Go to God for the Answers

Throwback Thursday post from 2019. One of my longer posts. As usual there are things I wish I could clean up and change but one of the points of this is seeing my growth as a writer and as a Christian.

The Good Word

There’s a new movie coming out next week called, “Breakthrough” it is a faith based movie and already I am seeing comments and reviews about the lack of evidence in the power of prayer and how we Christians tell others to take our faith on faith.

But the truth is if someone tells you they prayed for a miracle and the miracle occurred  how else can they prove to you that prayer works?

Atheists and agnostics want answers but in their searching they refuse to even try to go to God.

They won’t believe what others tell them because it hasn’t happened to them but
prayer doesn’t work for atheists or agnostics because they have no faith.

This is not just a secular problem, Christians often times won’t go to God for answers. I see them asking questions from groups, other Christians or Pastors. Don’t get me wrong that is…

View original post 594 more words

Fourth Sunday of Lent 2022

Suffering Can Be Good

You read the title right, suffering can be good.

We all know suffering is a terrible thing and many atheists use the problem of suffering as an argument to disprove the existence of God.

I am currently reading On Guard by Dr. William Lane Craig which is an excellent apologetic book. A topic he covers is the problem of suffering. Now he gives many fantastic points on the topic but one of my biggest takeaways is how suffering can draw us closer to God. It makes us rely more on Him and we appreciate our blessings. You can see this in how many of the nations who suffer the most turn to Christ more than the nations who live in prosperity. The Gospel is exploding in countries that suffer.

Which means suffering can be good because it draws us closer to the One who is good, God Himself.

Remember this and also that our suffering is only temporary.

As it says in 1 Peter 5:10, “10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Stay strong in the faith, and as always…

Have a Blessed Week,
Chris

Daily Bible Readings:

Monday – Isaiah 43:16-21

Tuesday – Psalm 126

Wednesday – Philippians 3:4b-14

Thursday – John 12:1-8

Links:
William Lane Craig on Suffering:

Bible Verses on Suffering:

https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-suffering/

On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision:

The Journey: Conclusion

This is the conclusion to my original blog series “The Journey” from all the way back in 2016. Because the topic of suicide is mentioned in this entry I want to remind everyone that is reading this God loves you and they’re people around you that love you even if doesn’t seem that way. Please don’t give up.

National Suicide Prevention hotline.
800-273-8255

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=onebox

The Good Word

Woman on a Bridge

It was Memorial Day and we took Jane’s Dad out to dinner. We had decided to go to Double T Diner and take the back roads home. But at the last minute Jane suggested we go to TGI Fridays, so it made sense just to go the normal way home.

On the way there is a bridge you have to cross, when we arrived at that point we noticed two cars in front of us had come to a stop, the passenger in the second car was outside, talking frantically on his cell phone. Jane saw a young lady standing next to the bridge, peering over the side. Jane yelled at me to “STOP THE CAR!”

Jane rushed out of the car, when she did the young lady began to swing her leg over the bridge. By the time Jane got to her, she was sitting…

View original post 478 more words

Full God

One of things I’ve noticed people do is they only focus on part of God. 

This is true certainly with the secular and skeptic crowd who want to focus on what they perceive as negative but it is also true of some Christians.

Let’s look at two examples.

On the one hand you have people focusing only on fearing God. They talk of His wrath, judgment and how depraved humanity is but they miss the grace, love and mercy of God. 

The other side you have people who focus so much on God’s love they take advantage of His mercy and grace. There is no fear of God at all and this means you truly don’t love God in return but instead you love yourself.

Now of course they’re other examples but let’s focus on the solution to this instead.

And that is to know God and His Word. Look at God as He is, the Great I am, the creator of the Universe, our King but also the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

There is no one greater than God, so love Him, respect Him, fear Him.

Know Him.

If you do you than you will have the full God.

Have a Blessed Week,

Chris

A Fantastic Article on The Attributes of God…

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/15-amazing-attributes-of-god-what-they-mean-and-why-they-matter.html

Daily Bible Reading

Monday – Joshua 5:9-12

Tuesday – Psalm 32

Wednesday – 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Thursday – Luke 15:1-3,11-32

St. Patrick’s Day 2022

No Throwback Thursday today. Instead a St. Patrick’s Day post.

St. Patrick’s Prayer

May the Strength of God pilot us.

May the Power of God preserve us.

May the Wisdom of God instruct us.

May the Hand of God protect us.

May the Way of God direct us.

May the Shield of God defend us.

May the Host of God guard us

Against the snares of the evil ones,

Against temptations of the world.

May Christ be with us!

May Christ be before us!

May Christ be in us,

Christ be over all!

May Thy Salvation, Lord,

Always be ours,

This day, O Lord, and evermore. Amen.

Source:

https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/st-patricks-day-prayers-irish-blessings

A link my Mother sent me from the Orthodox Church Perspective…

https://www.goarch.org/chapel/saints?contentid=2365&language=en

Have a Blessed and Lucky St. Patrick’s Day,

Chris

Limiting the Gospel Part II

Last week I wrote about how we limit the Gospel to just the end of Jesus’ story, this week I want to talk about another way we limit the Gospel.

