Podcasts + Posts

To understand the gifts more, it’s helpful to outline what they are— like we’ve done in the previous two talks (here and here). By now, you probably recognize where you’ve seen them in action.

It’s also helpful to articulate what these supernatural manifestations...

In the previous talk we referenced 1 Corinthians 12:1-7. That passage helped inform our definition of the gifts. 

In his next few lines, Paul provides us with a short list of some of the  ways in which the Spirit expresses Himself through us. That is, after defining the gifts, he...

Something perplexed me for several years after I became a Christian. I was taught that our spiritual gifts were a result of our “second birth.” I still believe that to be true.

Here’s where the confusion came for me… 

Looking back at my life, I’ve always been...

There’s something unique about the church, something sacred that goes far beyond bricks and mortar and the land upon which we build our houses of worship… something that even outshines her purpose. Other institutions own property. Other organizations have mission statements. Neither...

When I was in high school, a lot of people in the church found themselves talking about two things: the rapture and the “will of God.” The Left Behind series was in full force, so people everywhere began wondering if they’d make the cut. (Would they get out, or would they find...

There’s an interesting tension we find in the New Testament: Jesus is the Word of God and Jesus does the Word of God. We’re consistently confronted with deciding the proper place of each “Word.” 

The Pharisees thought the written words were more important than the...

I understand if the previous talk caught you off guard. So before going forward, let’s step back and see just how “in line” the things I communicated to you are.

Here’s how I propose to achieve that: In seminary I learned a deliberate and “safe” process...

Throughout the Book of Acts we see at least five instances of people encountering the Holy Spirit in a way which is clearly identified as being separate (and in addition to) salvation.  Now, although my friend Van (I mentioned him in the previous talk) would have loved to create a formula...

Before Jesus ascended to the throne, He told His disciples to remain in Jerusalem and “wait for the promise of the Father.” He reminded them that John the Baptizer submerged people in water, but they would be immersed in the Holy Spirit within a few days (see Acts 1:4-5 ESV).

If we...

I read an interesting story about a French village that got sacked during World War II. Lush with vegetation and well-drawn water, the small locale in Northern France was ripe for the picking of the Axis forces. Though they occupied the houses and public buildings as their own for a season, when...