Love Wins

couple-260899_1280Love is exceedingly greater and infinitely deeper than the trivial hash-tags and memes that permeate our social-media culture. It is far more important than the puppy dog eyes, and instant connection we witness in the fantasy world of entertainment. Love is far more than a feeling. Love is far greater than action. Love is a person.

1 John 4:8 is clear, “God is love”. Everything good and perfect emanates not from human society, and certainly not from human feelings. All good things emanate from our Heavenly Father. Love, like everything else in the universe, can only be properly viewed in the light of God’s character. Love without God is like currency from a failed government. It is a counterfeit that lacks the authority to back up what is promised.

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Why Revival Won’t Bring Unity

waterfallCan a new Great Awakening style revival bring unity to the Church? Many are praying, crying out and prophesying it today, but I’m sorry to say it just won’t happen.

As much as we need a renewed spiritual life in the church, and as much as I believe that God is going to pour out His spirit on all flesh in the days we are living, it simply will not bring unity.

Although the word revival is a fairly new invention in the historical perspective of the church, the pattern of falling away and returning to God has occurred repeatedly throughout recorded humanity. Each “revival” brought as much division as it did restoration.

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The Art of Infighting

fightingDid you know that there is large group of people who actually believe they are called by God to tear down other Christians and Christian Ministers?

I was shocked to learn that there is a whole classification of web sites whose sole purpose for existing is to call out ministers and ministries. They are called “Online Discernment Ministries” or “ODMs” for short.

In another blog, I have already addressed the need – and God’s desire – for unity among believers so I will assume we are good on that. That being said, I am more than a little confused that people are dedicating their lives to often-times minor doctrinal disputes or differences of opinions when their time could be used for something far more effective and fruitful.

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Unity of Faith

unityoffaithGod called me into the ministry when I was twelve. He used a passage of Scripture from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. In the Old Testament, He used the Prophet Ezekiel to illustrate the seriousness and weightiness of the Call. From the New Testament, He used the prayer of Jesus (John 17) to reveal His heart for unity among believers.

From the time I was five, I have been blessed with the opportunity to sing and play music to Christians of many denominations. I have been honored to lead crazy Pentecostals and quiet Presbyterians, and most everyone in between. One of the many things God showed me through my experiences was that He has a lot of people earnestly desiring His presence even if they search for it in different ways.

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Five Responders to the Culture War

Cultural WarI have been astonished and saddened by the level of unadulterated vitriol and hate that is being spewed group against group in our country. As I have watched the decline of civil society over the past several decades, I have been increasingly concerned about a coming civil war.

No, I’m not referring to another North against South, nor do I believe it will necessarily end up as a conventional conflict. I am more concerned with clashes between races, religious groups and political ideologies. I am concerned that warfare might be gang and gorilla style, with riots, murders, rapes, theft and the like. More than physical bombs, I have been concerned about the destruction of personal economies, freedom of speech and the inviolability of our personal thoughts and moral convictions.

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