3 Ugly Truths All Christians Have In Common...And Why You Should Be Gracious To Them
3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. - Titus 3:3
1. All Christians were once foolish and disobedient.
Read MoreRecently I was talking to a friend of mine who started attending a new church, and I asked him what had impacted him the most in regard to his new church. His response was that the lead pastor invited him out for a cup of coffee. This was not at all what I had expected his answer to be, but nonetheless this was his answer. The more I thought about it, I became convinced that this was quite a remarkable answer. I actually believe that coffee and the gospel are more correlated than most might think. Let me explain.
Read MoreOne day in his old age Moses was tending his father-in-law’s sheep and came across a burning bush. God called out to Moses from the bush and said “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors and I know about their sufferings. I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…Therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 2:7)
Read More"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25
We have all encountered people who "love" Jesus but just don't love His church. Perhaps they view the church to be a bunch of hypocrites, who exist to judge others and accept only their own kind or maybe the were hurt by or had a terrible experience at church in the past. Regardless of the line of reasoning, the outcome of this logic turns into the notion of, "Jesus and I against all!"
Read More"Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening." Psalm 104:23
We started in the morning, we ended in the evening, and we had a blast all day long! This past Saturday, May 3rd, was the very first year that Redeemed South Bay took part in Sharefest's "Workday".
Read More"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." -2 Corinthians 5:17
What a beautifully profound verse of Scripture. In Christ...
Read MoreThe elders of Redeemed South Bay have been reading Tim Keller’s book Center Church. In his chapter entitled The Work of Gospel Renewal I was both convicted and encouraged by a section on the role of prayer in gospel renewal. I was convicted by my own lack of intense prayer for gospel renewal in our city but encouraged that the work of renewal is ultimately the work of God. I must be faithful to go before the throne begging for renewal for my own heart, the heart of my family, the heart of our church, and the heart of the city.
Read MoreI grew up in a Christian tradition that emphasized duty. While I know that duty is good, sometimes if overemphasized it can suck the joy out of our Christianity. About 20 years ago I came across a book that had a profound impact on my life. The book was Desiring God and its author was John Piper. Desiring God changed the way that I saw my Christianity. Piper freed me to pursue my deepest joy. And that joy is Jesus Christ. Over the years John Piper has continued to inspire me, to instruct me, and help me to continue to pursue my deepest satisfaction in Christ. Piper shows us in the writing of “The Calvinist” that profound theology and beauty exist together. We can think the deep thoughts of God in artistic and refreshing ways. I hope you enjoy John Piper’s poem and video as much as I have.
Read MoreAs we move toward Good Friday take a moment, pause and reflect on the theological depth and artistic beauty of this old hymn by Puritan, Issac Watts.
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
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I'm not sure about you, but the majority of conversations that I have had with Mormon friends ends up with them telling me to ask God if the book of Mormon is true. Because after all, James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. "And they tell me that they know the Book of Mormon is true because they asked God, and God gave them "a burning in their bosom" and somehow, internally, they felt and knew God was confirming to them the truthfulness of the book of Mormon.
Read MoreDo I have to sing to worship God? I was helped greatly by this blog post by Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace Ministries. I hope it helps you as well.
by Bob Kauflin on February 10, 2014 in —Emotions and Worship, —Worship and Music
Read MoreWhy theology? Josh Blount of Sovereign Grace ministries gives a great answer.
Some of us are born theology nerds. There’s probably a gene for it. Here’s an easy test to figure out whether you are one or not. Can you answer yes to any of the following questions?
With a new church people often want to know and ask: "Who you are?" and "What are you doing over there?", or "What are you about?" How do we start to answer that question? It's kind of like going on a long trip and then coming back and trying to answer the question "How was your trip?" Inevitably you answer "good", because you're not sure how to condense and articulate all the feelings and events that you just experienced. That's how I feel about being asked about our church sometimes. There is so much to say, so many ways to say it, but I need to say something! Who are the people of Redeemed South Bay and what are they about?!
Read MoreThis past week marked the fifth anniversary of my move to California from Ohio. A lot has happened over the past five years; I came to California as a single nomad with a car full of clothes, a few hundred dollars to my name, and not much else. Now, I am married with a child, I have planted and am pastoring a church with a team of men that are some of the best mentors, friends, and brothers I could ever ask for, and I couldn't be more excited about what God has in store for the future. As I was reflecting over the past five years of my life I have certainly seen God's hand upon my life in numerous ways. The more I reflected and recalled there were two things from the early days of my move that stood out...
Read MoreWe have all heard the phrase; whether it be the punch line of a corny joke, the dramatic scene of a movie when a person is caught in some sort of an abyss, or even the latest version of a Life Alert commercial in which the line is exclaimed, "I have fallen and I can't get up!" Although I hear it on a regular basis, I was reminded this week that I have fallen and I cannot get up. The fact of the matter is... we've all fallen and we can't up.
Read MoreHow do I live in the city and not be overwhelmed by it? How do I live in the city and not be consumed by it? Is it possible to truly be in but not of?
In our small groups at Redeemed South Bay we are going through Tim Keller’s book and video series “Gospel in Life.” I have found this series to be both challenging and encouraging. As a Christian in the city there are many things that may go against my value system. How do I deal with these issues? Do I withdraw into my own Christian ghetto or continue to engage the culture of the city?
Read MoreOver the years, as a pastor, it has been my privilege to preach and officiate at a number of weddings. It is no accident or coincidence that the Word of God refers to the Church as the bride of Christ. It is not as if the Father looked around on earth searching for an analogy for the relationship of his Son to the elect and said, "Aha! Marriage that's a close approximation." No, God has purpose and intention for all his creation. He didn't model the church after marriage. He modeled marriage after the relationship of His Son and the Church. The latter is the substance and the former is the shadow.
Read MoreWell I must admit... over the past 4 years or so I haven't been a good neighbor. I guess "good" is somewhat of a relative term, so let me explain. I am not the type of neighbor who blares music, or has parties 'til the break of dawn, or piles trash up in front of their house, or any of those other annoying things that we all would dislike if our neighbors were to do them. Historically, at least over the past few years, I have been the neighbor who stays to himself. I will throw a smile at my neighbors when I see them, or a wave, or a "How ya doing?!" without any regard to how they are actually doing.
Read MoreThe "Bourne" movies are a series of films that I have thoroughly enjoyed (at least the first three, I did not bother to see the fourth motion picture). Without ruining the plot for those of you who have not seen any of the films, the first flick "The Bourne Identity" centers around the character Jason Bourne. Mr. Bourne wakes up and cannot remember a thing about his past; he has no idea who he is, where he is from, or what he has done. From this point forward the movie goes about piecing together this guy's "identity". As I was thinking about this film the thought of identity itself crept into my mind. What is identity? What is my identity? What would others say their identity is? What is our "born" identity?
Read MoreIs there anything more important than passing on our faith to the next generation? As Christian parents it is not enough for our faith to only last one generation. We desire to see our children and our children's children walking with the Lord. At Redeemed our vision statement says, "We are a community of disciple making disciples who exist to proclaim the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit for the salvation of every man, woman, boy, and girl in the South Bay and to the ends of the earth." And many of those boys and girls that our statement identifies are our own sons and daughters. To this end we take our children's Bible time seriously.
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