Following Jesus In Between the Firsts and Lasts
Look around social media over the last few days and you’ll likely see all kinds of photos of smiling children headed off to their first day of school. Some little ones are holding cute little chalkboards that state the school year, age of the child, etc. Perfect not only for social media, but for scrapbooks...
Jim Frech
Who Was Nicodemus in the Bible? An Introduction to the Gospels’ Longest Fence-Sitter
Who was Nicodemus in the Bible? Nicodemus was an esteemed rabbi who had a favorable view of Jesus, but who kept his admiration of Jesus a secret. We meet him three times in the Gospel of John, most prominently in a dialogue with Jesus (which provides the context for the famed John 3:16 verse). Nicodemus’s...
Daniel McCoy
The Present & Future State of Family Discipleship
In my role as the point leader of Discipleship.org and RENEW.org, I convened a meeting of national leaders in the area of family discipleship on Monday, August 15. The focus of the meeting was on the present and future state of family discipleship. The meeting was explicitly under the umbrella of Discipleship.org, whose mission is...
Bobby Harrington
Philosophy Questions: What Is Real Reality?
What is real reality? Many people throughout history have suspected that there is a world that lies beyond what our eyes can see. One clue is that there seem to be universal principles (“Forms”) according to which things in this world are structured. Another clue is how it’s hard to see how the physical world...
Daniel McCoy
Good Parenting Goes Beyond Keeping Kids Happy
What is good parenting according to the Bible? A lot of parents may assume that the point of parenting is to help their kids be happy at all times. Yet good parenting according to the Bible looks more like lovingly training our kids to know God and follow him. Good parenting means discipling your kids...
Emily Richardson
Meeting Uncertain Times by Trusting God and Facing Reality
There is a lot of speculation about the survival of the church, coming from both internal and external sources. People talk. And hypothesize. While others lament (and rightly so). The numbers are troubling. The Gallup Poll reported a decline in American church memberships from 70% in 1999 to that of 47% in 2020. Gallup editor Jeffrey...
Debbra Stephens
Discipling the Next Generation by Inviting Them into God’s Mission
Discipling the next generation may seem daunting. But it’s in the church’s DNA. We see Jesus disciple and launch young men who changed the world with his gospel. We see Paul mentor a young Timothy, who would continue ministering in Paul’s footsteps long after Paul’s death. How do we disciple the next generation in our...
Jake Sutherlin
God Is a Jealous God? Exploring a God Who Loves Us More Than We Want Him.
Is it true that God is a jealous God? Numerous Bible verses describe God as a jealous God, in the context of his people breaking their covenant with him and following idols. Although jealousy in humans typically means they are desiring things for selfish reasons, God’s jealousy means that he intensely desires people to return...
Daniel McCoy
7 Lessons from Acts for the Church Today
In the face of unique challenges, it’s encouraging to return to timeless lessons from Acts which teach us our DNA as Christians. In this article, Tina Wilson, pastor’s wife and church planter, walks through the early chapters of Acts and guides us on a tour of what we can learn from these early Christians. The...
Tina Wilson
Three Things We Learn About Making Disciples from Shodankeh Johnson
A number of disciple makers have profoundly impacted my ministry over the last three years. Shodankeh Johnson in West Africa is near the top of that list. Prior to meeting Shodankeh, I had been praying for God to put people in my life to teach me how to be a better disciple maker. When I...
Matt Dabbs
Bible Verses About Race: An Exploration of What the Bible Really Teaches
If you’re looking for Bible verses about race, you’re in for a surprise: race isn’t a category we find in the Bible. Even though there are genealogies which explain where various ethnicities come from, all people trace back to the same pair of humans, created by God in his image to display his glory. The...
Ronnie Rose
Stuck in the Urgent, Sacrificing the Future
As an avid sports fan, I always enjoy it when each sport approaches draft season. Draft season is a time when professional teams assess which young players they can add to their roster to improve their team. Athleticism, talent, attitude, work ethic, and sports IQ are measured and evaluated. Throughout the process, there is one...
Matt Stieger
Why Do We Study History? A Christian’s Perspective
Why do we study history? When we are ignorant of the past, we tend to treat past beliefs as outdated and irrelevant, no matter how wise, and to uncritically accept present trends as good and true, no matter how foolish. Ozark Christian College Professor of History Rick Cherok, PhD, shares his thoughts on why we...
Rick Cherok
Philosophy Questions: Where Does Morality Come From?
Where does morality come from? Some will answer that morality comes from humans as we learn what works and doesn’t work for society. Others answer that morality is grounded in the nature of a moral God who has planted his moral law in our hearts. The Christian perspective is that morality derives from God’s nature...
Daniel McCoy
Politics Is the New Religion
*Editor’s Note: It can be difficult knowing how to navigate both being a disciple of Jesus and having strong political convictions which put you at odds with political convictions of other Christians. How do you have political preferences without them crowding out, or coopting, your main allegiance to Jesus? In this article, two senior church...
Sex at the End of the World
In Huxley’s dystopian novel, Brave New World, sex has been completely removed from any traditional constraints. Sex literally has nothing to do with procreation or love. In fact, these things are seen as dangerous, backward, and uncivilized. Sex must be love-less, child-less, and meaning-less. Children are taught to experiment from a very young age in order...
Chad Ragsdale