Over the past several decades American churches have been pushing small groups. The stated goal of these groups is to build community. Many books have been written about how to build community through small groups. However, community is the wrong…
The Bible Is Not Designed To Make Us Feel Good
We live in a society that is big on self-esteem. There is a lot of effort to make people feel good about themselves. Unfortunately, Christians have bought into this mindset and we expect Church and the Bible to make us…
Anger Is Not Necessarily Wrong
When there is a public display of anger, we tend to be somewhat embarrassed and uncomfortable. Inherent within that reaction is an assumption that anger is wrong. Ephesians 4 says “Be angry and yet do not sin.” This means there…
Prayer Is Giving, Not Receiving
It’s easy to fall into the trap of viewing prayer as simply a list of things we want. Sometimes we treat God like He is a genie in a bottle. The Bible uses incense to teach us to think about…
Seek To Please God, Not Ourselves
We live in a narcissistic society where our goal is to please ourselves and make ourselves feel good. The Bible reminds us we should have a different goal. For example, Exodus 29 tells us the burnt offering sacrificed at Aaron’s…
God Does Not Give Instant Gratification
We have been conditioned to expect instant gratification. Microwaves train us to expect food and drink on demand; the internet trains us to expect information and services on demand; and Amazon trains us to expect consumer products on demand. In…
Casual Piety is Not Acceptable
In recent years it is common for Christians to dress casually and consume food and drink while attending church services. And Church attendance has become sporadic. Unfortunately, Christians also practice casual piety, meaning we do not treat Yahweh with fear…