Have you heard that one in four “practicing Christian millennials” believe the church is irrelevant? A quarter! And those are kids in the church. Proverbs says: Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds (Proverbs 27:23). Parents, teachers, and pastors need to know the “condition of their flocks.” If young […]

“The more I did, the less happened,” Major Ian Thomas reflected. “Thus by the age of nineteen, I had been reduced to a state of complete exhaustion spiritually, until I felt there was no point in going on” (Edman, They Found the Secret, p. 169). Major Thomas remembered his early years as a Christian when […]

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people (Luke 2:52). You will notice that Jesus grew on four different levels. The boy from Bethlehem grew up to become the man from Nazareth, and He matured and experienced normal development along the following lines— First, He grew intellectually in […]

God is holy, righteous, and just. Each of those terms spells out a different response to sin. Because God is holy, He hates sin. For example: “Do not plot evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love perjury, for I hate all this”—this is the LORD’s declaration (Zech 8:17). Because God is […]

God has plenty of prodigal children. How can they get back on the right path? Prodigals need to realize that you can't live without your Father. In the parable, the prodigal son tried to live his life on his own terms, based on his own resources, dreams, and desires (Luke 15:11-32). And what happened? Everything […]

Do you want to know God’s plan for you? It’s simple. God’s plan for you is Jesus. In fact, God has no plans for you outside of Jesus. The Father’s plans for you are entirely Christo-centric, that is, centered on Christ. For example, God determined that the only way to Him is through Jesus: Jesus […]

Have you ever felt completely useless? That can be good for your spiritual growth. Consider what happened to Moses. According to Luke: Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his speech and actions. When he was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. […]

Have you ever heard someone say: “The Bible never says we’re saved by faith alone!” Let’s admit, they’re right. That phrase doesn’t appear in the NT. Martin Luther, the great Reformer, added the word “alone” to his translation of Rom 3:28. Here is what Paul said: For we conclude that a person is justified by […]

The Greek poet Ovid said, “If you want to be loved, be loveable.” That sums up society’s conditional love. Think of how we treat celebrities. The public’s love of celebrities is very fickle, depending entirely on what they do: “To be considered famous or have celebrity status doesn’t just involve being in a bunch of […]

As fall settles in and the nights come quicker and cooler, I enjoy sitting outside by a fire. Who isn’t mesmerized by the flicking flames and the glowing red embers of a roaring fire pit? Those embers remind me that Christianity is a relationship with Jesus and His people. After all, a Christian is someone […]