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Truth Communicated (Teaching or Preaching?)
It remains a convoluted line, the edges blurred, and the lens of correction panning in and out, creating a false perception of understanding. What am I speaking of? The line between teaching and preaching. Does anyone have an adequate answer to the fundamental...
Doctrines, Traditions, and Preferences
In contemplation this morning, I began to mentally navigate and probe the multi-faceted angles of church doctrine and their continued importance to the direction and future of the church. Of course, by doctrine I mean to employ the Biblical Greek understanding as outlined by the word Didache. Simply put, things taught that serve as unchanging, concrete beliefs that further establish and engender one’s unique identity within a Biblical frame of understanding.
A Case for Context: Closing the Roman Road
It is likely that the vast majority of my readers have heard mention of the “Roman Road.” Perhaps some of you have even practiced various aspects of its approach or, based on your religious affiliation, have applied its concepts in your own approach to Jesus Christ and salvation. To put it simply, for those who may need a refresher on its basic beliefs, the Roman Road can best be described as an approach used by various religious denominations to lead one to Jesus Christ and secure an individuals eternal salvation. Let’s take a look at the five basic steps involved in the process that is referred to as the Roman Road:
A Case for Context: Pressed Down, Shaken Together, and Running Over
If you have frequented the pews of a Pentecostal church long, then you have probably heard this text used with fever pitched redundancy. By this, I mean you have heard it via an exhortation to give out of your finances with the superfluous promise that God will give back to you, “pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” Ring any bells?
Divorce and Remarriage: What Does the Bible Say?
One could have never envisioned, some 50 years ago, that divorce would transition from an isolated tragedy to a cancerous epidemic. With startling acceleration, the bonds of sacred matrimony, have become for so many, nothing more than an ideal built on shifting sands....
Does God Have a Girlfriend?
Surveying the crowd that spread out in all directions before him, as the multi-colored lights of the arena revealed the slight beading of sweat dotting his forehead, the preacher lifted his hands and with great conviction declared, “we are the Body of Christ, the...
A Case for Context: Many Called but Few Chosen
Several years ago, as I was spending some time in the parables of Christ, I found myself drawn to a portion of Matthew 20, specifically the first 16 verses, which are as follows: Matthew 20:1-16 (KJV) 1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an...
Proved to be Approved
It is important to note that, while God will test His people, He never tempts them to sin. To be tried (Gk. Dokimos) is to be proved and purified like a metal that is placed into a fire. To be tempted (Gk. Peirazo) is to be tested by being solicited to sin. We find this “proving” done by God to His people many times throughout the Scriptures.
From a church-planter to church-planters
Just some meandering thoughts and ideas from someone in the trenches: First: When visitors come to your church, your confidence and ability to interact with them is everything. Hands in your pockets, uncertainty, awkwardness, failing to lead in a positive,...
Kanye West and the Church
Already, Christian leaders (even Apostolic men and women of influence) are loudly proclaiming their love for the recent release of Kanye West (Jesus is King). Comparisons are being made between the Apostle Paul (once Saul) and Kanye West. Sure, Yeezus can shift toward Jesus, but the fever-pitch for which we are seeing men and women of faith jump onto Kanye’s bandwagon is deeply concerning.
Is a Carnal Home a Sinful Home?
Let’s face it; alot of people live for God under the guise of “how much can I allow into my life without it affecting my spiritual man.” Sure, it typically doesn’t begin that way but, over time, the enticement of entertainment, hobbies, and various pleasures eats away at the hard “spiritual” skeleton of our spiritual frame. We become more flexible. We become more willing. We become more lenient. And, in the words that have escaped the lips of so many, we embrace the ideology captured in “relax, bro, don’t be so rigid and/or legalistic. I mean, seriously, if we lived the way some people want us to live we won’t have any fun at all, right?”
Rage, the Mob Mentality, and Preaching
We can sweep this under the rug and pretend like it never happens but it happens all the time and we become disingenuous to ourselves and those we are meant to lead by example when we act like it is not a big issue. Ministry is not a license to be ugly, rude, unkind, mean, vulgar, hateful, or any of the other variants of fleshy and carnal eruption. Hey, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right?
