More Than Words...

Many Christians today read Galatians as if it were primarily about personal salvation:  salvation is by faith, not by works. That is certainly part of Paul’s message.  But it is not the whole story. Paul’s deeper concern in Galatians is whether churches themselves are aligned with the true gospel and living in step with it as a community . The issue is not just how individuals are saved. It is whether churches are  walking the straight line of the gospel . Paul states the problem bluntly at the beginning of the letter: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.” (Galatians 1:6–7) Throughout the letter, he returns to this concern, especially in Galatians 2:14, 5:2–12, and 6:12–16 . Something had shifted in the Galatian churches. The gospel had begun to be subtly redefined. “Not in Step With the Truth of the Gospel” One of the most revealing moments comes when Paul confr...

Most followers of Jesus genuinely long to see the church grow and the kingdom of God advance in the world. That’s a good and right desire—we should care deeply about seeing more people come to faith and experience transformation through Christ. But when we look at how “growth” is often measured in today’s church culture, it’s easy to assume that the key to advancing God’s kingdom lies in our ability to communicate skillfully, plan engaging events, market strategically, and draw large crowds to hear a gifted speaker. Jesus, however, gives us a very different picture of how His kingdom grows. God's Kingdom Grows Through Faithful Sowing In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a story about a farmer scattering seed. The seed represents God’s Word, and the different types of soil symbolize the condition of people’s hearts as they hear it. The point is simple yet profound: when the Word of God’s kingdom takes root in receptive hearts, lasting transformation happens. Kingdom growth doesn’t come from c...

I’ve come to realize that I’m something of an expert in one area of life.  I'm not being arrogant, it is just true and it’s not really something to brag about.   I am an expert in sinning.  I am a sinner.  I may not hold that title as my primary identity anymore, but I know what sinning is.  I’ve had plenty of practice, both in secret and in public, for all to see.  I sin.  I’m not proud of this, but let's be honest, I’ve sinned throughout my entire life, and so have you.   When I first believed in Jesus, I was just a little boy, only 5years old, which means that I have sinned in my life more as a Christian than a non-Christian.  Think about that for a moment, because you may have been a Christian for a long time, yet you still wrestle with sinful patterns and attitudes.    Welcome to the club.  As a sinner, I can tell you that sin is more than just breaking God’s law.   The root of all our sin begins in our...

I am grateful for the insights and gift of words God has blessed Charlotte with and the blessing she is to our family.   This short piece from her Instagram feed is a helpful reminder of the kind of 'countercultural' movement that characterized the early churches and turned the Roman Empire upside down.  There is s a great need for believers and churches to return to the way of Christ and his Apostles.       Something that has always struck me about the personhood of Jesus is how countercultural He is. Love your enemies. Forgive those who hurt you. Submit to governing authorities. Align yourself with the poor and oppressed. These are only a few of the controversial, yet beautiful teachings of Jesus. As followers of Christ, these are principles that we are called to mimic in our own lives. Yet, I find more and more that the focus of modern Western Christianity is to simply make being a Christian “look cool.” Not only does this come across a...