Christian Foundations: May 6 to July 22
Over the next three months, we’re going to review the basics of the Christian faith. What do Christians believe about the world, about God and about the meaning of life? Why do we believe these things? Here’s what the series will look like: May 6 Creation May 13 Sin & Salvation May 20 Amazing Grace June 3 Why believe the Bible? June 10 Who was Jesus, really? June 17 Do we need the church? June 24 The purpose of life July 1 God July 8 Why do...
Read MoreTestimony
When someone enters the witness stand in a court room and declares, “This is what I saw and this is what I heard”, their testimony has a powerful influence on the outcome of the trial. The judge or jury can’t simply ignore what a credible witness has to say from personal experience. Our testimony concerning what we have experienced of the presence and power of God in our lives can also have a powerful influence. There is a unique authenticity in having a person say, “This is what I have experienced...
Read MoreNo Fear (Part 3)
The second question has to do with the nature of our salvation: How can we have assurance in the face of our failure to live up to the fulness of what God has given to us in Christ? How easy is it to lose our salvation and can we keep bouncing in and out of God’s eternal kingdom based on how well we’re doing at honouring God with our lives? I notice that Jesus quite often spoke those words to His disciples: “Don’t be afraid!” Usually it happened when they were in situations where they had every right to...
Read MoreNo Fear (Part 2)
There are many Christians who struggle with a kind of fear that they feel is particular to them, the struggle with doubts about their salvation. They read convicting verses of Scripture and believe that they have somehow separated themselves from God’s mercy and grace and that they no longer have standing as sons and daughters of God. This is a very painful place to be and causes an intense fear and a deep grief at what they feel they might have lost. The answers to such doubts have nothing to do with trying...
Read MoreNO FEAR?
Whatever happened to “No Fear”? That was a trendy slogan a few years back, but it has very little in common with the true feelings of North Americans today. Fear is everywhere in our world, and includes fear of economic collapse, fear of terrorism, fear of insignificance or powerlessness and the many fears promoted daily on television news. I think it’s important for us to discern the movements of our culture, because they often show us what spiritual forces are “having their way” in our times. One of...
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