The Power to Loose and Bind (Part 2)
Understanding the incredible power of Jesus and the foundational structure of the church leads to a greater understanding of the solidity that we have as Apostolic Christians. Since the powers of hell CANNOT prevail against Jesus (having already tried) we then have a...
The Power to Loose and Bind (Part 1)
Matthew 16:13-20 (KJV) 13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the...
The Error of Nadab and Abihu
Leviticus 8:36 (KJV) 36 So Aaron and his sons did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses. Leviticus 8:36, shown above, sets the precedent for the grievance of Nadab and Abihu that occurs in chapter ten. Everything about the Tabernacle,...
Satan, the Nameless?
He is known as a spiritual being who, upon revolting against his heavenly station, rose up against the sovereignty of Almighty God and was subsequently hurled down like lightening to the earth (Luke 10:18). This well-known viewpoint, heralded by the greatest of...
Betwixt and Between: Liminality and Spiritual Formation
I like to call this the Theology of Process (not to be confused with the Process Theology of Philosophy). As I disciple and teach others, this idea has become one of my most avid lessons; something that must be conquered in all of us. We must, as I express in a phrase my students can now quote in their sleep, become stewards of the process. While I appreciate miraculous instants such as, “let there be light and there was light,” these spontaneous, miraculous instants are not the standard by which God typically works within the realm of humanity. I
Context is Everything: The Spirit of the Prophet is Subject to the Prophet
Today, with almost a tad of reluctance, I will navigate through the waters of contextual error once again. Why reluctance? Well, the contextual dilemma that we confront today is one that has been utilized in various and sundry fashions but, for the most part, has been...
An Article that Requires Vision, not Sight
Let’s consider a fluid word this morning. By fluid, I mean a word whose definition often changes based upon its user. The versatility or fluidity of this word often finds its demise somewhere between the articulation and interpretation that occurs between the caster...
Must Sin TV…
This was an article found in an airline Hemispheres Magazine. Screen shot as follows...thought you'd find interesting.
Even Jericho’s Future Can Change
Elisha has seen Elijah taken into the heavens, then turning, strikes the waters with the mantle and walks over onto dry land. Then, quite humorously (to me), the sons of the prophets begin to worry about the body of Elijah. “Peradventure the Spirit of the Lord hath...
The Crisis of Volunteers: 5 Reasons the Church May Lack Them
Spend a little time around the church culture today and one quickly finds a hot button issue; church volunteers. Yes, those people who sacrificially give of their time, treasure, and talent to bring about the greater good of the local church assembly. How about...
3 Simple Steps to Deeper Bible Study
Often times in my conversations with individuals across the broad spectrum of Christianity I get asked the question, “what are some of the ways I can better study the Bible?” Well, at face value this seems to be a very simple question that should elicit a simple...
Thank God for the Fleas
They were moved to a permanent quarters the second week of October. There, amidst the other bedraggled, forlorn group of women they marched, ten abreast. As they walked, numbers were called out and those women whose numbers were read stepped out of line to stand...
Truth Communicated (Teaching or Preaching?) Part 2
Without question (and I recommend reading the first part of this series), the church culture has begun to see the desire of men seeking to find a balance in how the truth is being communicated. However, in this pursuit of what I consider "evangelistic...
The Genesis of Man
Unseen activity setting into motion the synchronized processes of internal systems, he sucked in his first breath. Instantly, the diaphragm contracted downward and intercostal muscles began to contract, lifting the ribs, and allowing for the thoracic cavity to...
The Neglected Book
Recently, after publishing a poll, the general consensus from votes cast was that II Chronicles or Leviticus were perhaps the two least read books of the Bible. However, though one may find those books hard to navigate, they are hardly the least read. So what is the...
The Apostle Paul and Rip Van Winkle?
He stumbled about all day long, frustrated with the search. It had been several hours since he had embarked upon the taxing journey of finding the sheep that had strayed from the fold. Finally, after pushing through the broken, uphill terrain of a small hilly area,...
Sowing and Reaping Life
As one moves into the creative narrative of Genesis 1 and 2, it doesn’t take long to recognize the central idea of life. Life plays across the narrative like symphonic crescendo, getting louder and louder, until finally, the resounding note fades into the Sabbath of...
