Text: Matthew 5:13-16; 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 | Listen to Message It’s the most oft-repeated summary of a Christian’s relationship with culture: “We are to be in the world but not of it.” On its face, this simple statement implies some level of engagement balanced with some level of separation (or Christian distinctiveness). So far so good. But in countless everyday activities extrapolated out over many years, that one basic principle has been applied many different – even mutually exclusive – ways by good and godly people. Rather than claiming to know who’s right and who’s wrong, we prefer to recognize the...
Text: Genesis 1:28; Ephesians 6:5-9 | Listen to Message It’s a common problem experienced by countless Christians: there’s a massive disconnect between our faith and work. We have no idea what the Sunday sacred has to do with the Monday-through-Friday secular grind. We’ve compartmentalized our Christianity to a few nights and weekends, and we live with spiritual amnesia the 40, 50, or 60 hours a week we’re on the job. “I’m just an electrician, just an attorney, just a student, just an accountant, just a teacher, just an architect, just a nurse practitioner, just an engineer, just an artist,” we tell...
Text: Romans 12:2 | Listen to Message “I just didn’t have peace about it.” “I felt like God was telling me to.” “Things got hard, so it was pretty clear to me God was closing that door.” “I put out a fleece and God seemed to be saying ‘no.’” “I thought it was the right call and I found a pastor who agreed with me.” Christians sure do have some bizarre ways of determining God’s will, don’t we? We follow our feelings, as if our emotions are infallible guides to our best life now. We claim “God said” this or that...
Text: Philippians 2:1-11 | Listen to Message It’s the stat that’s been recirculated at seminaries and pastors’ conferences probably since the days of Peter, James, and John: 10% of the people in your churches will do all of the serving, and the other 90% will do nothing. True enough. Some people will never serve the local church, no matter what. Their idea of “church” is occasionally showing up to “get fed.” They’re consumers of religious programs, events, and experiences, but not servants of Jesus Christ. But I believe there’s a whole group of believers who want to serve in some meaningful...
Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:14 | Listen to Message Here’s a case study to give an example of what Gospel-driven counseling might look like in action. I’m choosing the topic of shame because, as I’ve written here and here, I think it’s the #1 thing destroying Christian community right now. Though my case study refers to an endemic problem in modern culture – including the modern Church culture – this is not a reference to any actual persons or events. You’ve noticed that your friends, Steve and Steph, have not been showing up to church lately. Their absence is conspicuous...
Recommended Reading: Everyday Church, by Tim Chester & Steve Timmis Counsel from The Cross, by Elyse Fitzpatrick & Dennis Johnson Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow, by Nancy Guthrie How People Change, by Timothy Lane Instruments in The Redeemer’s Hands, by Paul David Tripp Side by Side, by Ed Welch Recommended Apps & Websites: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/?s=counseling A collection of Gospel-centered blog posts on counseling in the Church https://www.ccef.org/ Homepage of the Christian Counseling & Education Foundation https://biblicalcounseling. com Homepage of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (formerly NANC) Home Homepage of the Biblical Counseling Coalition
Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:14 | Listen to Message If you’re living in community, there will be plenty of opportunities to observe both sin and suffering in the lives of others. You may even think to yourself, “Someone should do something to help this person! But who?” It’s so easy to excuse ourselves from the responsibility to counsel a friend because, after all, we have plenty of our own issues to deal with. “Shouldn’t I fix my own problems first before attempting to help others with theirs?” While these are understandable concerns, the New Testament assumes that ordinary and broken believers will...
Text: Ephesians 2:11-22 | Listen to Message Dietrich Bonhoeffer wisely cautioned, “The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community” (Life Together). It’s one thing to love the idea of community in the abstract; it’s another thing to enjoy real community with real people who have real problems. Theoretical community is easy; but real community always involves things like risk, patience, misunderstandings, sacrifice, hurt, repentance, forgiveness, and grace. In the midst of our selfishly individualistic culture, a diverse community of selfless, grace-saturated love would be a very attractive...
Recommended Reading: Apologetics at The Cross, by Joshua D. Chatraw & Mark D. Allen Everyday Church, chapters 4-5, by Tim Chester & Steve Timmis Apologetics to The Glory of God, by John Frame What Is The Gospel?, by Greg Gilbert The Reason for God, by Tim Keller Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis Generating Hope, by Jimmy Long 8 to 15: The World Is Smaller Than You Think, by Tom Mercer Evangelism and The Sovereignty of God, by J. I. Packer The Art of Neighboring, by Jay Pathak & Dave Runion Desiring God, chapter 9, by John Piper Let The...
Recommended Reading: The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath, by Mark Buchanan Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human, by John Mark Comer Crazy Busy, by Kevin DeYoung The Art of Rest, by Adam Mabry Reset, by David Murray Liturgy of The Ordinary, by Tish Harrison Warren Recommended Apps & Websites: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/?s=sabbath A collection of Gospel-centered blog posts on Sabbath and rest. https://www.redeemercitytocity.com/blog/wisdom-and-sabbath-rest https://www.redeemer.com/redeemer-report/article/six_ways_to_practice_sabbath