It seems “religion” is becoming an ever more popular topic of discussion among politicians and the stars of movies and television these days. But, invariably, when their conversations turn to matters of faith, there’s a glaring omission in their professions. They firmly believe that “good” people who live “good” lives, loving and caring for others, are going to get into heaven. As if to validate their beliefs, a growing number of them are very active and vocal in charitable endeavors. But you seldom, if ever, hear any of them mention Jesus. It seems very few of them have any room for Him in their varied systems of belief.

The fact is, this questioning, or at least omitting of the New Testament doctrine of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ seems to be spreading. The words vary, but the central theme remains, “How can God (at least the one Christians worship) say He is love and then condemn so many people to Hell on a technicality? Isn’t that just plain hypocritical!” I don’t doubt that some of you may have heard similar statements from friends or relatives and are struggling to give an answer. We’ve struggled to give those we love an answer too. What follows are the results of that struggle, prefaced by three things God set as the anchor points for His response: Read the rest of this entry »

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Make Disciples

The word discipleship has HUGE baggage with it. For some it brings memories of a boring class, or workbook. For others it brings memories of a set of legalistic rules you had to follow for 8 weeks and at the end of that time you were handed a piece of paper that said you were officially a disciple. I remember when I was a teenager and I was signed up for the Tuesday night discipleship program in my youth group. At the end of the night after finishing 1/8 of our discipleship process my girlfriend and I would sneak out behind the church and do things that were not very “disciple like”  These programs and people were not wrong in their motive, and at some time or another all of us have tried to use a systematic program to make disciples, but at the end of that road we have dealt with the frustration of our people being smarter but not transformed.

Discipleship is not information download or attendance!

So what is it? How do we make disciples? Well….for me to give a systematic answer would not do you any good since those don’t work. All I can do is speak from my experiences and reading of the gospels. Read the rest of this entry »

Too many people today are over-medicated.

In some cases, the issue is not physical but spiritual. Only Jesus can heal the spiritual issues in our lives. Jesus came to give us a full life but the devil is working full-time to steal it away. Let us join with the crippled woman of Luke chapter 13, as we go to where Jesus is and make our presence known. Then, when Jesus touches us, we too, will be enabled to “straighten up” and live life to the full.

Here is the general outline of a message that I shared last week:

Here I Am!

I. The devil steals, kills, & destroys (Jn 10:10)

• Woman was crippled: bent over unable to straighten up
• She had been in this shape for 18 years
• It was the work of a “spirit”

II. We only need to come to Jesus

• Jesus was teaching in a synagogue
• She WENT to the meeting
• She made herself visible

III. Jesus gives Abundant Life

• Jesus saw – called – spoke freedom
• Jesus touched her & immediately she straightened up
• She praised God (Lu 8:35; Jn 10:10)

Conclusion: A FULL life is to have and be everything God intends us to have & be

• The devil & his demons attempt to steal & destroy the good things in our lives
• If we want to live to the FULL, we need to get to where Jesus is & make ourselves known
• When Jesus frees us & gives us life, He ENABLES us to “straighten up” & live a FULL life

If you want to download the entire notes file, click here.

The Associated Press is reporting that according to a recent California appellate court ruling, “parents without teaching credentials cannot legally home school their children.”

“Parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children,” Justice H. Walter Croskey wrote in a Feb. 28 opinion for the 2nd District Court of Appeal.

This seems to defy everything that this country was founded on.

Read the rest of this entry »