A challenge to husbands…
A challenge to husbands as it relates to their wives… Wives submit yourselves to your husbands…as the church is subject to the Lord. Husbands love your wives…as Christ loved the church…and gave himself for it. Please understand…submission isn’t so much about the ORDER...
Canaan and Conquest: Part Two
When first we enter the picture of Israel’s 12 spies, commanded by God and chosen by Moses, we enter a majority mindset of intimidation, inferiority, and faithlessness. According to scripture, the ten spies who brought an evil report declared, “we are not able to go...
Canaan and Conquest Part One
What changed? This question, along with so many others, began to reverberate in my mind as I read through the account of Joshua and the Israelites crossing the Jordan River. What do I mean by this question? Well, for starters, lets compare two reports that involve the...
A Note on One Lost Lamb
Luke 15:3-7 (KJV) 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when...
Husbands Hindered in Prayer
Husbands, listen up! What would you think if I were to tell you that your prayers could be potentially “cut off” or “hewn down?” In other words, if prayer were like the planting of a tree and the ultimate goal was to produce fruit from that tree; what if all your...
God, Man, and the World
The Cosmos and Man No one man since the beginning of the cosmos as known today is closer to an accurate understanding of purpose, reason, and position than was the first man known as Adam. The assumption could be made, although scripture does not reveal the subject,...
The Unsuitable Marriage: Part Two
Jeremiah 2:20 (KJV) 20 For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot. Many would view much of the Old Testament as harsh,...
The Unsuitable Marriage: Part One
Hosea 1:1-2 (KJV) 1 The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. 2 The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the...
Breaking the Yoke…Part 1
Upon returning from the desert place in the “power of the spirit” (Luke 4:14) scripture reveals that Jesus began teaching in synagogues, “being glorified of all” (vs. 15). However, it is revealed from John’s gospel that Jesus did not immediately return to Nazareth nor...
Breaking the Yoke…Part 2
Isaiah 10:27 (KJV) 27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. More than any other scripture in the Bible we have been...
The Confrontation with the Curtain
With the death of Uzziah the expansion and prosperity of Judah would seemingly come to an end. As with any royal death, it would be a period of time marked by the solemnity and uncertainty of decision, change, and a future placed in the hands of succession Perhaps...
Beginning the Journey
It was one of the wisest men the world has ever known that revealed one of the greatest challenges he had ever been confronted with. “All this,” the Preacher declared, “have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me” (Eccl. 7:23). What...
The Sabbath-Part 2
Genesis 2:1-3 (KJV) 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and...
The Sabbath: Part 1
Most of us have read through the creative narrative more than once and have more than likely drawn various conclusions, arrived at theories, or have embraced various ideologies based upon the various dynamics discussed. The Book of Genesis, as it stands to reason, is...
Reflections on Man and the Meaning of History
Reflections of Man and the Meaning of History Rev. T.C. Hadden The Cosmos and Man No one man since the beginning of the cosmos as known today is closer to an accurate understanding of purpose, reason, and position than was the first man known as Adam. The assumption...
A Case for Context: Where Two or Three are Gathered Together…
While preparing a thesis paper on Judaism in the New Testament, a thought began to develop in my mind which is now taking substance in this thread. Occasionally, I will post a series called "Context is Everything," where we will take an in-depth look into various...
The Dangers of Television (from a Rabbi’s perspective)…
Regardless of society wanting to deal with some of the major issues, we need to deal with the issues! Blame guns all day long, blame Republicans, democrats, or independents the rest of your life...it still remains...the world we live in has a tremendous problem. Here...
Coaxed into the Cage
Recently I was reading an article, and don't ask me why, that contained a question and answer section. The question presented was from a bird owner who was inquiring about how to get her bird back into the cage at night. It seems that every night the bird would do its...
Conquering the Sword of Slander
The idea of slander has been widely understood and is even referred to in the first codification of the Praetorian Edict,which had declared that action could be brought for shouting at someone who had acted in a manner contrary to good morals. At this time, the...
The Case for Objective Morality
The Case for Objective Morality Man has always been plagued by questions of reality and the factors that present reality's ultimate structure and constitution. It is literally the question of “what comes after physics?” The technical term for this question is a branch...