Top Ten Reasons to Go to Church
Why should you go to church? Ephesians 3:21 tells us that the church displays the glory of God to the world. Hebrews 10:24-25 contains a direct command from God admonishing us to assemble together. Deuteronomy 4:10reminds us that when we gather together God will speak to us. 1 Corinthians 12:8states that God places each of us in a local church because it pleases Him. Philippians 2:3-4 teaches us that every time we gather together we have an opportunity to serve someone. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 instructs us to encourage one another. Matthew 18:20 promises us when two or more of us gather in...
Read MoreReading the Bible in 2012
Updated: Click here for a copy of the plan I am going to use. Feel free to hold me accountable! Have you read through the Bible before? Research has shown that fewer than 10% of professing Christians have actually read through the whole Bible. We have such a treasure — God’s very word to us! Perfect, inspired, truth without any mixture of error! Can I challenge you to make one of your 2012 goals reading through the entirety of Scripture? Don’t make it a law. Don’t make it a source of guilt. Just make it a discipline. My guess is that this discipline will turn into a...
Read MoreThe Impulse to be “Against.”
A line I read from an article recently has been rolling around in my head. The author was talking about a controversial issue over which good Christians disagree, and in humility he wrote that “we do not want to be more ‘conservative’ than Scripture…” I think I understand the inclination to which he was referring. It’s very same inclination that was present in the Garden of Eden. When asked if God had really told the man and woman they could not eat of any tree in the garden, the woman responded, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,...
Read MoreA few back-to-school thoughts
As kids head back to class and life settles into the rhythm of a new school year, I thought I’d share a few ideas about how Christian students and parents can live out our faith in classrooms, hallways, school buses, etc. 1. Be thankful. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Maybe your schedule is not perfect, student. Perhaps the teachers aren’t doing exactly the method of instruction you would prefer, parents. Be thankful. We are incredibly blessed to live in a nation that, according to the...
Read MoreStand Up for Christianity
In the last several weeks, I’ve had many conversations with people that start with them asking me questions like this: Did you read where the government is mandating that we pay for abortions? Can you believe they outlawed that prayer at the military funeral service? What are we going to do to stop the atheists from outlawing our religion? Muslims are having all these babies and none of the secularists fight against them. How do we reach these people? I understand that these threats can cause us to feel alarmed and think we need to respond. But what I sense typically is the desire to...
Read MoreConfessions of a Pastor: I love these people.
May I make a confession? Pastors sometimes joke with one another about how great the ministry would be if it weren’t for the people. I’ve done it myself. We really shouldn’t do that. I am going to stop those jokes. The truth is, if you really want to know it, that I love the people in my church. I receive more joy that I deserve by serving my brothers and sisters at Mont Belvieu’s First Baptist Church. I love them when they let me hold their babies and kiss all over them (the babies). I love them when they show up early just to be with one...
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