Sunday, August 26, 2012
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Going the Second Mile
This is a training video for employees of Chick-fil-A. I think it is an excellent illustration of the attitude behind Jesus' instructions for his followers to go the second mile.
"If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles" (Matthew 5:41, NIV 1984).
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The Importance of Doing SOMETHING in the Face of Evil
For many years, Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky raped boys while those in authority over him looked the other way. Despite what they said and what they did to help people in other ways, those men who ignored the needs of boys in need of their protection failed in their moral duty to love others as they loved themselves. They placed more importance on maintaining their reputations than on doing the right thing in protecting those boys.
This is a reminder to all people (especially to Christians) that we have a responsibility to do something in the face of evil, no matter what it does to our reputations.
"Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die;
save them as they stagger to their death.
Don't excuse yourself by saying,
'Look, we didn't know.'
For God understands all hearts,
and he sees you.
He who guards your soul knows you knew.
He will repay all people as their actions deserve" (Proverbs 24:11-12, NLT).
This is a reminder to all people (especially to Christians) that we have a responsibility to do something in the face of evil, no matter what it does to our reputations.
"Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die;
save them as they stagger to their death.
Don't excuse yourself by saying,
'Look, we didn't know.'
For God understands all hearts,
and he sees you.
He who guards your soul knows you knew.
He will repay all people as their actions deserve" (Proverbs 24:11-12, NLT).
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Faith in the Furnace
Christopher played the role of Abednego. He did a great job of acting in front of a huge crowd of people.
(In the photo, Christopher is the boy dressed in blue and orange standing on the far right.)
Sunday, July 01, 2012
Entangled
This is a very good sermon about pornography by Kyle Rodell, our student minister. The testimony at the beginning of the sermon is from Bryan Champ, our connections minister.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Why I Don't Support Same-Sex Marriage
A few weeks ago, a reader asked me to support the legalization of same-sex marriage as a civil right. As a Christian, I had to decline.
Jesus taught that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. "'Haven't you read the Scriptures?' Jesus replied. 'They record that from the beginning God made them male and female.' And he said, 'This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one'" (Matthew 19:4-5, NLT).
As God created people, according to Jesus, a man and a woman are meant to form a marriage, a sexual union. Whenever sexual activity occurs outside of a marriage between a man and a woman, Jesus refers to it in such terms as fornication (in older translations of the Bible), sexual immorality, adultery, and unfaithfulness. He affirms sexual activity within a marriage between a man and a woman, but he sees all other sexual activity as a violation of God's intent. He sees it as sin.
However, Christ gave his life on the cross as a sacrifice to take away the legitimate wrath of God against sin (including sexual sins such as homosexuality). He wants to forgive anyone and everyone who will trust him and turn away from sin to follow him. As the earliest Christians discovered, Jesus could forgive all kinds of sins and change all kinds of people. As the apostle Paul recorded, "Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people--none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, NLT).
Jesus Christ offers the same kind of grace to us today. For more information about sin, the Savior, and our response to him, please see my other blog at this link.
Jesus taught that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. "'Haven't you read the Scriptures?' Jesus replied. 'They record that from the beginning God made them male and female.' And he said, 'This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one'" (Matthew 19:4-5, NLT).
As God created people, according to Jesus, a man and a woman are meant to form a marriage, a sexual union. Whenever sexual activity occurs outside of a marriage between a man and a woman, Jesus refers to it in such terms as fornication (in older translations of the Bible), sexual immorality, adultery, and unfaithfulness. He affirms sexual activity within a marriage between a man and a woman, but he sees all other sexual activity as a violation of God's intent. He sees it as sin.
However, Christ gave his life on the cross as a sacrifice to take away the legitimate wrath of God against sin (including sexual sins such as homosexuality). He wants to forgive anyone and everyone who will trust him and turn away from sin to follow him. As the earliest Christians discovered, Jesus could forgive all kinds of sins and change all kinds of people. As the apostle Paul recorded, "Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people--none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, NLT).
Jesus Christ offers the same kind of grace to us today. For more information about sin, the Savior, and our response to him, please see my other blog at this link.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Foster Care Awareness
This was today's sermon at Cedar Ridge Christian Church. The congregation is cooperating with Oklahoma's Department of Human Services to care for children in the foster care system. More information about the state of Oklahoma's need for churches to help can be found here.
"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you" (James 1:27, NLT).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
