THE BLOG
Topic
- Anxiety 2
- Beauty 1
- Bible 7
- Blessings 1
- Body of Christ 1
- Burden 1
- CEO 1
- Christian Living 189
- Christlikeness 6
- Christmas 12
- Commandments 1
- Community 1
- Conflict 1
- Cults 1
- Culture 1
- DDM 1
- Death 2
- Discipleship 5
- Emotions 6
- Eternity 2
- Evangelism 7
- Faith 2
- Forgive 4
- Freedom 1
- Fusion 1
- Gather 1
- God 2
- Gospel 3
- Gratitude 2
- Hebrews 11 1
- Holiness 1
- Holy Spirit 1
- Homosexuality 1
- Humility 1
- Israel 2
- Jesus 9
- Joy 2
- King of Glory 1
- Lying 1
- Missions 3
- Outreach 1
- Pastor Jeff 1
- Perspective 2
- Prayer 8
- Psalm 119 3
- Reading 1
- Salvation 13
- Sanctification 1
- Satan 1
- Scripture 3
M.O.R.E. Tools
Sunday, we learned how we can make MORE disciples of Jesus Christ and Paul reminded us that he was committed to make himself “a slave to all, so that I may win more” (1 Corinthians 9:19). I presented four biblical ways to win more and used Paul’s word “more” to spell out these truths:
Who is the King of Glory?
In the Old Testament, oftentimes the glory of God was concealed and feared. God’s glory was hidden in clouds, fire, the tabernacle, the temple, and in shrouded theophanies. It was feared as the “devouring fire,” the judgment against sin, and no man could look upon His holiness without dying.
Work the 1212 Plan!
Life can be so topsy turvy. One moment you feel good, the next moment you don’t. One day it’s sunny and warm, the next it’s rainy and cold. One minute life seems so peaceful, then your preschool grandkids show up and share their sense of fun and freedom around the house (love those stinkers). Whether it’s a sickness, stress, weather, loss, disappointment, struggle, conflict, temptation, burden, busyness, or any other adversity that likes to rear its ugly head, I recommend the 1212 plan.
The Power of the Minority
One of the things we quickly learn about God is how unpredictable, uncharacteristic, and unorthodox He is. He is so superior and so unique; He refuses to be put in a box. God reminds us that “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways” (Isa. 55:8), and “How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” (Rom. 11:33b). One of His unorthodox ways is His use of the minority.
Hebrews 11: Be Like Moses, Not Mike
Unless Michael Jordan is delivered by Christ (hope he is or will be), he will continue to experience some great short-term gains, but will tragically end with long-term pains. God has graciously allowed us to experience the lesser short-term pains that will always lead to the greater long-term gains that Moses modeled.
God Tests Faith
God tests faith. Like precious metals, faith must be tested in order to validate its authenticity and genuineness. Biblical faith is a confident trust in whatever God says is true and acting upon it regardless of the circumstances or consequences. Impurities exist in our faith when there is a difference between our stated beliefs (what we say we believe and trust in) and how we actually respond when we are under the pressure of life’s difficult circumstances.
Live by Faith
How do we live so that God is NOT ashamed to be called our God? We must live by faith.
There are many tensions that Christians must embrace: loving the world and hating it; citizens of heaven, here as exiles on earth; not conformed to the world but as ambassadors of Christ. About this, G.K. Chesterton writes,