It May Not Be Your Gift, but It Is His Command
Evangelism has been described as the lifeblood of the church of Christ. It is a major part of our mission here on earth and deserves our time, energy, and wholehearted labor. At this point, it should be clarified that mission and purpose are different things. Our purpose is to enjoy our relationship with God and...
Douglas Jacoby
A Road Map to Women’s Discipleship
Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). But, what does that even mean? What does it look like to follow someone else’s godly example on a daily basis? I believe a simple road map of discipleship exists in Acts 2:41-42....
Joanne Kraft
How Didn’t I See That Parallel Before?
Have you ever watched two movies at separate times, only to discover that—wait a second! It’s basically the same movie?! For example, there’s Judy Garland’s In the Good Old Summertime (1949), followed by Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks’s You’ve Got Mail (1998). Basically the same movie. A little less obviously, there’s Disney-Pixar’s A Bug’s Life...
Renew.org
The Bible Number That Keeps Confronting Us
Elementary truths can be quite profound. Take this one for example: you cannot go both east and west at the same time. And yet we try. It’s common to want the effects of following God’s commands along with the excitement of following our own impulses. But both ways can’t work, as Moses pointed out: “See,...
Anthony Walker
You Need a Tribe: 5 Reasons People Are Joining the Renew.org Gathering
You live in a world that is changing. Fast. As a disciple of Jesus, you face many new challenges. Old categories aren’t holding. Long-held beliefs, morals, and behaviors have changed seemingly overnight. Even the meaning of “church” and “justice” have morphed. Communication is now mostly digital. Zoom is in; face-to-face is out. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook,...
Bobby Harrington
This Is How the Ancient World Received Grace, Part 2
*Editor’s Note: Matthew Bates will be speaking at the Renew Gathering on November 6, in Franklin, TN. As mentioned in Part 1, the ancient world viewed gift-giving differently than we typically do today. For us, there is the ideal of giving a gift with no strings attached. We don’t expect reciprocation. However, as Matthew Bates...
Renew.org
You’ve Got Chores in the Household of God
Growing up, I was the duster. My younger brother Sean was the vacuumer. And to this day, since dusting is in my wheelhouse, wherever I go, I’ll often find myself straightening paintings. And then there are always the chores you hate to do. For me, that was when I had to wash tile walls in...
Kevin Holland
Church, I’m Afraid We Have an Anxiety Problem
As I mentioned in a previous article, I grew up with a dad afflicted with OCD. His anxiety became our family’s anxiety. There were myriad unwritten rules which often kept us on eggshells. Much of it was frustrating at the time. But it was perfect training for church ministry, since churches often have anxiety issues...
Matt Dabbs
MacArthur, Moore, and Gender
Bullying. It comes in all shapes and sizes, and sadly it occurs between siblings in the family of Christ. We are brothers and sisters first, and we are not loving each other well when we make disparaging quips about one other. We are speaking, of course, concerning the recent remarks by John MacArthur about Beth...
What Your Prayers Tell You about You
When stress goes wrong, it turns into anxiety. And anxiety can mess you up! It’s corrosive on your insides. It’s explosive on your relationships. Think about it: when do we say the hurtful things we end up regretting? It’s usually when we’re stressed out. When do we cave into our worst decisions? Typically when we’re...
Buddy Bell
The World Needs Your Words
“How have you experienced God working in your life?” the Bible class teacher posed. I recall a growing lump in my throat, as I tried to choke out words. The gratitude welled up, the tears pooled, but the words didn’t come. Overcome by the grace of God, I could not yet speak of it. Words...
Debbra Stephens
How My Dad’s OCD Trained Me for Ministry
Although I went on to study theology, I started out studying psychology. I got my bachelor’s in psychology and went onto the University of Florida to work on a clinical psychology doctorate. I got about halfway through the PhD program, however, when September 11 reframed my priorities. I decided to go into the ministry and...
Matt Dabbs
This Is How the Ancient World Received Grace, Part 1
*Editor’s Note: Matthew Bates will be speaking at the Renew Gathering on November 6, in Franklin, TN. To understand what follows, you’ll need to keep in mind that the ancient concept of “return gifting” is different from “gift returning” (something you do at Target on December 26). In Gospel Allegiance, Matthew Bates explains the ancient...
Renew.org
Solving Arguments by Pointing to Context
I recall a dialogue I had with a high school classmate of mine. It remained friendly, but it was also a tense conversation regarding the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam and between their respective texts, the Bible and the Qur’an. At a particular point in our dialogue, this old friend of mine shared...
Brett Seybold
Baptism is Beautiful
Baptism is probably the most beautiful thing we will witness this side of heaven. I’ve been in the church for a long time, and I’ve heard a lot of sermons on baptism. Most of them go something like this: “The Bible says you should get baptized, so get baptized.” This is true, and we need...
Joel Singleton