Things Above Us?

Colossians 3:1-2 is, in essence, the theme of this blog.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.[/perfectpullquote]

So how can a group of guys get together, entitle a blog “Things Above Us” in clear reference to scripture, then proceed to make sports one of the four pillars of categories alongside such heavenly minded topics as theology, evangelism and missions?

Let’s briefly (for word count purposes) examine Col 3:1-2. Mouse over the verse references to read them or just keep a copy of God’s Word open next to you or in another browser tab.

Read more

Be Like Mike?

It seems everyone in the conservative evangelical world is trying to think more creatively about what to do to get people in church. Or how to ‘be the church’, which of course you can’t ‘be the church’ if you’re not regularly gathering as a local church. In today’s post, I’d like to share an excerpt from … Read more

An Evil and Adulterous Generation

The Argument Matthew 16:4 [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.”[/perfectpullquote] One of the ways many good Christians have attempted to combat continuationism in the church is … Read more

Preparing My Heart For Another Lord’s Day

My heart aches for Sunday. If I’m honest, I don’t always have this longing as a Pastor. My old nature is very much active still. There are Saturday nights and Sunday mornings that I feel anxiety, worry, and even, dare I say, less-than-thrilled for our worship service. Those Unreliable Feelings Those feelings. Let me put it … Read more

Paul, Apostle of Christ – Movie Review

Paul, Apostle of Christ still image

Update (26 March 2018): The review is now out! —GPO Due to a something called a “film embargo,” I have been asked to temporarily remove this review until the film releases March 28. I have never been involved in movie pre-screenings so I wasn’t even aware of this practice! I will say this: A lot of … Read more

How I Became a Reformed Baptist – Part 4

This is the 4th and final post in a series on my journey to becoming a Reformed Baptist. If you haven’t read posts 1, 2, and 3 do so here, here, and here! 2018 is my 10 year anniversary of being a committed Reformed Southern Baptist. By Reformed Baptist I mean one who holds to … Read more

It Hurts Right Here

The Problem A few months ago I developed a tightness in my right Achilles tendon when squatting. When I would hit the bottom of a squat, I would feel a burning sensation where the tendon attaches to my heel. Realizing it was not correct, I stopped achieving full range of motion and began to treat … Read more

Dispensing the Gospel to a Graduate

Introduction

This is the first in a series of posts where I hope to provide training and encouragement to dear Christian brothers and sisters who want to dispense the gospel in various situations.

[bctt tweet=”For many people, giving the gospel to family and friends is especially difficult. The fear of offending the family member” username=”ThingsAboveBlog”]For many people, giving the gospel to family and friends is especially difficult. The fear of offending the family member is rational (that is, it’s likely they will be offended), and often overshadows the fear we have of the Lord’s wrath upon the sinner. Do I really want my cousin’s kid to get offended and then tell my cousin, who I’m not even that close with anymore, that I’m a religious nut? Should I be afraid to be accused of taking a time for celebration and turning it into my own personal, religious issue?

I hope that one’s desire to see the lost person saved and belief in the power of the gospel (Rom 10:17) is sufficient to get all of us to push past these fears and give out the gospel even in tough situations. Having prefaced the following with that, here is a sample letter to a recent graduate you can modify to your own liking. I also suggest a proper gift for the occasion, even if you have to ask someone to help you with that.

Read more