Posts with the category “cross-points”

Pastor: Someone with the authority to lead religious services and help others worship.  A term used mostly in Protestant churches.  The leader who has been ordained.That’s what the Google definition of a pastor lists.  Would you agree?  I’d venture to say most would, since it is the way that this word is used in most church bodies, and in our culture.  And why, I’d guess, that Google defines it th...  Read More

The cynic sees the bruise in the apple, while missing the sweetness and smell, the enjoyable taste as you bite into this delectable fruit.  He throws the apple out because of a single flaw.  He (or she) sees the person in worn-out clothing, or with multiple tatoos, enter church and makes quick assumptions.  They must be from the wrong side of the tracks, must be uneducated, must be lacking in virt...  Read More

I’ve written about the word “belief” before, and how in the Hebrew culture to believe means more than mental knowledge.  It means you act on what you believe.  So, we err when we think salvation by believing in Christ only involves mental acceptance of him.  It involves obedience also.  Obedience doesn’t save us.  We’d have to be perfect for that, but it does give evidence of real belief, real fai...  Read More

If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you know what the number one complaint about the church is from those on the outside.  “Yeah, I might consider going to church if it wasn’t for all those hypocrites.”  Often the remark is made about a specific congregation where they know several people, who they consider to be hypocritical. What are we to think about that statement?My first respo...  Read More

The CEO of Northwest Airlines was a strong business leader, saving the airline from bankruptcy.  He then became CEO of Burger King and helped turn them around.  He excelled at achieving his goals.  But when his 6-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident, he no longer had control.  Grief was overwhelming.  What could help him through this tough time?  Would you believe the book of Isaiah?  Th...  Read More

“Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons.  The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me my inheritance.” So, the father divided his property between them.  Not many days later the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country. There he squandered his property in reckless living.  When he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he b...  Read More

A story is told about a person who had been a habitual gossip.  He spread hurtful rumors all over town and did much harm in a nonchalant way.  He decided to repent of this sin and went to the village rabbi seeking to make amends.  “Rabbi, is there something I can do that will make things right?”  The rabbi stroked his beard and replied, “Go home and come back with a pillow.”  It seemed an odd requ...  Read More

“As we were going to a place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination… She followed Paul and us, crying out, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.’ Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit in her, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!’  And it came out.” Acts 16:16-18To...  Read More

Many people call themselves “Christian,” but in the context of being a Christ-follower (the meaning of the word Christian), let me ask: Is it a free-for-all process, or must we pay attention to what Jesus said and to what the Bible teaches?  The answer, I would hope, is obvious.  Consider what it means to follow Christ as Lord.The Old Testament.  Many people who go to church and are seeking to liv...  Read More

“Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.  Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?... You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matt. 7:...  Read More

All languages have figures of speech that outside of that culture might not make sense.  If you talk about “beating around the bush,” what does that mean, for example?  We kind of understand, but probably don’t know its origin.  The phrase dates to medieval times when hunters hired men to beat the area around bushes as they hunted, to flush out game that was hiding underneath.  The animal being hu...  Read More

I truly enjoy the story portrayed in Fiddler on the Roof.  Rexanne and I went to see the play on one of our early dates, at The Muny outside theater in St Louis way back in 1998.  The main character in the story is Tevye, who is stressed because his daughters, one by one, choose mates in unconventional ways.  Tevye has an ongoing habit of talking to God out loud when alone, trying to reason throug...  Read More

After Jesus answered the questioner about what the greatest commandment was (to love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, and mind), he knew that wasn’t enough, so he offered a second most important command, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39).  The Apostle Paul went so far as to say the whole of the law is fulfilled by obeying this one command (Galatians 5:14). The Apostle...  Read More

It’s been pointed out that unfortunately far too many people are emotional addicts when it comes to searching for a church that excites them, where the music moves them, where they get a high from a thrilling song service or sermon.  When they come down from such a high, instead of being motivated to live better, to serve more, they just delve into a downer period, anxious for their next high.  An...  Read More

