Category: Engaging Our Culture

cross, suffering

Why Do The “King’s Kids” Suffer?

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Under the old covenant God promised much prosperity to his faithful followers instead of suffering. But under the new covenant God promises suffering to his true followers. Why the change? Shouldn’t we have more prosperity now that the Son has died for us? The answer is no because we live in the overlap of this present age and the age of the kingdom of God. Since the fulfillment of the old covenant by the new covenant of the kingdom the followers of God no longer need success in this world in order to fulfill the mission of God. He sends us to penetrate every culture but not with external political power, rather, with the internal power of the Spirit. All are invited to join God’s kingdom but people are also free to reject God and pursue destructive lives. This means that we still live in a destructive world that inflicts Continue Reading →

rejection

The Reward Of Choosing Rejection In Our Society

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Pharoah’s daughter found the Jewish infant Moses and adopted him as her son. But when Moses grew up he chose to keep his Jewish identity rather than his Egyptian identity. Obviously, Moses’ life would have been much more prosperous and enjoyable if he had chosen to be related to the Pharaoh of Egypt. But something even better gripped his heart. He wanted to be part of the people of God. He was “choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” (Heb. 11:25, ESV) This is where Moses’ story becomes our story and guides us to Christian living in an unchristian culture. Moses believed that belonging to God and fellowshiping with His people had to be superior to belonging to Pharaoh and his people. But this was a dangerous idea. The Jewish people were oppressed and God called Moses to free Continue Reading →

poor

Jesus Came To Make Us Good News For The Poor

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It is encouraging to remember that when Jesus came to earth we find comfort for the poor from the very  beginning of his life. In her song to God when she is pregnant with the Messiah, a song we call  the Magnificat, Mary proclaims “he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty” (Luke 1:53, ESV). We also see that at the beginning of his ministry Jesus proclaimed these words “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” (Luke 4:18 ESV) From these passages we know that the advent of blessings for the poor was an important part of the coming of the Kingdom of God. Jesus never promised to make the poor financially rich, but he did promise something better: to fill their hearts with spiritual wealth. More importantly, he Continue Reading →

open door

Open Doors To Unbelievers Around You

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You overhear a co-worker talking about their belief that people go through reincarnation until they eventually become god. You are friends with them and you want to talk with them about your faith. So how do you bring up the topic without coming across as combative? How do you say something that they would actually listen to? Do they have any ideas that you agree with that could be a bridge to them? What doors are open to them? Consider the following list of traits that Christians value: Hope Optimism Self efficacy Problem solving Creativity Wisdom Courage Positive emotion Self esteem Love Emotional intelligence Empathy Attachment Forgiveness Humor Gratitude Faith Morality Coping Well being Now here is the surprise. This list is not from a Christian or a Christian book. It is from the secular book Positive Psychological Assessment, by Shane Lopez and C. R. Snyder, published in 2003 by Continue Reading →

communism

A World Even Better Than Socialists And Marxists Could Dream

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In the 19th century Karl Marx and Frederick Engels presented their strategy for producing an ideal society. It begins by the workers overthrowing the merchant class (“bourgeoisie”) by force if necessary. The workers then confiscate all the private property of the merchants and others. At the end of chapter two of the Communist Manifesto Marx and Engels claim this will lead to a society where “the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.” Of course we object to their strategy but their goal wasn’t that far from what Christians hope for. We too await the day when everyone will be free to use the gifts God gave them. It seems God has put this desire for an ideal society into the hearts of humans so that we instinctively know it is the proper place for humanity. Thus, this desire for an ideal society is Continue Reading →