THE BLOG
Topic
- Anxiety 2
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- Body of Christ 1
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- Salvation 13
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- Satan 1
- Scripture 3
God's Fashion Design
It is an understatement to say our culture is fashion-conscious and fashion-driven. It’s mind-boggling how much money is spent every year by fashion designers and clothiers to determine and produce the next wave of style. It is the general expectation that you will get on the fashion train and make the right statement about yourself and the image you want to project.
PBPGINFWMY
I was fourteen years old in 1973 when I attended my first Basic Youth Conflicts seminar in the Seattle Key Arena with about 20,000 other people. The seminar was led by Bill Gothard, a clean-cut, mild-mannered, soft-spoken graduate of Wheaton College who was able to command the attention of middle-schoolers to Seniors. He had strong convictions and addressed all kinds of topics with a combination of Scripture, some psychology, and common sense. At that time in my life, it gave me a lot to think about as a younger believer even if there was some justifiable criticism regarding a few aspects of the teaching.
My point in sharing this story is to note one of the most memorable things that came out of this seminar for me. It was a clever idea about designing a lapel pin that everyone was given to wear.
One Way!
I just read the stunning and disappointing findings of a survey Probe Ministries conducted in 2021 on religious beliefs and attitudes toward cultural behaviors. They polled 3,106 Americans ages 18 to 55 from all religious groups, including 717 respondents who identified as born-again Christians.
Here’s one of the numbers that jolted me: 70% of born-again Christians disagree with the biblical position that Jesus is the only way to God, yet 60% of them claim they shared their faith with someone else at least annually with the intent of converting them.
Guaranteed Safety
The word “safe” seems to be an oft-spoken word in our day and age. You hear people talking about safe neighborhoods, safe spaces, safe confidences, safe environments, safe schools, safe vaccines, or safety rules. The primary reason for all this talk about safety is sin. I’m not talking about being wisely safe from harm (fire, cliffs, traffic, country music - haha!, etc.), but recognizing that If sin and its consequences were not in the picture, there would be no need for spiritual, mental, emotional, relationship, financial, or even physical safety.
Because of sin and its consequences, we find ourselves on guard about harmful words, attitudes, anger, deception, gossip, etc., as well as viruses, poisons, dangerous insects, animals, natural disasters, human error, and the like. One day, when our Lord returns, we will experience all the pre-Fall blessings of paradise with our Lord and Savior in His new heavenly creation and eternal kingdom. I can’t wait.
Don't Pray
One of the great resources God gives His people is prayer. God has invited us to pray about everything because He is able to do anything through prayer. Here are of few of the many benefits of prayer.
Control Issues
I was talking to a T-Mobile “Expert,” as they now call them, about an issue with my daughter's Apple phone. The agent let me know that I needed to talk to the tech team because “Apple likes to control things,” and then we can find out how to handle trouble with this device. Sidebar: I’m the only non-Apple user in my entire family and regularly get mocked for not being on the Apple team or for actually using an Android phone (superior in my book). But I digress.
What that T-Mobile “Expert” said about Apple's “control” issues got me to thinking about our “control” issues as believers.
Our Defensible Faith
Christianity is uniquely a defensible faith with clear, rational, and compelling evidence. God has instructed all believers to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15).
How to Preach Jesus
God has not left us in the dark about how we communicate the most life-changing, destiny-determining, soul-inspiring, truth-proclaiming, joy-generating, hope-assuring, and hell-defying message of the gospel.
We tend to rely upon strategies and practical how-to’s (which are helpful), but God typically provides foundational truths and practices that allow His power to be put on public display.
This week, from Colossians 4:2–6 we learned three practical truths about God’s strategy for preaching Jesus:
Preach What About Jesus?
Whatever we preach, it better be the right message (the gospel) about the right Person (Jesus Christ) as it will determine your eternal destiny. Believing in the wrong message will leave you “accursed” (Galatians 1:6-9) and in the wrong Person will leave you “deceived” (2 Corinthians 11:2-4).
We must preach the only good news story about Jesus Christ that exists since it is the only message that can forgive the sin that condemns everyone to death (Romans 6:23 - physically, spiritually, eternally).