The Lord has been at work in my life and has been teaching me many things, of which I hope to share a small bit with you here. God is always at work, really, even when we aren’t aware of it. Over the last bit of my life, however, I have been afforded the kindness of being more aware of it than normal.

God is the original horticulturist. But he doesn’t grow the expected fruits. Of course, he is the one who is all-around responsible for the growth of all the pomegranates, avocados, peaches, pears, and plums, but he is also the cultivator of a different and even better fruit, a spiritual fruit.

“You mean, all I have to do is drink this cup and I’ll be forgiven? All my sins will be wiped away?” Yes! Only in this cup, this blood, can God and man come and live together.

The following is a sermon manuscript delivered at a Men’s Fellowship on July 15, 2022 at Freedom Church in Dayton, OH.

Paul condemns this ideology and hermeneutic at the beginning of chapter 5.  The reality is, that legalism does not appease God.

Many people want to forget their past and feel the relief of forgetting the shame they have experienced, and if that is the goal then the world has a plethora of options to choose from.

So when we look at children, what are we supposed to see? Children are helplessly dependent and this in turn forces their humility.

I don’t think it is possible to have a genuine relationship with someone without eventually conversing about suffering and sharing the ways that you have suffered in this life. We all suffer.

Paul knew full well the issues in the Corinthian church at that present moment. He did not set into writing this letter without full knowledge of the status of this congregation.

Picture Ahithophel’s king, David, sleeping on his comfortable couch. He raises out of his slumber, stretches his arms, yawns, and shuffles his feet beneath himself, hoping to touch his elusive sandal with his ever-searching hallux.

Pragmatism is the practical or realistic approach to solving problems or the idea that the results themselves confirm the validity of the methods used and is often found in Christian circles. For example, if a method of evangelism doesn’t work by people confessing Christ, then one will look for another or different method to use for evangelism.

Picture Ahithophel’s king, David, sleeping on his comfortable couch. He raises out of his slumber, stretches his arms, yawns, and shuffles his feet beneath himself, hoping to touch his elusive sandal with his ever-searching hallux.

The world is not as it should be. No surprises there. After all, looking at the front page of any news outlet immediately reveals how messed up things are. How is it, then, that a large percentage of Westerners believe that there is no such thing as absolute truth?