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Writings on Christianity

Cyril on the Incarnation

Cyril “On the Incarnation” John 1:14-18 Tomorrow morning (8/11) I am preaching at Doxa Fellowship up in Woodstock, IL, where I am filling for Steve McCoy who is on vacation.  The text we’ll be looking at is John 1:14-18. In part of the message we’ll be looking at the wonders of incarnation (God becoming man) […]

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Writings on Christianity

Overcoming Objections to Church Planting–Journey into Church Planting (Part 3)

Overcoming Objections –Journey into Church Planting (part 3) In my previous posts I mentioned my acceptance into a church planting residency and my 5 objections to church planting.   Here’s why those 5 objections should not prevent me from church planting: 1. My upbringing need not determine my future.  It doesn’t matter if I grew up […]

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Writings on Christianity

My 5 Objections to Church Planting–Journey into Church Planting (part 2)

My 5 Objections to Church Planting–Journey into Church Planting (part 2) In my last post, I mentioned the unexpected nature of my decision to enter into church-planting.  Here are five reasons why I wrote off church-planting: 1. I did not grow up in a church-planting culture.  As a child, there was zero talk about starting […]

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Writings on Christianity

Journey into Church Planting (Part 1)–Introduction

Journey into Church Planting (part 1)—Introduction “He leads me in paths of righteousness, for His Name’s sake.” Ps 23:3b Recently, I began a year-long church-planting apprenticeship at my church, Redeemer Fellowship.  This program will equip and train me to lead a new church plant and then serve as its senior pastor.  While the notion of […]

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Writings on Christianity

6 Points to Help You Talk about the Trinity (Tsouloufis)

6 Points to Help You Talk about the Trinity (Tsouloufis) My Friend Dan Tsouloufis wrote a brief explanation on how we as Christians are to talk about God as a Trinity.  I think its really helpful: As believers, we need to be able to articulate the doctrine of the Trinity in concise language that’s understandable […]

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Writings on Christianity

Jesus is God (John 1:1-2)

“I’m beginning to believe more and more that John did not think Jesus was God.”  This was a comment I heard from a Bible professor at a recent SBL (Society of Biblical Literature) conference of which I participated in.  Considering the range of people who participate in these conferences, I was not completely shocked at […]

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Writings on Christianity

Suffering For The Sake Of Christ (Phil 1:29-30)

 Suffering For The Sake of Christ For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (Phil 1:29-30 ESV) In Phil 1:29-30 […]

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Writings on Christianity

Six Fundamental Truths of Theistic Philosophy (Tsouloufis)

My friend Dan Tsouloufis is passionate about teaching and helping Christians thinking critically about their faith.  He gave me permission to share something he wrote to help Christians defend and consider a biblical worldview.  Here it is: The Six Fundamental Truths of Theistic Philosophy                 (From a Judeo-Christian Worldview)  by DanTsouloufis I feel compelled to […]

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Writings on Christianity

Jesus as Yahweh the God of Israel

JESUS AS YAHWEH THE GOD OF ISRAEL How could any Jew in the first century have considered Jesus to be God? How do understanding Jewish notions of monotheism from that period help us in this question?  British evangelical scholar Richard Bauckham has given us one of the best answers to these questions in his essay […]

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Writings on Christianity

3 Indicators God is Calling You Into Vocational Ministry

Is God calling you into vocational ministry?  How do you know?  How can you be sure? The English puritan William Perkins gives us a very helpful answer to this question in his book “The Calling of Ministry.”  To know that one is being calling into ministry requires three things: a genuine desire (affirmed by your […]