Blog: March 2019

James 1:5 challenged us last Sunday: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. And in what manner should we approach God?  Verse 6 clarifies:  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” James portrays doubt as double-mindedness; it’s like trying to serve two masters:  You need wisdom, but you reserve judgment until the Lord’s leading is plain—and then you’ll decide if you ...

Decades had passed since God used Moses to rescue the Israelites from slavery and lead them toward the promised land. The Israelites had not trusted God then and had refused to enter the land. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites were once again at the edge of the promised land. But this time, it was a whole new generation of Israelites—many of whom had not even been born when the people left Egypt and came to this land the first time. Their leader, Moses, was 120 years old. Moses wrote the Book of Deuteronomy to ...

We’ve just embarked on a grand trek in the Letter of James.  I’m calling this sermon series, “ALL IN,” by which I mean that James calls every follower of Jesus to an all-or-nothing faith commitment:  no religious games, no mere going through the motions.  Live it out, take the plunge, pursue Christ’s honor all-day-every-day.  As we journey with James, this no-nonsense vision will come clear. And the series subtitle is, “Authentic faith according to James.”  It’s important to clarify what this does and doesn’t mean. Authenticity, of ...

Last Sunday I mentioned Robert Boyd Munger’s booklet, “My Heart, Christ’s Home.”  Munger draws on the prayer in Ephesians 3:17, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith”:  think of it, your life is the Lord's abode! Munger provides an extended parable about how Jesus Christ makes an entrance into the very center of one’s life:  “He came into the darkness of my heart and turned on the light. He built a fire in the cold hearth and banished the chill. He started music where there had been stillness, and He filled the emptiness with ...

God’s people, the Israelites, were in the wilderness. They had arrived at the promisedland decades earlier, but the people had rebelled—refusing to trust God to give them theland. They believed it would be better to die in the wilderness than follow God (Num.14:2), so God sent them into the wilderness for 40 years (vv. 28-29). In time, all of theadults died except for Joshua, Caleb, and Moses. The children grew up and morechildren were born. The Israelites disobeyed God time and again, but God still providedfor them. He planned to keep His ...

The Letter of James confronts all professing Christians:  are we serious about honoring Jesus Christ in all things, or are we (perhaps subtly) just using religion to shape lives centered on ourselves? Authentic faith is for all-day-every-day.  Real Christianity permeates life, including our thoughts, words, and actions; there’s no corner of our experience over which Christ does not reign as Lord and King. I’m both excited and sobered to begin a sermon series on James.  Please pray for me, and for our whole church family, as we receive ...

Last week, kids learned that the Israelites believed the discouraging report of the land of Canaan instead of Joshua and Caleb’s good report. As a result, God punished theIsraelites for their lack of faith. The Israelites had been wandering in the wildernesswhen they complained to Moses and to God. God had done some pretty amazing thingsfor the Israelites—He rescued them from the hand of Pharaoh, He parted the Red Seaso they could safely cross, and He provided manna for them to eat. But to the Israelites,this wasn’t enough. God disciplined ...

Major world events are unfolding in our time.  When we dig beneath the obsession with US politics that plagues so much media coverage, big global issues appear—like:  Venezuela unrest; North Korea’s nuclear arms prog­ram; ISIS retreat/reconfiguration; India-Pakistan ten­sions; air and water pollution; Brexit angst; US-China trade wars. But one global human rights crisis often ignored in the media is the persecution of Christians.  With the exception of a few high-profile cases (especially Andrew Brunson and Asia Bibi), the fact of religious ...

In a recent conversation the question came up, “Can you recommend Christian audio resources I could listen to during my commute?” My answer:  “Yes.”  But first, three clarifications:  1) A measure of input from some non-Christian sources is fitting, if you listen with discernment; don’t cloister yourself in a Christian media bubble.  2) There are many other providers of soundly evangelical Christian media content in addition to those I mention.  3) Recommending a media provider does not mean I endorse everything they say. Podcasts I’ve ...