The 72nd episode of my podcast has just been published.
Now is a good time to go back and re-read Warning: The World is Watching How We Christians Treat One Another.
Why do so many people not want to have anything to do with Jesus? It’s because of the cruel, harsh, self-righteous, and judgmental attitude that some professing “Christians” level against their fellow believers.
“Why would I want to be part of that bunch!?” . . . is the common response by so many non-Christians today.
Yesterday, I got the sad news that Rick Warren’s youngest son committed suicide. Here’s a short explanation with quotes from Rick himself. Continue Reading…
I wanted to play this short video for Resurrection Weekend. It not only reminds us about the mighty act of God to deliver His people during the first Passover — a shadow of what the death and resurrection of Jesus portrays — but it’s a great encouragement to all of you who are going through a tough time right now and are seeking God’s deliverance and salvation. Remember, we walk by faith not by sight. It is faith in God’s promises that moves the Lord to act on our behalf. Fear is the opposite of faith. To the child of God who is walking in love, God’s word is always “Fear not.”
He is Risen!
We’ve just uploaded the three keynote messages I delivered at a Deeper Christian Life conference in Texas. The messages are entitled The Deeper Journey: Parts I, II, and III.
You’ll want to listen to them in that order as each talk builds upon the other.
Based on the reception, you don’t want to miss these messages and you can hear them for free.
You can listen to the messages on iTunes, RSS feed, or straight on your computer. Just click the preferred way at the bottom of this post.
I really love modern technology because it allows a series of messages that were delivered to a live audience of about 300 to reach hundreds of thousands all over the world. This is the genius of podcasting.
A friend of mine recently gave me the tagline — The Deeper Journey – as a way to describe my ministry. I can’t improve upon it as it defines all of my work in a few words. As you’ll discover when you hear these 3 messages, the title is fitting for them as well.
Enjoy. Continue Reading…
In Revise Us Again, I argued at length that the Christian life is becoming who you already are.
In Ephesians, Paul says two times to “speak the truth in love” to one another. In context, Paul is exhorting God’s people to remind one another of who they are in Christ . . . to remind one another about the new self into which they have been made . . . to remind one another of their true identity. Something that’s all too easy to forget.
If you have received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, here’s a list of who you really are. Marvel at the epic greatness of your Lord and what He has done for you.
Receive it, remember it, and walk in it . . . Continue Reading…
“And He is before ALL THINGS, and by Him ALL THINGS consist. And he is the Head of the Body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in ALL THINGS He might have the preeminence.”
~ Colossians 1:17-18
“. . . According to His good pleasure which He has PURPOSED in Himself: that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one ALL THINGS in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him.”
~ Ephesaians 1:9-10
“And [God] has put ALL THINGS under His [Christ’s] feet, and gave Him to be the Head over ALL THINGS to the church.”
~ Ephesians 1:22
Often when Christians come into a deeper understanding and experience of grace, they lose sight of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I’ve addressed this problem on the blog before in detail. However, I want to revisit it in light of God’s eternal purpose.
The eternal purpose of God is centered upon making the absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ a visible reality. God’s goal is the establishment of the complete sovereignty and supremacy of His Son. His driving passion is to make His Son preeminent over all things. All of God’s activities are toward this end. Hence, the chief work of the Holy Spirit in this age is to establish the absolute Lordship of Christ in the universe.
Accordingly, the Holy Spirit will break down and devastate everything that opposes, obstructs, and hinders the Lord’s sovereign rule in the hearts of His people. He will stand against all that gets in the way of God’s ultimate intention of establishing the centrality and supremacy of His Son over all things. Strikingly, before Christ can be made preeminent over all things, He must first have the preeminence among His own people. Colossians 1:18 puts it this way, Continue Reading…
Not long ago, someone asked me the following question:
“Frank, I’m a new author and I’ve been getting some criticism over my new book. I know you’re not a stranger to criticism because of the controversial things you’ve written in years past. Can you give me some advice on how to handle criticism? I don’t think I’m doing a good job with it. Thanks.”
Anyone who is making an impact is going to draw fire. It’s written in the bloodstream of the universe. An oft-repeated platitude is, “If you’re flying over the target, you’re going to catch flack.”
Or as Elbert Hubbart stated, “To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”
If you are someone who is putting (or will one day put) your hand to the plow of God’s work, you will invite criticism. And the more valuable your contribution is to the kingdom of God, the more severe the criticism will be.
In answer to the above question, here’s what I believe the Lord has taught me about handling criticism. In short, there are three kinds of critics and each should be responded to differently. Continue Reading…
Since Jesus was human “in every way that we are, except without sin” (Hebrews 4:15), it is not surprising that He showed anger. His anger never ran wild, however, and anger danger was never an issue with Him.
But Jesus often got angry at His disciples, especially Peter. He got angry with the Pharisees. Jesus got angry with the priests and publicans of the temple. It is very revealing what ticked Jesus off. Of course, we are encoded beings, and human nature is not the same in all ages. If Jesus exhibited the seven basic facial expressions that correspond to seven basic emotions recognized by people from all cultures, the emotion ascribed to that face would depend on the broader context in which it occurred. What sparks anger in particular can differ radically from one age to another.
The Range of Jesus’ Ire is Impressive
The range of Jesus’ ire is impressive. For example, within a very short period of time in Jesus’ life, three things made Him see red, and each one reveals something important about the essence of the Gospel. In this post, we’ll just look at one of them . . . along with His greatest irritant. Continue Reading…
Last year, Mike Morrell interviewed Leonard Sweet and me on our book Jesus: A Theography. Here is the complete interview. (Note: From now until February 3rd, Jesus: A Theography and Jesus Manifesto are on sale for only $8.00. Click here for the discount.)
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Mike Morrell: “Theography?” What’s a theography?
Len: “Theography” literally means “the story of a god.” Even though I’m not averse to coining words (some would call that an understatement), we did not make up the word “theography.” It’s an actual genre of literature which has a long history. Rather than write a “biography of God” (Jack Miles) or a “history of God” (Karen Armstrong), we decided to lay our cards on the table and write the story of someone we believe is, as the Nicene Creed puts it, “God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made.”
Frank: A theography is a theological biography. The book, therefore, tells the story of Jesus, beginning from eternity (John 1:1), all the way through the Old Testament (where Christ is foreshadowed, prefigured, and prophesied about), all the way through the New Testament and ending in Revelation. It seeks to marry theology with biography, bringing together Christology with historical Jesus studies. Continue Reading…
Stress is a part of life. But it can be toxic to your health — emotional, spiritual, and physical — if it’s not managed properly. Consequently, learning how to handle it is imperative.
Here are 10 ways that I’ve found helpful in handling stress in my own life. Perhaps you can add some that have worked for you: Continue Reading…
