Articles and Writings

“Again, I observed all the acts of oppression being done under the sun. Look at the tears of those who are oppressed; they have no one to comfort them. Power is with those who oppress them; they have no one to comfort them.” –Ecclesiastes 4:1

“They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, undiscerning untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful.  Although they know full well God’s just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die–they not only do them, but even applaud those who practice them.” -Romans 1:29-32

“For I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have an easy time until they die, and their bodies are well-fed.” –Psalm 73:3-4

“I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals. They have become a burden to Me; I am tired of putting up with them.  When you lift up your hands in prayer.  I will refuse to look at you; even if you offer countless prayers, I will not listen.  Your hands are covered with blood.” –Isaiah 1:14-15 Read the rest of this entry »

This is part two of a series on biblical illiteracy and its effect on American culture and the Church.

I never thought of Billy Preston as a preacher.  But his words, more often heard in commercials nowadays, ring true in this age of biblical inerrancy.  ”Nothing from nothing leaves nothing.”  Preach it, brother!

His words remind me of many conversations I have had with people who claim to be Christians but who reject the gospel.  One story in particular comes to mind.  I had been trying to reach out a friend and we had once gotten into a fight because I basically told him that he wasn’t a Christian.  Needless to say, it was a while before I could share the gospel with him again.  When I finally got that chance, I simply shared with him the basic tenets of the faith.  I talked with him about Christ’s life, death and resurrection, that we must be born again and that no one could attain salvation based on merit.  After I finished talking, he simply said this, “I just don’t interpret it that way.”  This baffled me.  How could his interpretation lead him to a completely different basis for his faith?  How could we both be Christians and see God as two different Gods? Read the rest of this entry »

This is part one of a 9 to 10-week series on biblical illiteracy and its impact on America and within the Church.

My life’s ambition is to be a sponge.

While most will find that statement curious, I believe it is all by grace.  Sponges absorb liquids quickly.  They need no training or technological improvements to do their job.  My job is to know God’s Word.  Therefore, I long to absorb its contents like a sponge.  I want to cram its wisdom inside my head.  If I know nothing else, I want to know Scripture.

Many Americans, including evangelicals, do not hold this same view of the Bible.  With secularism on the rise and fewer people attending church, many simply have a Bible on the shelf just to have it on the shelf.  Some even share the view of atheist comedian Pat Condell, who once said, “If all you have is Scripture between your ears, then you’ve really got nothing between your ears.”  Unfortunately, American culture has turned the Word of God into another ancient book.  While some folks recognize the Word for its wisdom, I believe the majority of young American evangelicals, due to either ignorance or familiarity, fail to recognize its true quality.  In the Bible’s 66 books, you get to learn about the most important person of all time.  You meet the living Jesus of Nazareth. Read the rest of this entry »

I love this acronym by Jerry Bridges:

God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense = GRACE.

Grace is God’s free and unmerited favor shown to guilty sinners who deserve only judgment.  Praise the Lord for His mercy! So what do we do from here?

In the Christian community where I live, we use the phrase “live by grace” quite often. But how do we live by grace? What does that even mean? Read the rest of this entry »

“You have a responsibility to protect your neighbor’s life, and to use force  if necessary to do so.  In an effort to suppress this truth, you may mix my blood with the blood of the unborn, and those who have fought to defend the oppressed.  However, truth and righteousness will prevail. May God help you to protect the unborn as you would want to be  protected.” – Paul Hill

Paul Hill was the first person in the United States put to death for killing an abortion provider.  Hill was a strong believer that abortion was murder.  What scares me the most of Hill is what he was did during the days before he decided to become a murderer: reading his Bible.  Hill is an example of the reality that no two people view scripture the same way.

Hill was friend of author Michael Bray who has also studied scripture and in his book, “A Time to Kill,” Bray believe that scripture says that violence is necessary to restore our country to a Christian morality and to get Christian leaders in political power.

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“Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just—both are detestable to the Lord.”

–Proverbs 17:15

Have you ever wondered about verses like these? As you make your pilgrimage through God’s Word, you are bound to come upon one verse that takes you off guard. At first glance, this verse directly contradicts what we usually see as a perfect description of the cross: “Guilty, vile and helpless rude/in my place condemned He stood/sealed my pardon with His blood.” A misunderstanding of Scriptures like Proverbs 17:15, as well as Numbers 14:18 and Proverbs 18:5, can prove the shipwreck of your faith without an intentional study of the Bible.

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If you haven’t heard the news yet, a 19 year old from Florida committed suicide on a live webcam last Wednesday.  Many watched it as it happened; some were even warned he might take pills to kill himself.  Most just thought it was a hoax, and even once moderators were warned they brushed it off because of his former “trolling” status on the forum.  Finally a forum member took the initiative to look up the teen’s real name and address, which he tried to give to the police. They still thought it was a hoax. All the while Abraham’s body lay motionless on his bed. Read the rest of this entry »

Even though the Christmas season has not yet begun, the holiday ads are already flooding the airwaves.  Businesses across the nation are looking forward to the extra revenue especially this year with its economic crisis.  The winter holiday has become not only a celebration for Christianity, but also one of four national holidays, the others being Thanksgiving, Independence Day and the Super Bowl.

This became clear when Lori Littman Brown, lobbyist with the Secular Coalition of America, appeared on the “Colbert Report” and explained the secularization of the holiday in America:

“In fact, Christmas is now a secular holiday…which means it’s no longer just about a religious thing, it’s a secular thing and we can all have parties and enjoy it.”

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As the title might imply, this post is about evangelism.  I want to diverge from my normal way of writing and delve into a deeper topic which is the second most important thing in life to me (next to God); and that is people.

I will discuss the reasons why, as Christians, we must evangelize, and then I will thoroughly explain why you can’t save a single soul on this earth. Not only will I use stories from my own life to back up my claims, but I will give you practical advice on how to reach your lost friends.  This may take a while…

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