“Accept Christ.” Sounds good, right? You read it on church signs and hear it in sermons. But is that all there is to it? Certainly “accepting” Christ is necessary, even good. But it’s not the full picture. I’d like to suggest some bolder language, and here’s why: • It’s not a very clear message. What …
Tag Archives: gospel
What the Televangelists Won’t Tell You
I admit it. I believe in a health and wealth gospel. But not the kind you see on TV. We are all familiar with preachers and televangelists who manipulate their followers into “planting a seed of faith” in order to reap a harvest of wealth in this life. Of course the “seed of faith” is …
Recruiting Network: The Church’s Role in God’s Mission
This is the third post in a series on “seekers.” Previous posts have established that Sinners do not seek God naturally (Romans 3:10-11) God seeks and saves sinners (Luke 19:10) The Holy Spirit draws sinners to seek Him (John 3:8) But that does not mean that sinners are automatically converted without being evangelized. That leads to the question this post …
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The First Gospel Message
It didn’t take long for sin to enter the world. Genesis chapter 3 records the event as Satan tempts Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. After the first couple eats the fruit and falls into sin, they immediately go into hiding. Imagine that, hiding from the God who created them and all the places …
Good News In The Midst of Disaster
For centuries, men have debated whether or not natural disasters are caused by God or allowed by God. No matter the answer, we can all agree that natural disasters are used by God for His glory. I’d like to share an example that is taking place right now. I just received this email from a …
What is Your Community Mission?
When missionaries are commissioned to plant a church, they are expected to reach the community to which they have been sent. For instance, a missionary sent to a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska is expected to reach the people in that particular area through community engagement. Many times this takes shape as a service project such …
Beautifully Bruised
I give myself shots of insulin in my stomach for diabetes. Occasionally, one of my shots will leave a bruise. Once, I was enjoying some time at a swimming pool, when someone asked me if I had been in a fight. They had seen my bruise and assumed that I had incurred a punch to …
What Your Pastor’s Sermon Really Needs
I love 1 Corinthians 1:20-25. In it, Paul makes a great case for why we need the Holy Spirit to draw men unto Christ when we present the Gospel message. Paul starts the passage by calling out all of the intellectuals, scholars and academics asking, “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” …
Why I’m Concerned About Evangelizing My Son
I have a parenting struggle to confess. I am uncomfortable about my young child being asked if he would like to make a decision to trust Christ as his Savior and Lord. Please, don’t label me a heretic just yet. This is a real issue that I imagine other Christian parents have dealt with and …
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Speaking of the Gospel…
Surely we’ve all heard the quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi encouraging believers to “Preach the gospel daily, use words when necessary.” It turns out that there is no record of St. Francis ever making that statement. In fact, since Francis was a member of a preaching order, he probably would have disagreed with …