(Extrapolated and shortened from original post on August 19, 2013 and then published as “Are We Spiritually Prepared and Fit for the Days Ahead”) I’ve encountered many within the body of Christ who are going through a process of pruning. I first noticed this in my own life and in the ministries I oversee. But […]
The Gospel is simple, but it’s not simplistic. It requires our whole life, but begins with a simple “yes” to Jesus. The power of the Cross isn’t found in eloquent words or clever theology, but in the life-giving, world-changing truth that Jesus saves. In a world filled with noise, distractions, and complications—even in the Church—it’s […]
A Church that is soft and apathetic will never succeed in reaching a lost and hurting world. People, young people in particular, are reluctant to give their lives for something that is shallow and hypocritical. Even unbelievers and the unchurched are tired of the hype and pretense. Our young people are looking for reality and […]
Paul wrote: “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.” (1 Corinthians 10:21) The same is true today. We can attend church and profess Christ, but if our hearts remain divided, we cannot walk in the fullness […]
Legalism or License: Two Extremes, Both Rooted in Self-Righteousness BY DOUG STRINGER “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.” (Proverbs 21:2) When we hear the term self-righteousness, many of us immediately think of the Pharisees—those religious legalists of Jesus’ day who were more concerned with […]
The gospel is simple, but it’s not simplistic. It requires our whole life, but begins with a simple “yes” to Jesus. The power of the cross isn’t found in eloquent words or clever theology, but in the life-giving, world-changing truth that Jesus saves. In a world filled with noise, distractions, and complications—even in the Church—it’s […]
For those who have EARS to HEAR! What does it reveal about a society when it begins to devalue human life—even celebrating the harm or murder of those it disagrees with? We are living in a time when anger and hatred are normalized, even glamorized. Jesus tells us that hatred itself is the seed of […]
(Reposted from Doug Stringer’s article published in February 2023) Have we become so seared of conscience that we can no longer discern good from evil and evil from good? 1 Timothy 4:1-2 says, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and […]
Old lighthouses have always captured my attention. They stand firm against the crashing waves, the driving rain, and the thick fog that hides treacherous rocks from view. Many were built centuries ago, yet they still shine a guiding light for ships trying to find their way to safety. We must be the living lighthouses to […]
