The Practical Disciple

In my last post, I shared with you the three stages of sin: Acceptance, Support, and Active Participation. I also shared how those each get reflected in the story of Saul’s life as he became a persecutor of early believers. If you didn’t read that article, I recommend you check it out.   The midpoint of Paul’s descent, the stage I would refer to as “supporting sin”, was a stage in which he was not … Read entire article »

Have you ever found yourself doing something you never thought you would? Have you ever found yourself trapped in a sin wondering how did I ever get here? If you have, then you probably passed through several stages of sin without noticing. Bold sin often isn’t something you leap into, rather instead you creep into it.     Over the next three posts you will learn about the 3 stages of sin and how to escape … Read entire article »

The cross was not a piece of jewelry, wall ornament, poster, or tattoo. The cross was not beautiful. The cross was a blood-stained electric chair smeared with urine and fecal matter. The cross was a guillotine encrusted with bits of flesh and matted hair from a thousand decapitated criminals. …A dirty syringe silencing a beating heart …A gas chamber covered in claw marks. The cross was a thief, stealing sons from mothers. It was a calloused … Read entire article »

This past week I preached on the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. That story lifts up a rather discomforting fact. Simply this–Evil is a predator. I know a couple of things about predators from spending time in the woods. First off, predators attack animals they believe they can take down. They look for something smaller, perhaps injured or weakened.   So, it doesn’t surprise me that the story as record in … Read entire article »