Victory comes AFTER the resurrection

What were the people expecting when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and they threw down their clothes and palm branches shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” They were clearly expecting Him to come and crush the Roman Empire and liberate them from its oppression. But they were wrong. And only a few days later, they were shouting, “Crucify Him!” 

Free will, freedom, and our union with Christ

If we don’t have free will to choose we cannot live in freedom, which is what Jesus came to give us (see Gal.5:1). Freedom requires two things. First, it requires having response-ability. By definition, you cannot be free if you have no ability to respond to choices. Second, freedom comes from our union with Christ, for true freedom does not come from without, but comes from within.

You Reign Above it All!

I want to post a song that’s been one of my favorites lately. It’s from Paul and Hannah McClure. I think it really can speak to us during this time when our circumstances seem so overwhelming, because regardless of what’s going on in our lives, remember that Jesus reigns above it all, and you and I are in Him!

Why Coronavirus cannot affect the Church

The Church that Jesus is building is totally and forever immune to Covid-19—or any other pandemic or set of circumstances that would ever force societal isolation. Am I saying Christians are immune to the virus? No, I talking about something very different and wonderfully profound here. I’m saying that no set of circumstances can thwart Jesus’ purposes or His Church.

How we see God’s sovereignty matters

What you believe about God matters. For instance, if you equate God’s sovereignty with Him micromanaging and controlling every single event in human history then you will struggle and even question His motives during times like these. God caused the Coronavirus pandemic is the ultimate conclusion we must make from this faulty theology.

Why human wisdom never leads us to Christ

Human wisdom is insufficient for ever leading us to know God. I was reminded of that the other day when talking to an atheist who is very sure he’s a lot smarter than me. Perhaps he is, but no matter how smart people are, they will always believe what they want to believe and justify it with their chosen set of “facts.” And God has made it so you and I will never find Him this way.

Toilet paper…or love?

Frankly, I’m baffled by all the toilet paper hoarding still going on. But it does reveal something very basic about human nature. We are fundamentally ruled by one of two emotions—fear or love. And we see the former most profoundly during times of crisis.

Case in point: I was in a small grocery story yesterday looking for one package of toilet paper and was told there was still some available in a special bin in front of the store. When I got there I found a familiar sight. An empty pallet lying on the floor under a sign signifying toilet paper for sale.