Free The Church

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Through a link I found myself at a Willow Creek Church video site called Reveal.  In it Greg Hawkins explains that as the Executive Pastor  he keeps track of attendance.

Rick Warren, Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., is the author of the Purpose Driven Life, a book I found astounding.  Not astounding because it was filled with great, mysterious secrets to Christian living, but because it was so extremely simple and basic.  The material in this book was the same material that I was taught when I first came to Christ in the Assemblies of God church in Metairie, LA’s “Now What Class?” That was a class for brand new Christians, which I was, and laid the basic disciplines of walking with Christ.  So this book amazed me that it was a coordinated national effort for congregations to read at the same time, and so many thought it was wonderful.  How could so many Christians think a book that gives the basics for baby Christians be so wonderful? Read the rest of this entry →

We all know that the mark of Christian maturity is to have the fruit of the Spirit.  For the readers unfamiliar with that term, it comes from the book of Galatians.

Gal 5:22-23
22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,  23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (KJV)

When we see other believers, and when we look at ourselves, this is the common standard for judging their and our maturities. But the fruit of the Spirit is not meant to be a standard of judgment.   In fact, we are told by Paul not to judge others by comparison. Read the rest of this entry →

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. “(2 Cor 5:10 KJV)

We all know that we are going to face Christ in judgment.   When most people read this verse, they personalize it in the sense of giving an account for their lives.  Frankly, I do not believe that is what is meant.   We have been given the greatest gift of all.   Paul calls the gifts,   “this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Cor 4:7 KJV);  Jesus called the gift the talent that the man “went and hid thy talent in the earth (Matt 25:25  KJV); He also compared this gift to a  “pearl of great price” ,  that when the man found he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. (Matt 13:46 KJV). Read the rest of this entry →

When I met my wife, I knew I had come home.   I understood that home was not a place, but a person.  Where ever she is, there is my home.  This is true with Christ.   We are mistaken to think that heaven is our home.  It is not. Our home is Christ. Where ever He is, we are at home.

Heaven is the Old English word for haven.   A haven is a safe harbor for ships to wait out storms.   It is a temporary stop.   Heaven was not created for humans, just as the Lake of Fire was not created for humans.   Heaven is for the angels (Gal. 1:8), and the Lake of Fire for the rebellious angels (Matt 25:41).   The Earth was created for humans (Gen. 1:26). Read the rest of this entry →

The expression “growing in Christ” is a convenient term, but is somewhat misleading.   What makes it misleading is the implication that we “work” at growing “Christ-like”.   Many in the church fully understand that we cannot grow ourselves, but it is God who causes the growth (1 Cor. 3:6).   And this is true.   But the gospel is not about “repair”, but death to the old man.   In my article. “The Rock of Offense,” I address this work of God.   The gospel is about exchanging lives.   We die to self so that Christ may live through us instead.   Christ does not grow.  However, Christ is hindered by our Old Man, so His work in our lives is to arrange circumstances to effect the cross in areas of our lives that have not yet been crucified.  When we truly die in an area, then He  resurrects it again in the holiness of His own life.   So what is called “growth” is in truth surrender to the cross.  What do you think?