'Faith' Tagged Posts
New Year’s Resolutions
One of, if not the most popular passage of Scripture begins with the phrase “God so loved the world.” What do we learn about God’s love from John 3:16?
The Faith of the Blind
In Mark 10, we see a passage of scripture that illustrates the beauty of Jesus and the incredible faith of an individual. This story begins in verse 46.“And they came to Jericho. And as [Jesus] was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.”We are quickly introduced to an individual whom many of us would avoid: a beggar sitting next to a well-traveled area. Unfortunately, nearly…
HURRICANE SEASON
The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season officially opened on June 1, 2023, and will end on November 30, 2023. Prior to the start of this hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasted “a range of 12 to 17 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, 5 to 9 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 1 to 4 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph…
Doers of the Word
In today’s society, the term “Christian” often gets used as an adjective. You will hear people refer to a particular genre of music as Christian music. You can drive across town and shop at the Christian store for Christian books. You can enroll at a Christian school, attend a Christian conference, or even worship at a Christian church. I’m not trying to infer that all of these things are “Christian” in the sense that they are doctrinally correct. I’m simply…
Faith Over Fear
In October 1957, the Soviet Union launched a spacecraft called Sputnik 1, which became the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. Sputnik 1 was a small satellite by modern standards. It was approximately the size of a beach ball but weighed 183.9 pounds. Additionally, Sputnik 1 was a simple satellite. Its only function was to transmit radio signals. And Sputnik 1’s mission was short. It transmitted radio signals for only 21 days until its batteries ran out. It orbited the Earth for only three months before…
Faith and Works
Do you realize how often we give and receive contrasting pieces of wisdom? Several popular proverbs in our culture are diametrical. For example, some people say that “birds of a feather flock together,” but others claim that “opposites attract.” One saying contends that similarities bring people together, while the other alleges that differences bring people together. It has been said that “actions speak louder than words,” but it has also been said that “the pen is mightier than the sword.”…
PURSUE A PAUL
Research has revealed that one of the most critical elements to preventing new converts from leaving the church is relationships. According to one study, “Each new person should be able to identify at least seven friends in the church within the first six months.”1 In other words, developing faith-based friendships is critical to faith development. Maybe that is why relationships played such a vital part in Paul’s ministry. Paul was a man who thrived on relationships. Rarely do you find…
FAITH AND DOUBTS (PART 3)
Facing doubt is not a sin in and of itself. As long as you resolve the doubt, you have not sinned; however, if you give in to the doubt then you have sinned. So, whether or not doubt leads to sin has everything to do with how you handle it. This begs the question: how do you handle doubt in such a way so that you overcome it? To answer this question I encourage you to read about Jesus’ interaction…
FAITH AND DOUBTS (PART 2)
At times, faith is difficult because it requires the unseen to be greater than the seen, and since faith can be difficult, the opportunity for doubt arises. This begs the question: is it a sin to doubt? In an effort to answer this question, let us explore what the Bible has to say about doubt, and we begin by acknowledging that the presence of doubt is not uncommon during the faith development process. Since faith must be tested (James 1:2-4;…
FAITH AND DOUBTS (PART 1)
The Bible defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). In other words, faith is deciding that what is unseen is greater than what is seen, but subscribing to such a mentality is easier said than done. More often than not, we sympathize with the father in Mark 9:17-24 who asked if Jesus could heal his demon possessed son. Jesus answered, “All things are possible for one who believes,” to which…
Are We Wrong About Being Wrong?
In Matthew 23, Jesus had some unusually harsh words for a group of very religious people who had gotten a lot of things “wrong.” He acknowledged that they had gone to the trouble to “tithe mint and dill and cumin,” but He also accused them of having “neglected the weightier matters of the law” (vs. 23). In other words, He seems to be saying to them, “You have taken the time to make sure that you give one-tenth of your spice rack; but in the…