Hello all, this is the most recent sermon that I gave for Columbus First Church of the Nazarene. I believe that this prayer of Jesus is important for us to understand today.
I Pledge Allegiance: Politics for the Citizens of Heaven. By Stephen Davey. Raleigh: Charity House Publishers. 2006. 90 pages. Rating: Must-Read How should Christians and the church relate to the government? This is a question that many Christians struggle with, and often come to contradictory answers about. The problem with our misunderstandings is that they are not rooted in Scripture. In this short book, Stephen Davey provides an exposition of Romans 13:1-7 and shows that there are more important things than getting your way politically. The book contains a forward and four chapters. In the first chapter, the author begins by giving a brief history of the pledge of allegiance and the court battles surrounding it. He uses this as an example, ultimately asking, "How are we to respond to these issues?" He cites Romans 13:1, and in doing so, makes it clear that he intends to engage the critical faculties of his readers. Perhaps this is because the command give...
The Nicene Creed is an important creed in the history of the Christian faith. It expounds the Trinitarian faith of Jesus, the apostles, and the early Church. Composed originally at the Council of Nicaea, and confirmed in its final form at the Council of Constantinople. Despite its importance, far too few Christians understand what the Nicene Creed is and why it is important. Because of this, I thought it would be a good idea to release a commentary on the Nicene Creed, albeit a very brief one. There is much that could be expounded that I will not do in this post. Rather, I will simply try to post in such a way as to help the average Christian understand what the Creed is saying. The form that will be presented here is the form that was finalized at the Council of Constantinople. We believe in one God, the Father, the almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. The opening line of the Nicene Creed is a strong affirmation of monotheism. It asserts that there is ...
(Due to the length of this post, I have made it available via PDF for those who would prefer to read it in multiple sittings. The PDF can be found here .) In the previous post, we examined the three arguments that are often used by KJV-Only advocates to provide an affirmative answer to the question, " Does Psalm 12:6-7 support the view that God has divinely preserved Scripture in such a way as to create a perfect and flawless English translation in the King James Version?" As we examined each of these arguments, we found that they each have major weaknesses and, as a result, come up short. In this post, we are going to examine some arguments for what we have labeled the "contrary" position. That is, we are going to examine some arguments that have been put forward for the position that Psalm 12:6-7 does not provide support for the KJV-Only doctrine of preservation outlined above and in the previous post. Specifically, the contents of this post are an outgrowth of ...
Did you know that there are good Christian magazines out there that you can get for FREE? If you like to read, but are looking for something to read in addition to books, then it may be worth your time to check out these free Christian magazines. Some of them are hard copies, and some of them are pdf versions of their magazine. Either way, they are free, and they are chock-full of good information. 1. The Voice of the Martyrs The Voice of the Martyrs was founded in 1967 by Romanian pastor Richard Wurmbrand. After the USSR took over Romania in 1944, Wurmbrand worked with the underground church, which eventually led to his arrest and 14 years of torture and persecution in Communist prison. Eventually, Wurmbrand was ransomed out and came to the United States. Since Wurmbrand founded the organization, it has worked tirelessly to keep Christians in the Western world informed about the persecution that our brothers and sisters around the world are going through, as well as providing ...
Dear Reader, If you are reading this letter, you may have walked away from the church at some point. I understand, because I have been there, too. I once left the church, and later came back. Today, I am glad that I gave the church a second chance. If you have walked away from the church, I want to meet you where you are at in this letter. At least, I want to do this for as many of you as possible. The reasons why people have left the church are varied, and it is not possible for me to talk about everything in a single letter. It is my hope that the conversation that I am trying to start does not end at this letter. It is my hope and prayer that this little letter simply serves as a beginning to a bigger, and longer, conversation. Some of you grew up in the church and walked away when you reached adulthood. Some of you came to church as an adult, but left after a short time. Some of you may have attended church once and never looked back. No matter what your situation is, I want ...
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