Transformed Mind

Do not be anxious, rather pray.   Jesus made it possible for us to do so.   There was a giant chasm between God and us because of sin.   He is so holy, that sin cannot be in his presence, but Jesus has covered this sin, this stain, making us able to once again have communion with God.   Jesus is our mediator, our advocate.   When preparing this post and looking at what prayer is, it reminded me of a book I read called, The Necessity of Prayer by Edward Bounds.   His largest section and most influential was his work on prayer and faith.   As it should be, faith is the Christian anchor in prayer and touches every other aspect of our life.   Faith is obedient, trusting, and every other positive aspect.   Not only influential but also instructive in his writing, Bounds shows how Christians should pray by stating that, “faith must be definite, specific; an unqualified unmistakable request for the things asked for.” [1]   How true it is that we all too often pray for the grandio

As I’ve heard from one of my favorite Christian apologists Dr. Ravi Zacharias, God lives as a relational and communal being within the trinity.   It is through God’s example of the trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) that we come to understand we are not meant to live in solitude or apart from relationships or community. A relationship is the more intimate of these two pillars and as a result, there are more intricacies involved with it.   It is through relationship that those that talked with Jesus grew the most and realized the Truth.   It is the personal relationship with God that allows Him to work in and through our lives today.   As this relationship with Him matures we are lead and urged by the Holy Spirit to seek relationships with others that we encounter.   It is not forced however.   A Godly and loving relationship can never be coerced; rather, we choose to step into the lives of others through compassion and commitment.   This is i

So, a while back I went to Jordan to see some of the sites and to relax.  Little did I know that it would soon become my favorite country to visit.  First, the food is fantastic.  The deliciously warm and succulent shawarma sandwiches are amazing.  I prefer the lamb or beef, which drip with juices from the fat that lines the top of the spit.  Mouthwatering you say?  Yes indeed!   One of the must see sights though is Mount Nebo.  It was here that, “Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite of Jericho.  And the LORD showed him all the land…And the LORD said to him, ‘This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob, I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” [1]   Pretty amazing.  I remember reading about these things as a kid in Sunday school and even more recently in Seminary, but I would have never guessed that I would actually go to these sites.

Apologetics, the defense of the faith, can and should be used for both evangelism and the strengthening of the church.  The benefits for both are numerous and can only empower and increase the body of Christ. Historically, second century Christian apologetics formulated out of the necessity to refute the claims of pagans, Jews, the state, and heretics that brought forth brutal persecution and cruelty from the Roman Empire and to further the Christian message through well thought arguments.  It was through these motivations that early Christians began to write letters and works defending the faith as well as attacking others through polemics.  In this sense, the manifest intent of apologetics were used to strengthen the church against competing religions, but it can be argued that there was also a latent effect upon the readers and hearers of the letters and debates, making it useful in evangelism as well. In today’s world many of the basic apologetic principles used in the seco

The United States is ripe with people that are eager to know God and Jesus personally, but have not yet had the opportunity of meeting him because of the cowardice, apathetic attitudes, and fear of many Christians today in sharing the life saving word that is Jesus Christ.   Christians need to change their attitude and ways in which they do life, or suffer a slow and painful withdrawal from the society we have been sent to save through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.   Although it is true that works do not save a person as noted in Psalm 127:1, Rom 3:20, and many others, they do and should play a significant role in the life of the true Christian.   Works should not be seen as something we have to do, but as something we get to do for the glory of God.   In the final judgment, works are an evidence of faith as shown in Matthew 25:34-40.   Here we see the sick being cared for, the hungry fed, and so forth, showing that in faith, Jesus’ words and actions were

Raised Catholic in MN by my mother, my father would only go to service twice a year, I had no idea what was going on at any given time during the hour-long service. You could say it was a struggle for me to understand the concepts of Christianity, but then again I was making no attempt to even learn the basics of the belief system. I had no interest in the routine methodical structure of church and what its teachings and messages had to offer. During my high school years I would snuff Christians for their worldviews and closed-mindedness. I had put my belief in the sciences, the only true and solid foundation. Steadily throughout my years after high school though, I began to yearn for something more. My philosophy on life was working on a simple level, but emptiness was engulfing my soul. I had joined the Army the summer before my senior year, but didn’t ship off to Basic Combat Training until after my high school graduation. A new chapter in my life was beginning. Shortly aft