Simplified Christianity

Probably the largest number of artists to work on a single picture were the 130 who helped paint the Pantheon de la Guerre in France between 1914 and 1918. This gigantic panorama of the first World War is 402 feet long by 45 feet high and contains - besides battlefields, flags, monuments and symbolic figures - the life-sized portraits of 6,000 war heroes and leaders of 15 countries. We are a lot like the picture mentioned above... It would be arrogant of us to claim that we are the only artist at work on the painting of our life. This means that it is vital to choose properly those who will be adding to the panorama and that we must be careful and considerate when it is our turn to pick up the paintbrush for others' murals. Read the following chapter of Ephesians (chapter 2) and notice how Paul addresses our inborn need for support and unity. "1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince...

Ephesians 1 "1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. {A} In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ , according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 {B} In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time,...

Read 2 Chronicles 7:1-22 What if Solomon would have truly taken to heart what God said in 2 Chronicles 7:14? What if Solomon had heard the warnings and heeded them? What if Solomon had kept his humility instead of allowing the pleasing words of people like the Queen of Sheba distort his values? Solomon is widely considered, even by many in the secular world, to be the wisest man who ever lived. This is not merely coincidental, nor is it due to his years and years of studying at the finest universities in the Middle East. Solomon's incredible wisdom is attributed to a 'once in a lifetime' discussion with God where YHWH simply extended the offer to Solomon to pick whatever he desired. Many of us would dream of that situation because, selfishly, we think about the money, homes, jobs, etc that we would ask for because we believe that would improve our lives somehow. God gives Solomon this choice and the rookie king chooses wisdom over possessions, wealth, honor, or the life o...

READ Jonah 1-4 What if Jonah had gone to Nineveh the first time God told him to go? Would it change the account in some way to see Jonah fully obey God in the first place? Would it change our opinions of Jonah (or even of God for that matter) concerning the Ninevites had he simply replied with "Your will be done"? As you read the story recorded in the book that bears his name, you find a character in Jonah who appears to be selfish, self-centered, bitter for reasons we do not know from just a reading of his account, and quite obviously stubborn. However, as God informs him of his assignment, we see an anger in Jonah that results in blatant disobedience. (v.3 "But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.") In taking that first step in the opposite direction of the Lord's assignment, Jonah sets out on a course that can be described as frightening, disturbing, sad, but also educational, surprising, and even spiritual. So, again, I ask, what i...

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God..." A simple refrain that we have read, memorized, stated, and even sung on numerous occasions. We have looked into the eyes of our children and taught them the song that accompanies the words in Matthew 6:33. We have looked into the eyes of those who are dealing with trials and tribulations in this life and have called to mind the words found in Matthew 6:33. We have even, in some cases, written those words on a notecard and taped it to our mirrors in our homes to remind us of what is to be first and foremost in our lives. The simple challenge in reading this verse is not whether you can recall the years of singing, reading, and studying that you have done concerning this verse, instead it is the challenge that comes with realizing that I do not consistently put God first in my life. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God gives us an "if-then" proposition... "... if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and s...

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." - Aesop In some ways, the culture and society our children are growing up in is more sensitive and more aware of the need to be kind. Our social media pages and airwaves are filled with messages of acceptance, tolerance, and the pressing need for a lack of passing judgment. However, in other ways, it appears our culture and our society has become even less drawn to the actions of being kind. Words impressed on a cool background that say how we should be kind are good to put on your desktop or as the lock screen of a phone, but do those words grow into any form of action? Many teenagers are confronted on a daily basis by bullies (both physically and by cyber means) whose intentions are to crumble and break apart any foundation of confidence that has been built. Many young children are confronted on a daily basis by bullies in their school who are desiring some type of "pecking order" and therefore will atte...

The book of Ecclesiastes is filled with words of wisdom, filled with ideas about what it means to survive your own poor choices, and, ultimately, filled with one major idea about what it takes to live a life that is full. READ Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 "The end of the matter; all has been heard..." This is not a statement of opinion, nor is it an open door for future discussions about what is going to be stated next... Rather, it is a full statement of fact, intended to let the reader (or hearer) know that what follows this statement is to be considered the end-all, be-all statement on the matters that have been discussed previously. When you read back through the book of Ecclesiastes, you find that Solomon covered everything under the sun (quite literally, he states that throughout the book). It is the basic concept that everything else has already been discussed and talked about ad nauseam. In other words, as the statement goes, "I have said all of these things to say ...

