10 Things To Do When Your Christian Life Has Become Routine

~ Chuck Lawless

Here’s my concern that drives this blog post: too many of us as Christian leaders have settled into a monotonous, routine Christianity that lacks passion and power. We’re going through the motions—perhaps even while our ministries seem stronger than others—but we know something’s too settled in our lives.

I have addressed this issue a bit in my book, Nobodies for Jesus, but I sometimes still struggle, too. If you struggle with me, perhaps these ideas will help you:

1. Be honest with somebody about your struggle. Don’t try to win the battle on your own. In fact, it’s sometimes our aloneness—when no one’s pushing us to grow—that contributes to our becoming apathetic in the first place.
2. Enlist prayer warriors who pray specifically for you: “God, light the fire in _______’s life again.” Just knowing that others are praying this way for us can begin to make a difference.
3. Evaluate causes behind your “routine-ness.” Sometimes it’s sin that’s turned us in a different direction . . . or getting out of the habit of spiritual disciplines . . . or a faith crisis that’s begun to question God and His ways. Whatever the causes are, recognize them and deal with them.
4. Take a walk, and remember the beginning of your Christian journey. Now 45 years after God saved me, I can still remember the excitement, joy, and absolute peace I felt at the time. Simply remembering those days makes me long for that passion again.

Continue: http://chucklawless.com/2019/05/10-things-to-do-when-your-christian-life-has-become-routine/

Christians need to love the church

Pastor Rick Warren believes that the church remains the greatest force for good on earth yet Christians don’t love it.

“One of the greatest crimes I see in our society today is a lot of Christians use the church but don’t love it,” he said on May 17 during Wilberforce Weekend at the Crystal Gateway Marriott.

“If you want to be like Jesus Christ, you must learn to love the Bride of Christ. If I were to say to you ‘I like you I just don’t like your body,’ you’d be offended. So is Jesus.”

Read more: https://www.christianpost.com/news/rick-warren-christians-need-to-love-the-church.html?uid=2ad8c0f778

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ: Introduction

I’ll confess to you right here and now that when I sit down to read the Bible, I skip the genealogies, but when I sit down to study the Bible, I look for genealogies. For many who casually read the Bible, genealogies are cumbersome, boring and wearysome, but for more than casual readers, we come to realize that they are not included in the inspired text just to fill space or aid in curing insomnia; they tell a story.

Matthew begins his telling of the story of Jesus Christ by giving us some vital insight into just exactly who this Jesus guy is, and He is no ordinary man. It is no coincidence then, that this is no ordinary genealogy. When most people look at a Biblical genealogy, we assume that this is an exact record of biological ancestry; a pedigree one might say, but this isn’t always the case, in fact it seldom is just that. Sometimes, genealogies in the Bible don’t match up exactly, and skeptics and scoffers have no end of fun criticizing the Scriptures for what they assume to be historical inaccuracies, because they overlook the fact that the Scriptures are not like other books, for they are God’s revelation of Himself to Man, not the mere musings of the human mind.

In order for us to get the value of Biblical genealogies, we must realize that they are not so much concerned with a person’s biological ancestry as they are with demonstrating a person’s corporate and tribal status within the larger community. We can see this by noticing that in most cases, the great names are first, and the last name is the person who is being magnified by the presence of the greater names. By doing this, a storyteller can set up the basis for telling the descendant’s story by putting the descendant (last name) into the context of his great ancestors.

Matthew does not follow that pattern here, for he does not build Jesus up by associating His name with His great ancestors, rather he builds up the ancestors by associating their names with that of Jesus, which is the first and last name that is mentioned. I think a quick look at the structure will show you what I mean:

 

Read more of Don’s blog at: https://lifereference.wordpress.com/2019/05/21/the-genealogy-of-jesus-christ-introduction-3/

Old News! Approaching Contradictions in the Gospels

https://chab123.wordpress.com/2019/05/30/old-news-approaching-contradictions-in-the-gospels/

It is finished

How we we love

Why Church Leaders And Members Are Responsible For Each Other

http://chucklawless.com/2019/05/why-church-leaders-and-members-are-responsible-for-each-other/

Worship Song Of The Week

“This Changes Everything” By Jon Egan

https://worshipdeeper.com/worship-song-of-the-week/

Believing The Whole Bible Is True

I understand why atheists have trouble with the Bible. To be honest, it’s not an easy book. Some passages have led people to believe that God has handpicked who will be a Christian while other verses make it clear that His offer of salvation is open to the world. So which is it? Or can we chalk up these contradictions to the fact that the Bible isn’t reliable.

There are other issues—people use verses from 1 John to “prove” that Christians don’t sin (“No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him” 1 John 3:6) whereas James tells the brethren that they are to confess their sins to one another. Peter tells Christians they are blessed if they suffer according to God’s will, but John wishes for his friend Gaius health and prosperity. The Old Testament is full of God’s judgment on Israel’s enemies (and on Israel), but Jesus commanded us to love our enemies.

Along with the apparent internal problems, there’s also the matter about the Bible and science. Many people look at the data scientists put out about the origin of the universe and compare that with what the Bible says—creation, spoken into being, in six days. Then there are the problems of miracles—seas parting, a donkey that talked, water pouring from a rock, the dead raised to life, a few loaves and fishes feeding thousands and thousands of people, blind men able to see, and a virgin birthing a Son. In other words, the Bible claims impossible things happened.

So there are apparent internal contradictions and apparent contradictions with reality as we know it. How then are we to handle the Bible?

 

Read more of the blog at: 9/believing-the-whole-bible-is-true-2/

Maintaining Spiritual Health Throughout Life

Committed younger Christians often manifest considerable enthusiasm and exertion in their personal devotion, obedience and service to Jesus. It’s a joy to see them running their spiritual race with such eagerness and discipline.

Faithful older Christians who have been in the spiritual race for a lot of years are an inspiration to watch as well. They may no longer have the high levels of physical energy and emotional intensity that they possessed in younger years. They may need to pace themselves a bit more slowly. But they still have a strong desire and determination to maintain a close personal relationship with the Lord, to honor Him through their habitual obedience and to be useful to Him through their steady service.

To all committed Christians, younger and older, I say, “Good for all of you! Way to maintain good spiritual health and diligence in the various areas of your Christian walk. With God’s gracious, ongoing encouragement and enablement, let’s all continue to do so through the whole course of life’s journey.”

Read the whole blog: http://vancechristie.com/2019/05/28/maintaining-spiritual-health-throughout-life/