Soli Deo Gloria: To the Glory of God Alone!
Would you like to spend eternity with a group of dour, self-righteous, ritual bound, judgmental people? Would you even want to be around them? Probably not! Then why would God? Often so much of what we can know and love about God seems obscured or absent in the religious people who end up doing more to harm our perception of him than reflecting his true character. Even when so much information is at our fingertips, we know and communicate alarmingly little
Solus Christus, In Christ Alone
Solus Christus, “Christ Alone” for salvation is Christianity’s central scandal. How could anyone make such an exclusive claim and still be considered the foundation of love and justice? Well, let’s agree for argument’s sake that Jesus did make, or at least could have made, the claim that he is the only way to God. Does it still seem unfair to a world of multiplicity of religions? One way to approach this seemingly intolerant attitude is to ask what the logical alternatives would
Sola Scriptura: Is What You Believe the Gospel Truth?
What if you discovered that much of what you believe about God, Jesus, and salvation has very little to do with the Bible and a lot more to do with popular trends, modern culture, and ancient pagan philosophy? Would you be alarmed? If you’re anything like most of us believers, then, normally, we tend to believe what we’re taught by spiritually sincere and well-meaning family, friends, pastors, and Sunday school teachers. The pastor who influenced you was a great guy, he
Faith Alone?
This Sunday, we’ll be looking at the issue of faith and considering these and other questions: What role does human effort play in the life of faith? What is the place of “good works”? The New Testament often repeats that good works (deeds) are a necessary part of the Christian’s life, but different answers have been given in various branches of the Church as to what that means. The answer will determine all of earthly life for us because there
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Thanks for your prayers for our family as we traveled to and back from the Ligonier Regional Conference in Wittenberg. It was an unforgettable time of learning about the life and theology of Luther. We also had the joy of singing the great hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” in All Saints’ Church (Schlosskirche) where Luther is buried. In 1517, Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the church’s door. This coming Sunday, we’ll complete our study on Acts 17 and
A Reformation Quiz
This Friday, if trains run on schedule, our family hopes to be attending the Ligonier Regional Conference in Lutherstadt Wittenberg (www.ligonier.org/events/2017-regional-conference-wittenberg). This year celebrates the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. Since we had fun with the last quiz, I have one on the Reformation. We’ll check our answers together again on Sunday. This Sunday, we’ll be focusing on Acts 17 and considering: -What are the world’s misperceptions of Christian faith? -Can the Gospel be rationally defended? -How did the early church preach the Gospel
How God Guides Us and a Quiz on the Book of Acts
This Sunday’s Bible study will be on Chapter 16 of Acts. The three points we’ll be focusing on are: 1. How God guides us and “God-incidences.” 2. How he cares for the unbeliever. How he draws them to himself. 3. How the first church in the history of Europe was founded. Not every coincidence in life comes from heaven, but it’s true that God loves coincidences, or "God-incidences." He seems to thrive on creating circumstances that cause people to say, “That was
Faith and Grace
It’s summer—children, youth, and parents are excited to begin a relaxing holiday time! Many of our church families are away, either returning to be with family and friends in their home countries or enjoying the beauty of God’s creation here in Europe. Our summer worship schedule begins this Sunday, 30 July and will run until Sunday, 3 September. There will be Bible study and prayer for adults. We’ll be considering chapters from the books of John, Acts, and Romans and how
Fears and Phobias
They have it all together. How many times have you thought that or heard someone else say it? People around us would probably be surprised to discover the kinds of fears we keep deeply buried away inside us. And no doubt we would be equally surprised to know theirs. I decided to do some research and made a short list of some serious and some funny ones that I found on the web: Ablutophobia—Fear of washing or bathing. Agoraphobia—Fear of open spaces or of
Dwelling in the Shelter of God
The idea that we can call out to God and he’ll hear us is so much a part of our Christian culture. We cling to this promise, and the Bible affirms this truth. It is our understanding of God's nearness that transforms our lives. When Jesus began his teaching ministry, one of the first things he wanted his followers to know was that God desired to be understood as the heavenly Father, who was accessible to his creatures. Through Jesus, God
