4 posts tagged “bible”

Holy Crap….I just did my weekly check of the new music on itunes. Kevin Max, formerly of dc Talk, has just released an album called “the blood”. And judging from the album title and the track listing it is about nothing but the blood of Christ and His cross.

Could it be that an artist in the “christian music industry” is finally releasing a theologically significant album? I’m very very excited about this album. I don’t need to hear the samples in order to hit “buy”.

Have you ever tried Ledo Pizza? Seriously. Have you? It is hands down my favorite. To me, there is nothing like their pepperoni pizza with sausage and extra cheese. They use provolone cheese, which gives their pizza a unique flavor, and their pepperoni is sliced extra thick. Delicious!

Because I enjoy Ledo Pizza so much, I enjoy telling people to try it. As a matter of fact, when a Ledo Pizza came to the town where my old college roommate lives, he went and tried it because of my constant recommendations from nearly ten years ago!

I bet you probably do the same thing. Do you ever tell your co-workers about the great new restaurant they just have to try? Or maybe you are constantly telling the ladies around the Bunko table (what is Bunko, anyway?) about that great music CD you just picked up. If you pay close attention, you will notice that we are actually quite good at telling people about the good food, music, movies, or appliances that they need to add to their lives.

Yet somehow we have managed to complicate telling other people about Jesus or His church. I am guessing you enjoy going to church and think it is beneficial because you attend every week. I bet if I asked you what the most important part of your life is, you would identify it as your relationship with Jesus. So when is the last time you told someone about it?

You see, evangelism (telling others about Jesus) is not as hard as we have made it out to be. It is telling those we come into contact with during every day life about Jesus. It is telling others about what we have found to be good and true. And quite honestly, it is more effective than any tract, ad in the newspaper, or billboard on the highway. I think we are drawn to those methods so much because they release us of any real involvement or effort. But nothing beats the power of a personal testimony.

Sure I like Ledo Pizza a lot, but Jesus rescued me from my sin, and that is something to talk about!

(i wrote this article for publication in our church newsletter)

John 6:37

“The image of God currently popular is that of a distracted Father, struggling in heartbroken desperation to get people to accept a Savior of whom they feel no need and in whom they have very little interest. To persuade these self-sufficient souls to respond to His generous offers God will do almost anything, even using salesmanship methods and talking down to them in the chummiest way imaginable. This view of things is, of course, a kind of religious romanticism which, while it often uses flattering and sometimes embarrassing terms in praise of God, manages nevertheless to make man the star of the show.” [A. W. Tozer, Man: The Dwelling Place of God, (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1966), p. 24]

I started teaching an Adult Bible Study at my church this past week. God willing, I’ll have each lesson recorded and available for download over the next three months. The class is a study on the highlights of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Here is lesson one in its unedited form. The handout is also available for download in pdf form if you’d like to follow along.

- Focus on the Fundamentals Lesson One - Click Here (right click, save as)

- Lesson One Handout - Click Here (right click, save as)