The Faith Of the Fathers

2021-12-06 14:58:42 Wherever the Spirit of Truth is at work, the spirit of the accuser (Satan) will also be at work. We should be aware of his schemes.

There are definitely times where confrontation is needed, but we should be keenly aware that the work of the accuser is generally a work performed by satan (whose name means “accuser”) with way too much zeal. We should be careful not to help him in the task he already abuses.

Let’s make sure we major on the majors and minor on the minors. Open / Comment

2021-12-06 14:54:49 Have you ever been accused of heresy? I have. It hurts. I had a friend once who told me that he could not attend my Christmas party (which was simply a night of food, fellowship, and Christmas carols), because he said, “we worship different gods.” That statement was made based on theological differences that he and I had but that he never truly attempted to appreciate. In his words, he “wiped the dust off his feet,” and has never spoken to me again.

I have a hunch that if you have never been accused of heresy, or of being a “false prophet,” you probably aren’t preaching the gospel. Look at Jesus in Luke 4. His hometown tried to kill Him for not towing the party line.

Jesus does not fit in our camps. Jesus is only in the Jesus camp. Jesus will be perpetually controversial because he is only truth all the time. Sooner or later, Jesus is bound to offend us. We must abandon all identity markers that Jesus offends. We should only belong to one camp: the way, the truth, the life. Open / Comment

2021-12-06 14:04:16 “My job isn’t to call upright people, but sinners.” —Jesus (Matthew 9:13)

Nobody is too far gone.
No one is too evil to be changed or forgiven.
Jesus made it His job to rescue us from our sin and shame, even though our sins were committed against Him! There is no greater love than this. Open / Comment

2021-12-06 13:43:52 “You heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: love your enemies! Pray for people who persecute you! That way, you’ll be children of your Father in heaven!” Matthew 5:43-45

When we love our enemies, we behave like our Father who loved us while we were His enemy.

God’s love for His enemies is a quality that no other god has ever claimed. The God Jesus called “Father” is truly the only God worthy of our worship. Open / Comment

2021-12-06 13:27:32 One of my personal struggles in doing ministry is the bouts of self-doubt, self-criticism, and all around insecurity that sometimes follows. Yesterday morning we hosted a church fellowship at our home. Yesterday afternoon was an emotional struggle for me. Why? I chalk it up to my pride and spiritual warfare. But the good news is that I did better at overcoming it yesterday that at times in the past. Onward and upward!

And good morning too! Open / Comment

2021-12-06 05:18:39 My friends, Bobby and Hannah Morrison joined me for this great rendition of Psalm 125. I think you can say that Hannah really knows how to play a rock-flute!


Open / Comment

2021-12-06 05:18:39 For those of you who love a good jam, you need to check this out Open / Comment

2021-12-05 15:04:08 BREAKING NEWS: The Supreme Court of the universe rules in Jesus’ favor. The Earth is the Lord’s and all it contains! Open / Comment

2021-12-04 15:09:49 Have you ever deconstructed your faith? I have several times. In fact, that is a common way I study the Bible. I take apart the things I believe, analyze them, and learn once again how they fit together, like pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. Each time the pieces fit into place, I am renewed in my convictions.

Some people never deconstruct their faith because it is dangerous. What if you deconstruct and then you can’t figure out how to reconstruct? That has happened many times to many people. But, as my Dad used to say, “the pleasures are where the dangers are.” In other words, risk is inevitably a part of faith. If your faith has never challenged or scared you, is it really faith?

Some of us have built our castles on orthodox sand. We say the creeds but we have never analyzed them. We claim the doctrine but we have never thought about its ramifications. We feel safe repeating the answers we were taught, but we lack conviction because we have never allowed our faith to be tested.

Challenges are our friends.
Trials are a gift.
Truth is not insecure.
Make sure your sword is sharp when you go into battle and do not fear the testing of the metal. Open / Comment