To be associated with Jesus is costly. There is not a neat and tidy association with him. We see that even among his own family and friends Jesus himself had a hard time (cp. Mark 6:1-6). We see that Jesus, quite aware of the toll following him may take on his disciples, prepares his followers READ MORE
Holiness
Four Lies About Hell
Doing away with Hell is in vogue today. Our increasingly fuzzy evangelicalism is determined to not just water it down, but make it go away. After all, we say, God is a loving God and would never be so cruel as to punish people for eternity. For him to do so would be morbid, heinous, READ MORE
Prayer @Home
One of the greatest responsibilities family leaders have is cultivating a vibrant dynamic of prayer both for themselves and for those they love. This world can strip of us of a lot of things, but no one or nothing can take away our ability to have personal communion with the Most High God. Affirming this READ MORE
How I Go to Worship
I wear on my wrist a little black band that says One With Them. It’s in the shape of barbed wire, and evokes the tragic image of Christians imprisoned the world-over for their faith in Jesus Christ. It reminds me to pray for them. It reminds me to remember them. It reminds me to not READ MORE
How Do We “Cast Out” Legalism?
How do we “cast out” (see Galatians 4:30) the legalists and their petty notions from our lives? This is an important question for any of us suffocating under the heavy weight of self-proclaimed spiritual masters of our spiritual destinies. Consider the following ideas: First, we must affirm the truth that our relationship with God is based exclusively READ MORE
Taking God’s Story Above & Beyond
At Bethel Church we are continuing a very important sermon series entitled “Living Above & Beyond.” The purpose of the whole series, and this season in which we find ourselves, is to equip followers of Jesus to live above and beyond material slavery, spiritual complancency, and small-minded eternal vision. We want God to meet us READ MORE