MISSIONAL In his new book titled American Buffalo, Steven Rinella says that hunting a buffalo in an enclosed pen isn’t hunting. Neither can a video game player call himself a car thief because he plays the popular video game Grand Theft Auto. In a similar way the Christian life is not authentic until…

The Greeks outside the walls of Troy were unable to storm the city, but after a long war they succeeded by using the stratagem of the wooden horse. Putting some Greeks within the hollow monster, they pretended to flee and left the horse to be dragged within the gates of Troy by the infatuated Trojans.…

Men would be less in a hurry to avow their pretended faith if there were no advantages to be gained. The rower in the boat sits with his back to the shore, but is all the while pulling toward it. Many tug the oar toward the world that they pretend to have renounced. How many are like that famous painting…

California pastor and author Francis Chan recently surprised church members saying he was leaving the church he and his wife planted because he feared he liked his popularity too much. Chan explained his actions and called the church to radical service at a recent Exhibition. Chan said he was concerned…

In his book I Surrender, Patrick Morley writes that the church’s integrity problem (O, and we definitely have one!) is in the misconception “that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior.” He goes on to say, “It is revival without reformation,…

People can tell lies when they hold their tongues. There was a little girl at school who always held her hand up when the boys and girls were asked to show that they knew the answer to any question that had been put to them. One afternoon she held her hand up when she did not know the answer, and a classmate…

What is the impact of our lives and our churches on our communities? Are we fulfilling our mission to reach the world with the message of the Gospel? Or are we just marking time and creating wonderful, peaceful communities of believers who are not impacting the world? The Barna Group has released a 2015…

Preaching with Integrity by Dr. Jerry Cramer Most Christians do not listen to sermons; they listen to their pastor. Do not think for a second that God's message is not affected by the messengers. The preacher is always the strongest source of persuasion. That is why God has chosen face-to-face preaching…

A young minister had been preaching in a country village, and the sermon apparently took deep effect on the minds of the hearers. In the congregation there was a young man who felt acutely the truth of the solemn words to which the preacher had given utterance. He sought the preacher after the service,…

To have the form of godliness without the power of it is to lack constancy in your religion. It is a very hot and thirsty day, and you are riding on a camel. Suddenly there rises before you a beautiful scene. Just a little way from you are brooks of water flowing between beds of osiers and banks of reeds…

A famous comedian has a comic routine where he talks about sitting in first class on an airplane while watching other people go by to coach. He makes a comment about how whenever he sees a soldier get on the plane he thinks to himself “it would be the right thing to do...if I gave him my seat.” He then…

In Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Unleash A Revolution In Your Life in Christ, Peter Scazzero writes, “According to Gallup polls and sociologists, one of the greatest scandals of our day is that ‘evangelical Christians are as likely to embrace lifestyles every bit as hedonistic, materialistic, self-centered…

One of the definitions of integrity we usually give is a person who acts the same way in public and private. The privacy of the internet has given people a place to be anonymous. Some users who seem to have no integrity are really taking advantage of the numerous comment capabilities available on many…

FRUIT A new study released by the Barna organization found that 45 percent of Americans say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. The Barna Polling Company says based on the criterion they use, the numbers are accurate. The survey found 53 percent of Baby Boomers meet the definition of…

In The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity, Skye Jethani writes, “In Consumer Christianity, our concern is not primarily whether people are transformed to reflect the countercultural values of God’s kingdom, but whether they are satisfied — often measured by attendance…

FALSE GODS Any affection for this world is misplaced One hundred decoys were placed on the Izu peninsula of Japan to attract endangered albatrosses and encourage them to breed. For more than two years, a 5-year-old albatross named Deko tried to woo a wooden decoy by building fancy nests and fighting…

The form of godliness without the power is not worth the trouble it takes to put it together and keep it together. Imitation jewels are pretty and brilliant, but if you take them to the jeweler he will give you nothing for them. There is a religion that is all paste gems—a godliness that glitters but…

“No Man’s Sky” was one of the most anticipated video games of 2016. However, when it hit the shelves it was met with devastating criticism from the gaming community. What was supposed to be the greatest game of the year turned out to be the greatest disappointment. On Steam, the gaming platform where…

In the long line of portraits of the Doges in the palace at Venice one space is empty, and the semblance of a black curtain remains as a melancholy record of glory forfeited. Found guilty of treason against the state, Marino Falieri was beheaded and his image as far as possible blotted from remembrance.…

My observation of personal character has been somewhat wide, and I cannot help bearing my testimony that I am greatly afraid of men who make loud professions of superior sanctity. I have had the misfortune to have known, on one or two occasions, superfine brethren, who were, in their own ideas, far above…

We’re kind of like the stressed-out lady who was tailgating a cautious driver down a congested road. As the law abiding driver is about to cross a busy intersection, the light in front of him turns yellow so he immediately stops at the crosswalk – even though he could have beaten the red light by stepping…

There is no use in mere formality. If your religion is without spiritual life, what is the use of it? Could you ride home on a dead horse? Would you hunt with dead dogs? Would anyone like to go into battle with a pasteboard helmet? When the sword fell on it, what use would such a helmet be? In the depth…

Jim Thorn, chairman of the Louisiana Tax Commission, was in charge of making sure the property taxes in the state were all the on the up and up. There was only one problem. Mr. Thorn had not paid his own property taxes in 30 years. When the governor was asked about this he responded that Mr. Thorn had…

In “Being Genuine in Spiritual Practice,” Joshua Saefkow writes, “I have never considered myself a hypocrite, but a few months ago I began to wonder. Our church was hosting a movie premier for a well-anticipated faith-based film. The film brought in all sorts of people from the community. It was powerful…

If any man dares to tell me that he lives for a single day without a sinful deed, I will dare to tell him that he never knew himself. Only look at your own room. If you disturb it, I see only a little dust floating about in it, but if a stray sunbeam shall enter through the window I see millions upon…