American Evangelicalism: A Decadent Culture?
When you hear the phrase “decadent culture,” what characteristics come to mind? Eroding morals? Licentiousness and fornication? Gluttony and drunkenness? Collapse of family values? All of the above?
The literal meaning of decadent is “a state of decline or decay.” It seems to me that, if we strip away all the mental baggage of hedonism and go back to that simple definition, then it’s accurate to say that American evangelicalism is a decadent culture.
Critique My Matthew Sermon
[It’s only fair that I submit my own sermon for critique. This is the silent sermon that introduces my personal study on the Sermon on the Mount.] Matthew 5:1-12 The Sermon on the Mount. The Magna Carta of Christianity. Matthew 5, 6 and 7. I call it the Sermon of Sermons, for a sermon is a declaration of the gospel pointing to Jesus. And Jesus’ words in these three chapters are, in my observation, the greatest sermon pointing to Himself: the Sermon of Sermons.
Critique My Ephesians Sermon
HE HIMSELF IS OUR PEACE
Based on Ephesians 2:11-22
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians makes me feel like an ant. Here I am, walking around on the earth, dealing with the countless pressures of my everyday life. Projects at work that are running late. Debts that need to be paid. Things around the house that need to be fixed. Paying attention to how my wife and children are doing. Worries about our aging parents. Worries about this church, managing the building and wanting this congregation to prosper. I’m like an ant in rainstorm, getting pelted with huge raindrops. My little ant-world is flooding; I’m up to my neck in water, and I’m about to get swept away. When I try to pray, the only words that come to mind are:
God, what am I supposed to do?
Francis Chan’s Anointed Sermon
Francis Chan preached in Kansas City at the One Thing 2013 IHOP conference on Dec 30, 2013. A friend who attended sent me the link to Chan’s sermon. I was moved to tears by Chan’s passion. This is my recollection and my brief reflections of his sermon after watching it once. Continue reading →
Yet Not I, But The Grace of God That Was With Me
1 Corinthians 15:10
“ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. “ (NIV)
This is for all those who preached grace and talked grace, but held onto some forms of legalism in the deep crevices of their hearts. This is my story and I pray it may set free, someone who was struggling as I was. This one is for you!
My Journey of Recovery
Ever feel like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? Ever feel crushed and suffocated by the weight of your burdens? As a member of ubf, I felt crushed every single day for 24 years. No matter what I did, the burden was still there. The burden would not go away. Even when I left the intense daily scrutiny of a personal shepherd in order to pioneer a new ubf chapter, I could not escape the ever-present burden. I felt like the weight of the world was on my back. Yet I toiled onward, thinking I was a holy soldier for Jesus. I thought I was being a blessing to the world and pleasing to God. As I continue my journey of recovery from decades of ubf lifestyle, I am compelled to share some realizations I’ve come across so far.
What I Experienced at the 2013 WCA GLS
Each year since 1995, Willow Creek Association in Chicago has hosted a two day leadership conference called the Global Leadership Summit. In 2013, that summit has grown to reach 98 countries and to have participation from 14,000 churches represented by over 90 denominations. The GLS is truly a global movement. This year 75,000 church leaders in America attended and over 95,000 more are signed up to attend as each host country presents the summit talks around the world in the next several months. Here is what I saw at this yearly summit (yes yearly, not every four years or every other year).
The Gospel of Christ Vs. The Gospel of Mission
During my ten years of Bible study in UBF, I was taught many wonderful truths. Some of those truths led me into a personal relationship with my Lord Jesus, helped me to accept His forgiveness, and become a new creation in Him. However, mixed in with those wonderful, timeless truths, there were elements that I’d call “the gospel of mission.” See how the “gospel of mission” as I understood it compares and contrasts with the gospel as I’m learning about it now: Continue reading →
Jesus is Lord
When Christians preach the gospel of Jesus they say to their converts that “Jesus is our Savior and Lord”. We all discuss UBF here and we all know what UBF is, what it teaches and preaches. To newcomers UBF shepherds preach Jesus as their Savior. When newcomers come to know Jesus the Savior the Holy Spirit gives them new birth and makes them Christians. Then in the life of the newborn Christians in UBF starts what we call here “abuse”. It is because after the new birth young students are not taught the lordship of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
Godly Sorrow – Part 1
Recently I discovered a gem of Christian sermons. It is Spurgeon’s sermon “Godly Sorrow and Sorrow”. I am compelled to share this today as I am convinced this sermon, and the text it is based upon, speaks directly to the ubf context. I have pointed out repeatedly that I care little for the changes that are occurring in ubf, even as we speak. The changes are good and necessary, yet count as nothing to me. Change and reform are essential, and will continue to occur as they always have. Yet I am not impressed with any change in ubf so far. But why? What am I looking for?
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