And that is how we spread the Gospel.

They’re many different methods that get discussed on how to talk to someone about the Gospel and they’re mostly super helpful.

The problem comes when people start criticizing others for how they spread the Gospel. 

The truth is we have no idea how someone might accept Jesus. The traditional ways of preaching are most effective but let’s not be a stumbling block to the Gospel by limiting how the Gospel is preached.

I am going to give two unique examples.

Tim Mackie of the Bible Project has a unique testimony. He was a teenager who liked to skateboard, he started attending a place called, “Skate Church” a place where youth could come and skate but the catch was at a certain point in the day skating would stop and a church service would begin. Most people including Tim Mackie tolerated the service just so they could have free place to skate.

Well eventually Tim got hooked on the Bible and became a Christian through this church skateboard community. Not exactly how you would expect a teenager or anyone to come to Christ is it?

Another interesting story is from a book I read which unfortunately I can’t recall the name of. A woman wrote about her friend who she had tried and tried to convince to come to church. He always refused but then one day decided to do so. The Pastor that particular Sunday ended up reading from the Bible the Census from Numbers. The woman was so upset and couldn’t believe it. She felt her friend would be so bored the entire time. She was hoping for a powerful sermon delivered from God through her Pastor.

As it just so happens her friend gave his life to Christ right after service. Why? Because the man had been searching for family his whole life. You see his family didn’t care about each other; they did not value each other. The census from Numbers proved that God cared about family, He cared so much He had the Israelites record every persons names.

These are just two examples, I’ve heard many more ways that are special and unique but the point is don’t limit how the Gospel is preached. We never know what will be the point someone accepts Christ.

Preach the Gospel, the full, true and beautiful Gospel.

It’s the only thing.

Have a Blessed Week,

Chris 

Monday – Isaiah 55:1-9

Tuesday – Psalm 63:1-8

Wednesday – 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Thursday – Luke 13:1-9

Part II (His Way Church)

This is part two of my first ever blog series from 2016. His Way Church was special. My wife and I got married there, we have a lot of good memories. Reading this again was a great reminder of God setting the stage for things. Unfortunately His Way Church is no longer running and I’ve lost touch with the Pastor. I hope and pray he is okay.

The Good Word

That’s when the urge started again to find a church. I would pray asking for guidance for two things, to find a church that would focus on Christ’s teaching and for myself to learn how to do works not just have faith. I had three bible verses that were on my mind. When James said faith without works is dead, when Jesus said to remove the plank from your eye before you worry about the spec in your brother’s eye and when Jesus confronted the men about to stone the adulterous woman he said, he who is without sin cast first stone. These three were very powerful to me.

Now Jane and I still talked about how we missed our old church. Then one day on the way home, we saw an advertisement for an Easter egg hunt and the address was the same as our old church. We couldn’t…

View original post 373 more words

Limiting the Gospel

Last week I wrote that the Gospel is everything. 

However often I feel people unintentionally limit the Gospel and by doing so they try and limit God. Which of course is impossible but still this needs addressing. 

The Gospel isn’t just about the end, the whole story matters. 

Everything Jesus taught us matters. He told us to serve people, He told us to follow the narrow path. We have to pray for people, take care of the needy, look over the sick, we have to seek righteousness and go through sanctification. I’m just scratching the surface here on what Jesus taught us.

Salvation is the most important aspect however that is not the end of a person’s story.

If you lead a homeless person to salvation, they’re still homeless. The saved drug addict is still a drug addict. The abused are still abused. We must help them after they’re saved. 

Often people come to salvation while being helped. Sometimes people aren’t opened to the Gospel because of their situation, help them first. Worst case scenario you did the work of the Kingdom and planted a seed along the way.

If you disagree with me, imagine if you and your children were starving and someone came to you to talk about the Gospel would you honestly want to hear it? Or would you be more focused on getting your family fed?

There is no set order here, assess the situation, use discernment and act.

Do everything to spread the Gospel.

Have a Blessed Week,

Chris 

Scripture Reading Plan:

Monday – Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Tuesday – Psalm 27

Wednesday – Philippians 3:17-4:1

Thursday – Luke 13:31-35

The Journey Part I

Can’t get much more Throwback Thursday than this. My first real blog entry after my introduction. This is deeply personal and also a bit rough around the edges but wanted to share this since the blog has grown in six years. Probably will share the whole series over the next three Thursdays.

The Good Word

I thought I was a believer, that I had strong faith. But what good is faith without works? “Faith without works is dead” That’s what James 2 teaches. I would claim to be a Christian, but I didn’t go to church, I was resentful of the church. How can these people be such hypocrites? How can they continue to do the opposite of what Jesus teaches? Do they really do anything for the poor and needy or do they just care about themselves?

It wasn’t till recently that I realized I needed to ask those questions to myself.

When I was 19, I was still claiming to be Christian but continued sinning without repentance, not following what God teaches us. My only communication with God was, when I fell into brokenness and begged for help, when that didn’t seem to work I would scream at him and yell, wondering where…

View original post 1,031 more words