Philip Gulley tells the story of his debates in Grade 6 with his best friend Joe. Philip was a Catholic and Joe was a Jehovah’s Witness. Each tried to convince the other that they were wrong. While Gulley would go on to abandon his beliefs in God, he would often think about Joe and reflect on their playground arguments. And he concluded that their attempts to convince each other of right and wrong were misguided. He longs for a world where we don’t “concern ourselves with the perceived errors and heresies of others.” Something about his story and his conclusion ring true, but are they? Are we too uptight about discerning what’s true? Should we just focus on being better people? I’m not convinced that kindness and goodness can flourish apart from the truth. Here’s why.
Anyone who’s experienced the pain of being judged by other Christians wishes more of them would heed Jesus’ words, “Judge not, and you will not be judged.” But what did Jesus really mean? Is there a time for judgment, or is it always wrong? When you see Jesus’ words in light of the rest of the Bible, several clarifications emerge.
We receive powerful messages every day about losing weight and getting fit. But what if the modern messages about health are at odds with the Bible? Consider these three ways the Bible calls Christians to think about dieting and fitness.
When people think of church, they think of buildings and sermons, choirs and sacraments. But beneath the surface, the church has a hidden strategy that is the real power of the church. It’s spelled out in a leadership plan that’s given in the apostle Paul’s letter to a pastor named Timothy. Consider where you fit in the plan.
No matter what your religious background is, you should be at least a little outraged at the message that a child’s presents somehow correlate with their moral behaviour. As others have pointed out, the presents that children receive mostly reflect the relative wealth of their parents, not whether they’re on some list of morally superior children.
When people say that they think they’ll go to heaven because they’re a good person, not only do they think they can define what good is, but they assume they know how good is good enough.
Maisie Williams has accomplished more in the first 25 years of her life than most of us could hope to in a lifetime. Knowing that, it’s surprising, perhaps, to hear her admit that she often lies “in bed at night telling myself all the things I hate about myself.” How do you deal with feelings of shame that seem to punish and condemn you?
An unchristian message about discipleship or the Christian life is one where our effort is the only solution to the problem. It’s the message that says, “Be a good person” and “Just try harder.” Or worse yet, “You’re a terrible person; look how bad you are.” These messages create Pharisees, not Christians. So how do you avoid teaching an unchristian message from the Bible? Let me offer four questions to ask any time you prepare a talk whether it’s for a youth group, a Sunday School class, or even your own kids.
Christians love the Parable of the Prodigal Son. And why wouldn’t we? There’s drama, loss, family tension, crisis, and reconciliation – all the ingredients of a great story! While it’s one that we love, there are lessons that we seem to keep missing when we read it. Jesus’ parable wasn’t just told as a beautiful illustration of the gospel. It was told in response to the grumbling of the religious elite over his eating and drinking with sinners (Luke 15:1-2). There are 3 lessons we can’t afford to miss.
In 2016, Jerry Bridges passed away from heart failure. His writings, perhaps more than anyone, have made a deep impact on my life. I share them with you in the hopes that maybe you’ll add one of them to your summer reading list.
