Cultural Fever

 No matter the age we live in there are trends, movements, currents that ignite emotions and drive social and public expression.  They sweep across a multitude of people and become attitudes that dominate thought and behavior.  They can be moral, political, economic, inspirational, evil, bombastic, idealistic, personality driven and so on.  Whatever they are they become feverish in their behavioral…

Let’s Talk About Our Inner’d and Outr’d

 God of the ‘innerd’s’ and God of the ‘outrd’s’ as colloquially put, is a fact, the first part of which is avoided in the public sphere.  Jesus says it plainly, “God is Spirit and His worshipers must worship Him in Spirit and in truth (Jn.4:24).”  The innerd’s are spiritual.  The ‘you’ and ‘me’ are spiritual.  Our identity is spiritual.  Our birth, life and death, where we are…

Let’s Talk About Spiritual Destiny

We’ve been talking about the Kingdom of God, its presence amongst us and the impact it has on us.  It is why we were created by God.  He desires out presence in it.  We can taste some of its quality now. His grace, His love, His truth and the relationship we have with Him through His Son Jesus.  The entry way, the gate, the door if you will, is that relationship.  We may know that…

Let’s Talk About Treasures in Heaven

 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Mt.6:19-21).”

 Here in the middle of His sermon, Jesus sums up the new world lifestyle that replaces the old.  It moves us…

Let’s Talk About Self-Perception

 Strengths, weaknesses and spirit are the filters we perceive life through every day.  Strengths are the qualities we rely on to function in the world around us, how we want to be seen and accepted.  Weaknesses are the hidden factors that we know lie behind how we perceive and secretly react in mind, heart and spirit.  Our spirit is the motivator that puts our strengths and weaknesses…

For Times Such as These

Encouragement! That's right, encouragement. In my later years I've discovered that brothers and sisters in the faith need to be encouraged. Most of our time is spent in a world outside the Body of Christ. It's a world full of spiritual hostility. You know what I mean, the culturally conditioned 'me first' atmosphere that spends more time frightened by what can't be controlled, frustrated…

Invention, Creation and Glory

 There is a decided difference between invention and creation.  Invention is taking pieces of what exists and putting them together in a unique way.  Creation is starting something new not out of what is there but completely new and unique out of what is not there.

Invention is envisioning a physical material need and using available material resources to construct something that will meet the need.  Distance is overcome by inventing…

Prayer the Way Jesus Did

 If there was ever a prayer lifted up for you and me, one I knew was for real, one that came from the heart of the one praying, I would want it to be how Jesus prayed so openly, so caringly, so lovingly in the last seven verses of John 17.  These are not just words out there in some printed pages.  These were words from the heart of God prayed for you and…

Persecution

The interesting thing about this word is that it is derived from a Greek word ‘dioko’ that has a double meaning.  The negative use is to put to flight, to hunt down and kill.  The positive is to pursue in order to give something.   But when it is used negatively it becomes ‘dediogmenoi’ as is the case here in the Sermon.  So how can it be a blessing when such a strong meaning is attached to it?  The…

Let’s Talk About Love 

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (Jn.13:34).”

First, it’s a new command from a new Commander.  Of the many Greek words for love there were three standard relational ones in the time of Jesus, philadelphus (brotherly), eros (romantic) and storgei (family).  The word ‘agape’ was an obscure word meaning selfless love but elevated by Jesus to describe the spiritual love from God of which He was the…