Not everyone can teach others about Christ

I know the title may seem strange, especially coming from a person who encourages people to talk to others about Jesus and trains them how to do it. Let me be clear, the restrictions on who can teach others about Christ are not my own opinions. These restrictions are set in place by God. I want to look at three different occasions when Jesus told people not to tell others important truths about Himself, discovering why, and then learning who is able to teach others. 

Fasting according to the righteousness of God

Is fasting something that you practice? It is not something that our Western culture readily embraces. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus does not say, “if you fast”, instead, He says, “when you fast”. Most Christian churches in the West do not teach on fasting, which is sad because fasting is an important Biblical practice and by not doing it, we miss out on drawing near to God.

Does Jesus really tell us not to call anyone teacher?

I had the opportunity to study Matthew 23 this weekend and I would like to share some of the insights that I gained with you via this article. I have heard some people claim that it is not biblical to call someone other than Jesus your teacher or leader. I was not sure where that idea came from but I had heard people give chapter and verse where Jesus had “taught” that.

Overcoming Fear L4 part 4

As you can tell, lesson 4 is quite long since it has already been divided up into 4 parts. I have been greatly encouraged by this study and I do not think that it was by chance that I was studying and teaching this course when God called me to follow Him on one of the scariest endeavors of my life. I have been put in situations over the past 6 months that have forced me to apply what I have been learning and teaching. God is good and has been faithful to His promises over and over again throughout this journey.

Overcoming Fear L2

The other night I taught lesson 2 from overcoming fear at our youth group and I would like to share some of the insights with you here. Before digging down deep in lesson 2, I would like to review the important truths that we learned in lesson 1. You can read the entire article here.

Genuine Worship

I had the privilege of attending a Bible study last night on genuine worship. There are many worship wars taking place these days over style and many who are passionate about “worship” do not pause and consider what the Object of our worship has to say on the subject. I am so thankful that I am part of a church where the Word of God is the authority on all things, even on the subject of worship.

How is Matthew 7:21-27 lived out daily?

As I prepare to teach at our youth group next Friday night, I would like to share some truths with you about how to live out Matthew 7:21-27. The message is part of a series of supposed contradictions in the Bible. So far, we have dealt with two supposed contradictions and the implications of understanding what the Bible teaches and living by those teachings.

1. Is God a racist?
2. Did Jesus contradict the Law of Moses when He did not condemn the woman caught in adultery?
3. Three teachings learned while studying Jesus response to the woman supposedly caught in the act of adultery.

Can one man really make a difference?

As a pastor, I enjoy sharing the Good News of the Gospel with the people around me as well as counseling believers and nonbelievers alike. As I speak with people about the difference one person can make in this world I usually end up hearing something like, “what can one person really do to make a difference in this big world of ours.” I leave it as a statement instead of a question because from the tone of voice and body language, it is obvious that the person is making a statement instead of asking a question. I want to share about the impact that two people have had on this world by impacting the lives of many, many people.

Christians and Poverty (social justice)

During the previous election cycle, I spoke with many people about voting for Christian values and unfortunately, many no longer consider pro life and pro traditional marriage as “the most important” or “only issues”. When confronted with what the Bible teaches on the subject, the most frequently used argument is some form of social justice. Are Christians not supposed to take care of the poor and needy of society? Did Jesus not do that when He ministered on this earth? Does Saint James not speak about taking care of widows and orphans?

Are you surprised B. Hussein Obama won, I am not

Good day. As a Christian, did you wake up this morning feeling a bit discouraged at how people could vote for a pro abortion, pro gay marriage, pro forced charity candidate? I did not because I have been talking with some “Christians” over the last few days about the issues and for whom a genuine Christian should cast his or her vote. The Bible does not name a candidate or a party because they change like the wind. The Bible explains the values and character of a person who should lead a country. I was a little discouraged to hear some of the justifications that people use for voting against life and traditional marriage. Here are a couple of those “righteous” excuses.