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Between “Once Upon a Time” & “Happily Ever

Knox Seminary
4 Jul 2013
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By: Dr. Warren Gage “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son…” (Matthew 22:2). Children love fairy tales. Grown-ups, too, never seem to outgrow the charm of folk tales. We are made that way. Simply read a bedtime story to children and watch the magic and the music in their wide-open and wonder-filled eyes. Stories teach us to imagine. They take us to far away kingdoms and to “once upon a time.” The best stories are always about a wonderful love that wants to happen. We share the dreams of a maiden […]

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How to Reap A Harvest

Jeremy McKeen
8 Jun 2013
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Doing good for others can grow old. Doing the right things can become tiring, especially when you do not see any tangible results, and especially when it seems like the people who do not do the right things are the ones actually achieving success. In the final chapter of his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote to Christians who were tempted to go back to their old way of doing things and give up doing the right thing. They were growing tired of supporting the church, helping the weak, bearing with one another’s burdens and doing good in the lives […]

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Grace and the Summer of George

Tullian Tchividjian
4 Jun 2013
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For many Americans of a certain age, the college admissions process is an oppressive and extraordinarily stressful area of life. It is performancism writ very, very large. One’s entire worth and value as a person is boiled down to a short transcript and application, which is then judged according to a stringent and ever-escalating set of standards. High school seniors are called upon to justify themselves according to their achievements and interests, and as the top schools have gotten more and more competitive, so has the pressure under which our top students place themselves. Watching the students at our church […]

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Overcoming Sexual Temptation

Jeremy McKeen
6 May 2013
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Sexual temptation is a tremendously difficult trap to overcome, but it is possible to overcome. Did you catch that? It is possible to overcome! Jesus Christ didn’t die on the cross and rise again just to remove the penalty of sin but to remove the power and practice of sin. Jesus died to set you free, and he lives to give you life as it’s meant to be lived. One of the ways he does this is through the life-giving power of his word. God’s word is full of stories, and God recorded every story in the Bible for your […]

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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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Churches: Mega, Mini, or Something

Finley Walker
4 May 2013
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You walk into one church and feel like you are at a rock concert. You walk into another church and feel like you are at a funeral. One church makes you anxious because of the crowds, and the other church makes you paranoid because everyone knows you’re new and all eyes are on you. It can be a stressful ordeal finding the right church for you and your family. To help along in your search, here are some points to consider: Mega-churches Pros When looking for a church, many seek the opportunities to get plugged in and use their gifts. […]

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Gender Roles

Keri Williams
3 May 2013
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While in our modern context, we might not immediately recognize Jesus’ attitude towards women as particularly radical or liberating—that is indeed what it was to women trapped in a highly patriarchal system with few legal rights and subjugated to male authority. By giving women places of honor in his life, ministry and legacy, Jesus began a major historical shift in views on gender. As a result, Christianity through the ages has emphatically affirmed the equal value of both men and women as created in God’s image. Since its inception, however, Christianity has widely interpreted the Bible as delineating gender-based roles […]

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Denominations Explained

Justin Young
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It is no secret that mainline denominational churches have been on a steady decline for decades. The non-denominational church has been “it” for the last 30 plus years. However, with a recent surge of new denominational-affiliated church plants, as well as a resurgence of reformed theology in recent years, some denominations are beginning to see growth for the first time in years. If you have ever wondered what a particular Christian denomination actually emphasizes and teaches, then you’ve come to the right place. While far from comprehensive, the list below covers the main denominational groups and gives a few highlights […]

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5 Tips for Finding the Right Church

Caroline Navega
6 Apr 2013
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Life is all about choices. From the more complex decisions like what career to pursue, who to marry and where you want to live, to the simpler ones like choosing what to wear in the morning. In fact, reading this article is a choice. No matter what we do, there is no running away from the decisions we eventually have to make. Selecting your home church is yet another choice, but in a society that so overwhelmed with options, even narrowing down a church can be a daunting task. So how do you do it? How do you know which […]

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Does Grace Make You Lazy?

Tullian Tchividjian
5 Apr 2013
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The gospel doxologically declares that because of Christ’s finished work for you, you already have all of the justification, approval, security, love, worth, meaning and rescue you long for and look for in a thousand different people and places smaller than Jesus. God does not relate to us based on our feats for Jesus but on Jesus’ feats for us. Because Jesus came to secure for us what we could never secure for ourselves, life does not have to be a tireless effort to establish ourselves, justify ourselves or validate ourselves. He came to rescue us from the slavish need […]

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