Simply Gospel

Five Bible Verses You Need to Stop Misusing Christians read (and quote) Scripture in tiny, artificial fragments all the time. And by doing so, do we alter the meaning without even realizing it. Digital Bible apps make it easier than ever to Twitterize holy writ. But we’ve been doing it for ages. Here are some of the most commonly misused Bible verses. Wonderful. I especially like the inclusion of Matthew 26:11, a verse I’ve heard too often used to justify some pretty callous worldviews. Continue reading

Why Christianity Demands Pacifism Human beings still judge poorly in their own cases. They still deceive themselves about their own righteousness. They still fool themselves into believing that their motives and intentions are pure when pride is really what’s driving them. And when these traits are amplified into collective (communal, political, national) endeavors, the logic of self-interest becomes overwhelming and inescapable. Prideful self-regard is woven into the very fabric of our fallen world. In particular cases, an individual can act out of authentic self-abnegating love for another. But as a group? That is nearly always impossible, at least in this… Continue reading

Servant Leadership At Home This was the final installment of the series I helped with at my congregation about servant leadership. This one is all about being servants at home. When we look at passages like Ephesians 5 & 6 — passages that all about loving, about submitting, about obeying, and about patient discipline — this submissive love is what makes those things possible. Because we love our spouses, we take care of them and defer when needed. Because we love our parents, we show respect and obedience. Because we love our children, we teach them God’s word and we… Continue reading

Serving Our Neighbors This is another installment in the series on servant leadership I helped with at South Boone. This one is about reaching out to our communities. To often, we try to be like the man in Luke 10, who asks Jesus: “Who is my neighbor?” But the truth is we are all neighbors. Whether you live in the house next to me or you are living in Sri Lanka, you are my neighbor, and I should be willing to share with you my time, my resources and my hope. Who is my neighbor? Only everybody Christ died for. Continue reading

Jesus, Our Servant Leader This is an installment in a series I helped deliver at my home congregation about servant leadership. You are a door to God’s love, but to be so we have to resolve to be the best humanity has to offer. We have to humble ourselves so we can serve others as our Savior did. God’s love can touch the hearts and lives of people who might never experience His grace without you. You are vital to God’s love touching as many lives as possible. You are important to His work. Every time you show love through… Continue reading

Recovering Awe When pride cannibalizes awe, it prevents us from seeing true greatness. Jesus’s childhood friends, neighbors, and even his family missed his greatness. Why? They couldn’t see past themselves. Continue reading

Diogo Morgado Puts the Carnal in Incarnate, But Was Jesus Really A Babe? While Jesus at the Transfiguration is described as sparkly as Edward Cullen, the Gospels do not describe the shape of his nose, the glossiness of his hair, or the firmness of his midsection. In fact, the traditional Hollywood portrayal of Jesus stands in stark contrast to Isaiah 53:2’s description of the coming Messiah: He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. Continue reading

The Case for Non-Resistance– Part One Nonresistance should never be confused with cowardice or fleeing from danger. Jesus does not say that when slapped on one cheek, we are to run away. We are called to stand and actively offer the other cheek—a brave deed no doubt! When a disciple is sued for his tunic (inner shirt), he is not to cry, fall to the ground, or shrink away. Jesus asks His disciple to offer his cloak (outer coat), leaving him with effectively nothing. To walk with a person an extra mile is the very opposite of cowardice or fleeing… Continue reading