Active Faith

Homosexuality and the Gospel

Dr. John Hawkins
7 Dec 2013
one comments

Until recently, Christian ministry Exodus International spent decades both performing and heralding the benefits of reparative therapy, a controversial process that helps a homosexual person to change their sexual orientation to a heterosexual one via therapy. Earlier this year, Exodus International’s director Alan Chambers announced that the ministry was closing its doors and issued an apology to the gay community. An apology means a person feels they have done something wrong. If he felt this ministry was wrong, one could ask: “Is there a right way to minister to the homosexual community or a need to minister at all?” All […]

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Tattooed By Iniquity No Longer

Cory Nickols
7 Nov 2013
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What comes to mind when you see a person covered in tattoos? A person that has had a rough life; someone that has taken the road of hard knock and a path of pain and agony? Or perhaps someone who has been rebellious and possibly pushed aside by society? If we are not careful, we may judge a book by its cover while failing to understand what the content inside the book really reveals. The Bible says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things […]

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I’m Gonna Let it Shine

Chrissie Ferguson
6 Sep 2013
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If you attended Sunday school as a young child, it was an easy environment in which to proclaim your love for Christ. Your teachers, friends and parents all talked about Jesus, and identifying yourself as a Christian was easy and comfortable. Remember the lyrics to the children’s song, “This Little Light of Mine?” Your light was going to shine for him. And no one and nothing was going to blow it out. But as you grew up, shouting your love for Jesus from the rooftops may not have been as easy. There were other things to worry about, like fitting […]

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21st Century Peacemakers

Terry Morrow
4 Aug 2013
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  “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Every day, most of us are bombarded with new opportunities to take care of widows and orphans (James 1:27), feed the hungry (Isaiah 58:10), care for the poor (Psalm 82:3, Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 21:13, Proverbs 22:9, Proverbs 28:27, Matthew 25:34-46, James 2:14) , defend the oppressed (Psalm 10:18, Psalm 146:7, Psalm 103:6, Psalm 9:9), and reach beyond stereotypes and divisions (Luke 10:25-37). Although it is important to be aware of what is happening around us and of opportunities to serve, it […]

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When God Gives Vision

Doug Sauder
11 Jul 2013
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  Has God ever given you a vision? If he has, it probably started with a burden – something you saw that was terribly wrong with the world. The kind of overwhelming problem that made you think, “we could never solve this.” Fifteen years ago, South Florida news headlines often covered a story about the broken foster care system. Children were removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect and abandonment, and then they experienced more abuse by the very system that was supposed to help them. The stories kept getting worse, and then, in the late 1990s, God brought […]

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Benevolence & Justice

Jeff Masters
5 May 2013
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How do you respond when you see a man walking on the street between waiting cars with a sign stating “will work for food?” Is he seeking a handout to fuel his alcohol abuse or is he sincerely seeking help to change? Or what are your thoughts towards the single mom or widow who comes to church to ask for financial aid? In 2 Thessalonians 3:10, the early apostles, not wanting to be a burden to anyone gave this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” However, in Matthew 5:42, Jesus tells us to “Give to […]

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The Upside-Down Religion

Zsofi Schindler
4 Apr 2013
one comments

Imagine yourself walking home from work and suddenly having the idea to stop at the local confectionery. Do you see yourself choosing your favorite cupcake? The waitress places it on a plate for you while you pull your wallet out of your pocket. Only before you could ask about the price, the waitress says it is for free for the rest of your life. How do you react? Are you getting suspicious? What kind of thoughts cross your mind? “Free? There may be a hidden camera or something.” Now, using this same scenario, let us randomly zoom in on three […]

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The Gospel of Grace

Justin Young
7 Sep 2012
3 comments

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his “Ninety-five Theses” to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Risking ostracism and excommunication, and later narrowly avoiding execution as a heretic, Luther took a stand against the rampant abuses taking place at the hands of the church of his day; villainous actions based upon a vast departure from the unchanging truths of God’s written Word. At the time, Luther could have no indication of the world-changing implications his single act of public protest would have. The Ninety-five Theses were the spark that ignited the raging fire we now know […]

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Bible Mythbusters

Justin Young
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When it comes to true, authentic, biblical Christianity, sadly there are many who do not have an accurate concept of what that is. Misinformation they’ve picked up along the way, past wounds suffered at the hands of those who called themselves Christians, or simply a wrong view of God cause many people to have dangerous misconceptions about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Sometimes even more damaging are those who do come to saving faith and then enter into their walk with Christ not truly grasping important Bible-based truths about the nature of God, the power of […]

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How Holy Are You?

Dr. Tommy Boland
5 Sep 2012
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holy

If you are anything like me, you struggle with holy living. If you are not anything like me, please let me know how you are doing it! As a minister of the Gospel, the reason I don’t mind confessing that I am far less than perfect is because another minister of the Gospel, who was far, far more sanctified than I, confessed the very same thing.  Here the Apostle Paul sets forth the ongoing experience of every Christian: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate […]

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