27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. Luke 5:27 – 28 esv
Teaching
The Process
The process of life is a continuous cycle of dying and rising again. We are constantly brought to the place of letting go of one thing in order to embrace the next. It is exactly the same with our spiritual life. Let’s look at some characters in God’s Book and see this process as it plays out in their lives.
Established in the Story
From the earliest days of the Church, theology (the study of God) has been a really big deal. And so it should be! As followers of Jesus we need to know what we believe and why we believe it. Therefore, men of every age have tried to articulate the fundamentals of the Christian faith in the language of their day.
This has led to a few different types of theology. The most popular is probably systematic theology. Systematic theology seeks to lay out in orderly fashion the principle teachings of the Christian faith, using passages from all over the Bible. Another type of theology is biblical theology. This form of theology examines the various books of the sacred text to discover what they teach on various topics. Both systematic and biblical theology have their place and can make for a very interesting study.
Another form of theology that has gotten a lot of air time lately is known as narrative theology. Narrative theology looks at the grand scope of the biblical story in order to gain an understanding of God and His work in Christ. I believe this particular form of theology has some solid biblical backing. I hope you will read on and allow me to explain why.
In Favor of the Christian Calendar
Currently, the church where I serve as Pastor is on a journey toward incorporating the Christian Calendar (also known as the Liturgical Calendar) into our worship. In a day when everything fundamental to us as God’s people is being challenged, I believe this pathway of worship to be a great tool to help us stay focused on the main tenants of our faith. Read on and I will explain why.
Chapters and Verses
Let me begin by saying that I absolutely love the Bible. I have read it, pondered it, and preached it for almost 40 years. It is still as fresh and alive to me today as it was in the beginning.
While I have no problems with the Bible itself, I do have some issues with its formatting. I have to wonder if the chapters and verses are sometimes more of a hindrance than a help.
A Word to the Power Hungry
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If there is one thing every human being on the planet wants, it’s power. We want to be in control of what’s going on. If we are totally honest, we all want to rule the word. If we don’t want to rule the whole world, we at least want to be in control of what happens in ours.
Power.
We want power over people. Whether it’s a dictator seeking to control the lives of the general populace, or simply parents trying to control the behavior of their children, we want to be able to control what others do.
Power.
We even want power over God. Just think of how many books have been written over the last century telling us how to get our prayers answered. We want to be able to tell God what He should do and have Him comply. Sound about right?
To a world that is hungering and craving for power, King Jesus offers some very interesting words…
Need a Hug?
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Have you observed one of the following scenarios?
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A classmate sitting across the room who looks like they can barely hold it together?
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A lady in church standing with her face buried in her hands during the song service?
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The person sitting all by themselves in the mall who looks like they would dissolve into a puddle if someone were to ask them if everything was okay?
Sometimes when I see those people, I feel like someone (maybe me) should go up to them and ask, “Do you need a hug?” We all do from time to time. To all those who are hurting, Jesus Christ offers a very comforting word.
