' name to all the nations (Luke 24:13-27, 44-49). But do we practically do this? Reading each passage of Scripture in light of its place within the unfolding storyline of the Bible can seem like a daunting task. After all, it is easy to see how certain OT passages relate to the gospel of Jesus Christ because the NT authors specifically quote or allude to them. But what do we do when faced with the many OT passages to which the NT authors do not refer? While it is tempting to throw up one's hands in exasperation a...

Many years ago, when I first became interested in Christianity, I encountered a book at a local bookstore entitled, The Lost Books of the Bible. As a new investigator of the claims of the New Testament, I was immediately intrigued. “What?” I thought, “There are books about Jesus that were lost?” I couldn’t help but wonder what these books said about Jesus and why they were allegedly “lost” in the first place. I bought the book and bean to research the historical texts it described. I was disappointed to discover that the book should have been titled, The Well Known, Late Lies About Jesus That Were Ignored By Christians Who Knew Better. These texts were never part of the New Testament canon. They were written late in history and rejected by everyone who knew the truth about Jesus of Nazareth. My research into the topic resulted in a number of articles that I’ve reproduced here at ColdCaseChristainity.com. This series of posts will help you understand why such untruths about Jesus were...

700 years from the time the Lord promised Abram that he would show him a land and make him a great nation (GE 12.1-2). Think of all Abraham and his descendants went through – Abram’s sojourn in Egypt, his rescue of Lot, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the birth of Isaac, Abraham’s “sacrifice” of his son, the birth of Jacob and Esau, Jacob’s many years of serving Laban, the births of Jacob’s sons including Joseph, Joseph’s years in Egypt including years in prison, until God elevated him to Pharaoh’s right hand, the move of Jacob’s family to Egypt, the prospering of Israel then their enslavement in Egypt, the birth of Moses and the miraculous deliverance of Israel from Egypt, the 40 years in the desert, and finally Israel wound up in the promised land and Joshua allotted the land to the tribes of Israel. Joshua 21 says: Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the LORD gave them...