God

Why The Church Needs New Songs

Terrence Gooden
9 Oct 2019
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new songs

Why do we need to write new songs? Aren’t the old ones good enough? We have hymn books that contain hundreds of songs, and many of them have endured for several centuries. These are the songs that past generations used in services week after week and many people feel they shouldn’t be thrown out now. But when we read the Bible, we find instructions like this: “Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!” (Psalm 96:1). “Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy” (Psalm 33:3). “Oh sing […]

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What is Religion?

Dr. Warren Gage
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The word “religion” is derived from Latin and means “to tie or to bind together.”  In popular usage religion means the web of beliefs that inform how a worshiper understands God. Religion “ties together” how we think about God and how we behave as a consequence. Last month we asked the question, “What is God?”  We asked the most fundamental questions about God.  We asked these questions in a search to identify the most basic theology.  We concluded that the best conjunction of reason and revelation finds expression in the word to Moses on Sinai, “I Am that I Am” […]

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religion

The Hope of South Florida: But God.

Edwin Copeland
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but god

The Bible reminds us that God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise – God always uses the B-team. In God’s economy, weakness and inadequacy are fundamentals to flourishing in the Christian life. However, so much of Christian culture today celebrates the A-team: the most gifted, the eloquent, the successful and the prosperous. Over and over again the Bible reminds us that the shared story of every Christian is not one of performance and gifting but rather one of God’s intervention. But God… You know what the two most powerful words in all of human history […]

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Worshipful

Dr. Gary Hewins
8 Oct 2019
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There is a place where you can go-a great expansive, yet intimate “room.” Expectantly and cautiously climbing the stairs upward through an open door, one can enter an ongoing celebration. At the epicenter of all things is a throne. From that throne emanates flashes of lightning and peals of thunder. The color is so very brilliant and intense, but not as beautiful as He on the throne. The area around the throne cannot contain the visual splendor. The colors and brilliance are reflected as in a failed attempt to diminish their intensity. There before the throne is sea of glass, […]

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Stephan Tchividjian Embarrassed by Some Christians

Stephan Tchividjian
4 Oct 2019
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After speaking to Stephan Tchividjian he gives us this insight: Lately I have been embarrassed by some Christians. That bothers me because it’s like saying, “I am embarrassed by my husband, my wife or my kids” and that is never a good sign. I must also be cautious of feeling embarrassment in the first place. The concept of embarrassment is a loaded one, and it reeks of an unhealthy self-love and early signs of narcissism. Therefore, it has caused me to ask myself some questions, mostly around a simple, “Why?” Stephan Tchividjian continues to say: I look at our culture […]

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Unsinkable

Robey Barnes
17 Sep 2019
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I wish I could say that I took it in stride. But the honest truth is, I was shocked. I was sitting at lunch across from a young couple. They were both sharp professionals. They had asked me to officiate their wedding, and the purpose of the lunch was to find out where they were at spiritually. Over the course of the conversation, I said something like, “…that is why the resurrection of Jesus is so important.” I continued, but they interrupted. The groom-to-be said, “Wait, what did you just say?” I said, “You know, the fact that Jesus rose […]

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What is God?

Dr. Warren Gage
12 Sep 2019
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One of the most popular search terms on Google is the question, “What is God?” This question shocks most Christians, who would have expected the question, “Who is God?” But Christians assume a personal God. Let’s back up for a moment to the very beginning and consider the Great Question from its inception.                                                                                                […]

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You Are Bountiful

Dr. Gary Hewins
9 Sep 2019
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In Christ, you have a grasp of the far-reaching implications of generosity. You know that you are never more like your Lord than when you give. “For God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16). For you, faith, generosity and love are inseparable. Your faith is fully alive and fully energized by Spirit-led biblical generosity. While others think they own what they have, they can actually be owned by what they have. You are aware of the truth that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. You own nothing. God owns everything. You steward all that […]

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Shoves and Tugs

Stephan Tchividjian
5 Sep 2019
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tug-of-war

I recently read an interesting article in Forbes magazine regarding the unexpected retirement of Andrew Luck, the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts. There were several items that stood out to me while reading this article. Andrew retired from a very promising career in football, leaving upwards of $500 million of unearned potential on the table because of both physical and emotional injuries. He said he lost his joy. The article went on to state that he had been sacked a league-high 156 times in the first 70 games of his career (ouch!) and that his offensive line had been mismanaged […]

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Rogue Waves: Is the risk worth the reward?

Rob Hoskins
4 Sep 2019
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In 1979, a potentially huge oil field was discovered on the Grand Banks. It had the potential to restore economic hope to the fast-dwindling provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador. The location of the oil field, however, was treacherous – requiring oil rigs to be able to handle such threats as icebergs and severe storms. The Ocean Ranger mobile offshore drilling unit was hired to explore this opportunity. On the morning of Valentine’s Day 1982, the Ocean Ranger received a report of a strong winter storm forecast to hit later that day and last into the evening. They continued to drill. […]

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rogue wave