The Christmas Gift the World Didn’t Want
During yesterday’s sermon, the preacher focused on the nativity scene and the sweetness surrounding the birth of the baby Jesus, which is the norm this time of the year. But unlike the typical view of the manger scene, he threw a little reality into the mix. He said that there were some characters missing from the scene...
Ron Bay, Jr.
4 Ways to Live the Christmas God Intended
One of my favorite Christmas movies is Elf. In the movie, the female lead character, Jovie, is less than excited about Christmas. One time, while decorating a Christmas tree, she explains, “I’m just trying to get through the holidays.” For years I have watched that portion of the movie and thought I understand how she...
Joel Singleton
Preparing Your Church for the Lord’s Supper at Christmas
Staff meetings and church services in the month of December are understandably centered on the Christmas holiday. And I for one am grateful we’re taking the time to remember Jesus’ birth. The Incarnation is such an important theme to celebrate that Christmas will be one of two weekends during the year that we see people...
Rowlie Hutton
The Christmas Bride & Bridegroom
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Ps. 107:1) Tis the season . . . for romance. Or so it seems—gauged by what’s streaming, anyway. Holiday movies have dropped—and the Christmas catalog is seasoned with romance. I’m beginning to think that a Christmas wedding is second...
Debbra Stephens
Consumer Culture…in the Church
Recently I’ve been led to believe I’m an expert at almost everything. I receive multiple requests each week to evaluate my doctor, my treatment by the wait staff, how well the clerk did at Staples, whether my mechanic was friendly and competent, was my order filled correctly, and on and on and on. I know...
Chuck Sackett
Jesus Was the Messiah. So, What’s a “Messiah”? Q&A with Jon Kehrer
Around Christmas, we often hear how Jesus was the Messiah, a long-awaited figure who would arrive and rescue people from their sins. But what does the word “messiah” mean? The word means “anointed one,” and based on their study of Scripture, the Jewish people were expecting an “anointed one” to arrive and conquer their enemies....
Jon Kehrer
Op-Ed by Herod the Great
Herod the Great, the villain of the Christmas story, was a master of political survival. His long reign under the Caesars came at the cost of constant paranoia, even having numerous family members killed whom he saw suspiciously. When he heard the news of a baby “born King of the Jews,” it’s unsurprising that he...
Daniel McCoy
How Is a Relationship with God Possible?
How is a relationship with God possible? Through the person and work of Jesus Christ, God has extended his hand in covenant relationship with us, fulfilling the promise that he made to Abraham of blessing all nations through him. By his grace through our faith, we can have right relationship with God and become a...
Gavin Andrews
Where Did God Come From?
Where did God come from? This is a complex question that assumes that God came from somewhere. By contrast, the Christian view is that God has always existed. But does it make sense to believe in the existence of something that has no beginning? Let’s explore. Have you ever noticed how kids ask the toughest...
Daniel McCoy
Want to Learn About God? Volunteer to Help Kids.
I am convinced that, to grow up, every young adult needs to spend some time volunteering with, tutoring, or coaching young kids. I recommend this whether the young adult is married with kids or single. No matter your athletic or artistic ability, no matter your income level or family background, every college kid or 20-something...
Jim Frech
3 Habits That Shrink Churches
It is no secret that many rural communities are slowly shrinking. Young professionals move away, and an older generation begins to pass away. As the town shrinks, often, so does the church. Does it have to be this way? What causes our kingdom view to get smaller while the town does? From my experience, there...
Matt Stieger
Philosophy Questions: Can We Have Knowledge of God?
Can we have knowledge of God? Philosophers have long debated whether we can know what, if anything, exists beyond the physical world (the “metaphysical”). The influential philosopher Immanuel Kant argued that our categories of thought can’t apply beyond the physical world. Yet, if we have good reason to believe that God exists, then there’s no...
Daniel McCoy
What I Learned from Walking in Jesus’ Footsteps
“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1 John 2:6, ESV) Last May, I carved out nine days for an international trip. It was a 13,000+ miles round trip. With Covid measures still in place, I submitted to 3 tests in 72 hours in order...
Jason Henderson
God Is No Respecter of Persons? Dispelling the Myth That God Has Favorites
“God is no respecter of persons.” This is what the apostle Peter concluded when God led him to baptize a Gentile (a non-Jew). Samaritans (Jewish relatives) had been baptized before (Acts 8:4-25), and so had proselytes to Judaism, as was likely an Ethiopian official (Acts 8:26-40). But Peter’s baptism of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, marked...
Daniel McCoy
Lessons from Restoration Movement History: Q&A with Historian Rick Cherok, PhD
The Restoration Movement spread throughout the American frontier in the early nineteenth century out of the Second Great Awakening. Its leaders emphasized Christian unity based in the Scriptures, although it has since branched into a vast spectrum of liberal to conservative streams. In an era of historical apathy and illiteracy, what can those of us with...
Rick Cherok
The Earliest Creeds in Christianity & What Conclusion They Point To
What are the earliest creeds in Christianity? There are church creeds such as the Nicene Creed (A.D. 325) and the Chalcedonian Creed (A.D. 451), but the earliest creeds go back much farther—to even before the writing of the New Testament. Within the New Testament writings (all written within the first century A.D.), we find creedal...
Brett Seybold