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It has always seemed a bit odd to me that the Evangelical church has become so divided and contentious over something that the scripture speaks so clearly about. It could be that people think speaking in tongues sounds weird, or they were taught by somebody that it was of the devil, or they were so perplexed by it that they just assumed it was nonsense. Either way, I will begin this article by stating that speaking in tongues is certainly Biblical. Why? Because it's in the Bible, was clearly practiced by the early church including by the Apostle Paul, and we find no evidence in scripture that it's use in the local church body has ceased. Many questions surrounding the topic of speaking in tongues are often discussed: Is it still for today? What about pagan cultures that "speak in tongues" during their demonic rituals? What types of tongues are there? What does speaking in tongues do? When is it appropriate to speak in tongues? How is speaking in tongues related t

I've noticed a trend among Calvinists in which they appealed to Romans chapter 9 as their foundational reason for accepting Calvinism, I also noticed that they interpreted all of the "problem texts" for Calvinism in light of their misinterpretation of Romans 9. My question would be, "is it possible that this so-called proof text (Romans 9) for Calvinism is being misinterpreted by Calvinists and therefore causing them to err in their overall interpretation of God and His Word?" I think the answer to this question is yes and I intend on showing why in this post. Let's begin with the first 5 verses: I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the gl

There are two bottles of juice in your refrigerator. One was recently purchased from the grocery store; the other has expired by several months and remained in the refrigerator unnoticed due to other items blocking it from view. All the common dishes are currently in the dishwasher washing, so you are forced to use the delicate "special occasion" glasses stored on the top shelf of your kitchen cabinets to have a glass of juice. The first glass you pour is from the newly purchased bottle of juice. You carefully pour the juice into the glass handling it with care, you also slowly set it down on the table as you recline and consume the flavorful beverage. It was so refreshing that you went back to the refrigerator for another glass. This time you accidently used the expired juice to pour a glass to drink. With the same caution as last time you sit down at the table ready to have another refreshing glass. You pick up the delicate vessel of juice, you take a large gulp.... Uu

A few months ago myself and three other pastors from my church were meeting to decide on the wording for a brief statement of faith that we wanted to start reciting at the beginning of our Sunday morning services. At one point I suggested that we use the word "justification" in one of the sentences, another pastor quickly looked at me and said, "do you know how many people don't even know what that word means?" What he said caught me by surprise, but as I thought about it I began to realize that he was probably right. This dilemma began to roll around in my thoughts for the next couple months until I finally decided that I needed to write this blog. So here it is, I am going to take some time to explain what justification is, it's repercussions, and why it is so crucial to understand as believers. Justification is the declaring of a person to be just or righteous. It is a legal term signifying acquittal (Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical The

In the first few chapters of the book of Revelation we find God addressing seven different churches that were active during that day. God had a certain message for each church, but the most concerning message for many Christians throughout history has often been the message God gave to the church at a city called Laodicea. In this blog I want to take a moment to explain exactly what I think God was trying to say when He gave His message to the Laodiceans and see how the wisdom of this passage applies to our lives today. The beginning of this passage goes like this: “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!" (Revelation 3:14-15) Here we find God, our "faithful and true witness" giving His message to the "angel of the church in Laodicea." Now some have jumped to

"A wink of his eye, and a twist of his head, soon led me to know I had nothing to dread."- Twas' the Night Before Christmas, Clement C. Moore As a kid I was taught that Santa Claus was going to bring me the presents I wished for on Christmas morning. I watched movies and cartoons about Santa riding his sleigh with gifts to give to all of the children around the world. Some of the stories depicted Santa as giving coal to bad kids and toys to good kids and I was told jokingly by my parents that I would "receive coal if I was bad," but it was never made to be a serious threat. Up until around the age of seven I really believed that Santa magically came down the chimney and left presents for my brothers and I, and it never caused me to have any resentment toward my parents for telling me he was real. I saw it as my parents wanting to give me a fun Christmas adventure, a magical experience that my brothers and I could use our imagination with. As I learned

God loves you right now. He loves you right where you are, in the middle of whatever you are going through right in this very moment. He isn't expecting for you to perform for Him. He wants you to leave the things of this world behind and receive the unending grace that He purchased for you at the cross. His love compelled Him in such a way that He humbled Himself to a point that surpasses our human understanding and knowledge. John 3:16- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." Just try to wrap your mind around this thought. God, the Creator of the world, the sky, the oceans, the plants, animals, stars, galaxies, and all that we can see, became a mere man. He left His place of perfection and bliss in Heaven, he came to the wretched and sin diseased Earth, and He lived among sinful men from all different walks of life. He wept, He laughed, He showed compassion, He extended healing and