"God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself because it is not there. There is no such thing." - C.S. Lewis In studying the peace of Christ more fully and closely over the past weekend, it has come to my attention in a earth-shattering way that I have no idea what it means to be completely at peace. For far too long, peace was nothing more than a word I tossed around while teaching or preaching to those who I felt did not understand it. However, what I have come to realize is that the one who was tossing that word around did not have the slightest grip on what peace actually entails. READ Philippians 4:4-9 Over the weekend, Dan Winkler lead a study on the "Peace of Christ" found in the book of Philippians. Our study centered on Philippians 4:4-9 and he put in front of our eyes five commands given by God if we claim we desire His peace: 1) Rejoice 2) Be Known For Gentleness 3) Don't Worry About Anything 4) Let Your Requests Be Made Known...

"You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not let that open to us. He did not intend to." - C.S. Lewis How many great teachers can you name? I am certain there are a few that come to mind when I ask you to think about the educators who invested in making you the person you are today. For some, it could be that third grade teacher who spent extra time making sure you were prepared for the standardized tests by having you and other students arrange for tutoring in the areas where you were struggling (looking at you, Mrs. Stevenson). For others, it might be that fifth grade teacher that caught you cheating, punished you appropriately, and then taught you one of the greatest lessons you have ever heard... "Scott, this is not who you are intended to be... you are made to be something better ...

Read Psalm 46 today... multiple times... In this psalm, God is described in a couple of different ways: 1) A fortress or a protector and 2) A ruler... Too many times in my own personal life I have tried to move God out of the decision making role in my life because I believe that I have a better idea or a better grasp on the things that are happening. The thing is, what almost always happens is that I look back and see wreckage that could have been avoided had I simply followed what I knew to be God's will for my life. The reason I feel that way? Because we serve a God who has promised to protect us and defend us against the wiles or plans of the evil one... The one caveat being that we must follow His rule without question. Here in this psalm we see this played out as God is declared to be our fortress and our helper, but in the end of the psalm (v.10), the reader is reminded by God Himself to be still and know that He is God. Why trust an unknown future to a shaky decision make...

"Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12) Isn't it interesting that this quote comes at the end of a section about how the children of Israel serve as our example of how NOT to be wholly committed to God? What do you really think was their issue? Was it bitterness, was it anger, was it disappointment, or was it their pride and their believing that they were more important than they actually were? As I read another popular passage of Scripture, James 4:10 - "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.", I see that it is also at the end of a section concerning how NOT to behave. In the case of the passage in James, we have our eyes opened to the fact that all of our problems stem from a loss of focus. Instead of seeing God as our all-knowing, all-powerful Creator, we treat Him as just another voice in the crowd. Humility is not beating yourself up constantly so that everyone can visibly witness yo...

Read 1 Peter 3:18-22 "18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.​" The ESV uses the term "suffered" where other translations use the more blunt term of "died". I believe the ESV to be more impactful here because when you consider what Jesus went through to offer us s...

Silence… It can be the most uncomfortable of moments and yet can provide you with the greatest opportunity for growth Silence… It can create the most awkward of situations and yet can provide you with the truest sense of peace you will ever know Silence… It can destroy a relationship and yet can open the door for God to heal the brokenness Silence… It can give a sense of rejection and yet can also create a sense of belonging Habakkuk 2:18-20 “What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it. But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him.” Silence… before the Lord Almighty… Silence… in honor of His power and might… Silence in awe of His glory… But what do w...

A Simple Look At Church Attendance Today, I hope you  read  this in a loving tone, and not an accusatory one... I  believe  the Lord's church is struggling with identity due to some misunderstandings about what God desires from His children... Please read, share, comment and don't shy away from discussion... Read Hebrews 10:19-39 1) Hebrews 10:25 is one of the most misused, misrepresented pieces of Scripture in the history of Christianity. —> this is not hyperbole, it is fact… so many well-meaning preachers, teachers, and Christians have mistakenly leapt to the rescue of their ne’er do well delinquent friends and have shoved this verse into their face in an effort to guilt those people back to church… and then have had the audacity to go home and pat themselves on the back believing that would be the way Jesus would have operated! Honestly, the likelihood of that working has to be very close to zero point zero percent. So, how do we convey the message o...