Rexanne has a sweatshirt she wears that says Imago Dei on the front of it.  This term, Imago Dei, is Latin for “In God’s Image.”  Bible believing Christians certainly believe this.  We are told in Genesis 1, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.”It is an amazing thought that we have the image of God within our makeup.  It doesn’t...  Read More

The story is told of a rabbi searching for Jewish kids who had been displaced as the Nazi years began, their families seeking to protect them by sending them to a monastery in southern France.  After the war ended this rabbi went to the monastery.  They had been there for years and the priest in charge was unaware of the circumstances.  He told the rabbi that all the children were Christian, not J...  Read More

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  Proven to be the most well-known verse in the Bible.  It’s a good one, for sure.  The key message: Jesus tells us how much God loves us, and the heart of Jesus’s purpose on earth.  Even though what it says is true, it is probably one of the most abused verses ...  Read More

It was April 14, 1912, at about 11:40pm.  Darkness was about to take on a whole new level. The Titanic hit an iceberg.  Theoretically the ship was further south in the Atlantic than icebergs normally traveled, but the thought that the ship was unsinkable didn’t help.  A gash was ripped in the side and water started to get inside the chambers.  Less than three hours later it sank.  Most of the peop...  Read More

Most people who watch TV, including the Super Bowl, have seen the He Gets Us commercials.  Underwritten by several groups together, the intent is to create interest in Jesus, have people check with resources provided, then coach them from there.  And as I have read about the results, it appears many have done just that, responded with questions and allowed others to provide biblical counsel.  A go...  Read More

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:1, 2).  It’s been said that if we only believe these very first words of the Bible, all else that follows – such as miracles – are not only possible, but probable.  God created.  But s...  Read More

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.  Of this you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel” (Colossians 1:3-5).“Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2).Oliver W...  Read More

Richard Dawkins is an outspoken critic of Christian faith, and he argues that you cannot be an intelligent scientific thinker and still hold religious beliefs.  This is a major stumbling block for many as popular teaching in schools is that we evolved from lower forms of life, supposedly supported by science, and a very naturalistic worldview becomes the norm. How can the biblical view coincide wi...  Read More

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and nothing more.  I will warn you who to fear. Fear him who, after you are killed, has authority to cast you into hell.  Yes, fear him!” (Luke 12:4, 5).The concept of hell is not believed by many in our culture in modern times.  Sometimes because they question if there is a God at all, other times because they just can’t fathom a God w...  Read More

Type your new text here. “I have a problem with the doctrine of hell.  The only god that makes sense to me would be a god of love.  Because of hell it appears the Bible’s god must be a god appeased by pain and suffering” said an art gallery worker being interviewed.   So, we ask, “How can God send people to this place called hell?Eighty percent of Americans agree with the statement, “an individual...  Read More

“The church has been involved with too much persecution of Christians, for goodness’ sake.  They turn on their own and attack fellow believers who differ on minor points of doctrine” said a college student.On the surface, the above criticism is simply true.  Once the reformers of the 14th and 15th centuries came on the scene, and Protestant churches were formed, the fight between them and Roman Ca...  Read More

“I can’t believe in a god that allows people to suffer.  Either this god is all-powerful but not a good god, or else a good god but not all-powerful.  If God can rescue us from suffering, why doesn’t he?” said one college student when asked about belief in God.This is a major stumbling block for many people in the world.  Disease strikes a family member, a tornado hits a community indiscriminately...  Read More

You’ll recall that one of Jesus’s 12 apostles was known as “Doubting Thomas”.  We all have our doubts about things, and although Christians don’t want to admit it sometimes, there can be things about the Bible and the biblical message we struggle with, maybe doubt. The thing we can learn from Thomas’s story is that if we are honest about our doubts, yet continue to submit to the Lord in faith, God...  Read More

