Throughout the Bible when God’s people/prophets experience opposition or persecution in their prayers they often beg God to not forgive. In the book of Nehemiah, as the walls of Jerusalem begin being rebuilt some detractors start insulting and criticizing the project. Nehemiah prays to God saying, “Hear, O God, for we are despised. Turned back […]
“Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid,” (Jn 19:41). Because of Adam’s sin, everyone must eventually go into the ground. But because of Christ’s sacrifice, everyone can come back out of the ground. How fitting […]
5 Evangelism Principles from Christ After the Resurrection Part 1 Often we attend church growth seminars looking for an evangelistic program that can be replicated in our church. A program that is easy to follow, all-inclusive, we can plug in and go. However, the problem with a program-driven approach to evangelism is that every church […]
Originally posted on Richie Halversen:
Amos 8:11 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. Whether we want to admit it or not preaching is a vital…
Quite a few years ago a gentleman come up to me after a 12 Step meeting asking if we could talk. He was totally broken and desperately looking for a way out of the destruction his disease had caused. “How did you do it?” he asked me. “Because I keep trying, trying, and trying but […]
Sometimes we think that we are communicating the gospel because we get up and preach sermons or share our faith on Facebook or we are constantly talking about Jesus. But unless there is a connection there can be no communication. According to Sydney Harris, “Information is giving out while communication is getting through.” As disciples, […]
Building Bridges Unfortunately, one of the greatest obstacles to Christian communications has been Christians. Speaking to people who have left the church they almost always tell me the reason they left was due to the way they were treated, or because of how certain Christians acted, not because of doctrine. This is why to effectively […]
I am working on a series of articles on the subject of effective gospel communication. Good communication is everything. Sydney J. Harris said, “the two words ‘information’ and ‘communication’ are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through. As Christians, our responsibility to announce good news […]
Several years ago I had the privilege to do the daily devotions for a Reformation Tour with Star Travel, (shout out to Gerald & Kathleen Martin for the best Reformation tour in the world: http://www.starmountaintravel.com/). Toward the end of the tour, while in Rome, we visited the Lateran Baptistery which stands adjacent to St John […]
The Cross wasn’t always the predominant sign of Christianity. For centuries the cross was a pagan symbol of pain and torture. Rome used the cross to strike fear into the hearts of the world and discourage any troublemakers or rabble-rousers, (like Jesus). The cross did not start becoming a positive, publically accepted, symbol of Christianity […]
Richie Halversen 