Fourth Year Ministries

 You've probably heard it a million times by now. We are living in unprecedented and uncertain times. So much of what is being discussed right now is political. I want to be clear: this is not a political post. It's not a left wing or a right wing thing. I'm making a theological statement as a follower of Jesus Christ. I'm not shying away from politics because I'm afraid of it. Instead, I am refusing to talk much about politics during these times because talking about Christ is way more important. It was more important before  these times. It will be more important afterward, too. As one of the tracts we've distributed in the past so eloquently puts it: No matter who is president, Jesus is King. (You can get some of these tracts for yourself from our friends at onemilliontracts.com  -- they have bumper stickers and magnets , too.) Due to the overemphasis on politics, we've allowed everything to become politicized. Even attending church nowadays is a politic...

Some Christians look at the men and women recorded in the Bible as "super saints." People whose images are rightly captured on stained-glass windows. Those whose sacrificial service to the King of kings is beyond the grasp of normal, regular, every day Christians. But this is not how the Apostle Paul viewed himself. Paul urged Christians in Corinth to be imitators of him. Twice (1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1). He said similar things to Christians in his other letters. See, for example, Ephesians 5:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 2:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9; Hebrews 6:12, 13:7; and 3 John 1:11. Paul said this instruction of imitating him and his conduct is something he teaches everywhere he goes: Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me . For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church . (1 Corinthians 4:16-17) Paul traveled. He preached...

The modern church has no shortage of programs. It's a virtual buffet of options. We've got programs for children, youth, young adults, regular adults, senior adults, singles, married, and divorced. We have music programs, motorcycle programs, discipleship programs, addiction programs, prison programs, visitation programs, evangelism programs, shut-in programs, summer programs, winter programs, holiday programs, and so on. Programs for the grieving and for those who are rejoicing. In-reach, out-reach. You name it, we've got it. Did I miss your favorite program? Would you leave a church because they did not have it? I am not trying to be silly. This is serious. People attend and leave churches because of programs. Even when a local church has a program, it is constantly in danger of losing people to a better program down the road. Many of the growing churches are growing by transfer growth, not conversions of nonbelievers. The buffet of programs seemingly exist...

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Paul's declaration in 2 Corinthians 5:17 is one of the most well-known and oft-quoted verses in Scripture. It speaks of the beautiful truth of salvation. The old things passed away. New things have come. Praise God! Much less quoted are the next verses. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation , namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20, underline added) If you are in Christ, you are a new creature. The old has passed away. The new has come. The "new" includes a...

I have a problem. Maybe you do, too. I bet you can at least relate. I'm self-centered. By nature, I think from my perspective. Often, more often than I'd usually like to admit, I pursue my agenda. I like to do, what I like to do, when I like to do it, where I like to do it, how I like to do it, and with whomever I like to do it. I think you do, too. Sometimes we are good at hiding this self-centeredness. I believe that it is possible to have genuinely altruistic moments. Moments where we put others self-interest above our own well-being. Sometimes powerful emotions like love, hate, and disgust, can cause us to act contrary to our self-centered notions. Sometimes. As Christians, we are given the gift of God's grace through His Son, Jesus Christ. We receive this gift when we repent of our self-centered ways and trust in Christ alone. In the noise that is "Christianity" - if you take the time to really listen - you will often hear a false ...

How do you see Jesus? When you picture Him in your mind what do you see? Do you see Him as an infant? As a man? The Jesus you picture... are there holes in His hands and feet? Some imagine a Jesus that makes them comfortable. But there is only one Jesus. If we follow Him then we ought to follow Him as He truly is. Not how we imagine Him to be. In Revelation we see a description of the exalted Christ. When the Apostle John beholds Him, he " fell at his feet like a dead man " (1:17). It is important to remember the relationship that John had with Jesus prior to the Resurrection and exaltation of our Lord. John, the son of Zebedee, was part of the inner circle of Jesus (Mark 5:37; 14:33). He was the "disciple whom Jesus loved." John was so close with Jesus that he was reclining on Him at the Last Supper. When Jesus told the disciples that one would betray Him, Peter asked John to ask Christ who it was (John 13:22-25). When Jesus was arrested, most of the di...

I recently read through the book of Revelation again. It's easy to focus on the amazing imagery or the descriptions of The Final Judgment or the New Jerusalem. One can get lost trying to figure out whether or not the descriptions are literal or figurative, whether they are describing events that have already happened (i.e. in the first and second century), or if they are describing things to come in the end times. As I was reading Revelation this last time through, 4:8 stuck out, And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME." The events in chapter 4 clearly take place in heaven (see 4:1-2). Verse 8 describes what these creatures sitting around the throne do without ceasing. They never stop declaring the holiness of God . What struck me as I was reading this book again, was how ...