When people talk about the rapture, the general concept is that either before or during a time of severe persecution before Jesus returns, Christians will be taken from this world (raptured) and the non-Christians will be “left behind” to deal with the evil in the world.One problem with this whole teaching is that it can’t be found in church history until about 190 years ago, according to Revelati...  Read More

The Restoration Movement that Southern Heights Christian Church Fits WithinHow do you summarize in two pages the “independent” Christian churches of the Restoration Movement?  That’s my goal here.  This movement formed in the early 1800’s as a variety of men studied the scriptures and determined many church organizations were out of line with what Jesus and his apostles taught.  These churches ten...  Read More

“We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).We live in an age of skepticism and doubt, and an age when those of faith in Jesus often pursue a superficial path that is founded more on subjective conjecture than historical evidence.  But...  Read More

How well do you know your Bible?  Can you explain how the Old Testament is different than the New Testament, and how they are the same?  Are you familiar with the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their stories?  Can you give a brief explanation of the story of Moses and the Israelites journeying to the Promised Land?  How was the time of Judges in Israel unique from the time of Kings?  Wh...  Read More

G.K. Chesterton, the British Christian author and apologist of the late 19th and early 20th century, once said, “A dead thing can float with the stream, but only a living thing can swim against it.”  The Chosen series about Jesus starts each episode with a fish changing direction and swimming against the stream. As we close out the book of Hebrews with the 13th chapter, our desire should be to rea...  Read More

We learned in Hebrews 11 that we have the example of many who lived by faith, who endured hardship for the promise of God they would not experience in their earthly lifetime. Hebrews 12 continues with words about the “great cloud of witnesses” who cheer us on in our faith (those mentioned in chapter 11) but representative of all who have gone before and endured for the faith.  It tells us to run t...  Read More

Who were your heroes growing up?  Mine tended to be sports related.  I was a St Louis Cardinal fan, so naturally I liked Stan Musial, but my favorite back in the 60’s was Curt Flood, their small centerfielder.  My love of reading is largely due to sports biographies I read. Musically, I became an Elvis Presley fan while in Jr High, after watching one of his movies; not sure that provided the best ...  Read More

I was intrigued a few years ago with a book entitled, “Why Men Hate Going to Church” (David Murrow, author).  I agreed with much it said.  For me, regular church attendance has been normalized through my growing up years, but for the average man who hasn’t grown up in church, it can be different.  Why?  Because, in all honesty, the typical church service has been feminized a lot.  We sing songs to...  Read More

It’s a normal thing in life that when you stop to think about it, doesn’t feel very normal - a hunter in deer season kills his prize buck, then must do the dirty work, gutting and carrying the carcass to where the blood will be allowed to drain before it is skinned, and the meat processed.  My dad was a quail hunter and although he hunted a lot, often got his limit, and loved to eat quail, the cle...  Read More

“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything” Hebrews 7:1, 2. These words follow the last sentence of Hebrews 6, where we saw that Jesus has entered the inner place (Holy of Holies) as a forerunner on our behalf, a sufficient sacrifice for our sins...  Read More

I remember it well.  We were viewing the inside of St Peter’s Cathedral in Rome.  We had seen Michelangelo’s sculpture “La Pieta” toward the back, went down to see the altar in the front (where St Peter is supposedly buried), then walked down the left side.  Suddenly we were looking at a glassed-in tomb, the preserved remains of Pope Innocent IV (died Dec 7, 1254AD).  Why put this on display?   “Y...  Read More

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.  In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s Word all over again.  You need milk, not solid food.  Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid...  Read More

We live in a technical age.  From the advances of technology in the workplace, to the simple daily routine of checking our smart phones, being “techy” to some degree is needed.  And it deceives us.  Many believe civilization has advanced, or they might say evolved, to a higher level than ever before in history, since we see all this technology that’s been developed.  Some think we’re smarter than ...  Read More