The first fruit listed among the fruit of the Spirit is the fruit of love. This beautiful fruit begins to mature when Christ enters a person’s life. Romans 5:5 states: “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” […]
The Fruit of Following God, Part 6 Read More »
The Bible is full of difficult teachings that are seen as unpalatable to the modern person. But even in Jesus’ day, people at times responded to his teaching unfavorably. Here’s a sampling: “this is a hard teaching, who can accept it?” (John 6:60). Or, “You have a demon!” (John 7:20). On multiple occasions, the audience
“My Very Dear Friends” Read More »
Below, we continue our survey describing what it means for a believer in Christ to follow Him. What does a true follower of Christ look like? We looked at the first major quality a couple of weeks ago, the fear of the Lord, now we take up qualities two and three (all stemming from Deuteronomy 10:11-12). Quality
The Fruit of Following God, Part 3 Read More »
“Get out!” he shouted. I remember sitting in church as a single man some 15 years ago and watching in shock as the singles pastor screamed those words as he threw a chair across the stage, mid-sermon. He was a big guy and the chair went soaring. It was an unforgettable moment. His topic that
When Jesus Is Angry Read More »
Have you ever been to an awkward wedding? Recently I heard a story of a man who, despite his deep social anxiety, decided to write and memorize his own wedding vows. Unfortunately, the wedding was held in front of a very large group of people. Things went as expected—horribly! Cringe-worthy doesn’t begin to describe it.
I Will Never Divorce You Read More »
I clearly remember being down at what used to be Tom and Lib Phillip’s field (now Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. It was a beautiful spring afternoon and I was chatting in the outfield during batting practice with one of my non-Christian teammates about God. As
Your Neighbor Probably Doesn’t Agree With You About Love Read More »
