Jesus once looked at a crowd of people who had mastered weather forecasting and said something startling: “You hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that you do not discern this time?” They could read clouds but couldn’t recognize that God’s kingdom had arrived in their midst.
Tag Archives: Christianity
Worship That Takes the Long View
When we gather as the church, those who lead worship must point believers to the long arc of God’s work. Christians panic because they have a short view. They unleash vitriol and sometimes violence because of fear, fear that comes from a small view of God’s work in the world. Biblical characters and honorable statesmen have always shared a similar trait: they lived (and sometimes died) for results that would often outlive them. They understood that their role was to be faithful in their generation while trusting God with the outcomes across generations. This should be true for all Christians, and that ideal is rooted in the gospel itself. The gospel teaches us that God’s ultimate victory was won not through political maneuvering or policy reform, but through the cross, an event that looked like defeat but was actually the decisive triumph over sin and death. Before we act out in panic or political rage, we should ask ourselves: Does this serve the gospel? Does this advance the eternal kingdom? Does my response demonstrate trust in the King whose kingdom cannot be shaken?
Worship in Washington: When Praise Interrupted Politics
“Where will the healing of our nation begin? Perhaps it begins exactly where it did in the Capitol Rotunda last night, with worship. Not worship as a political strategy or a cultural statement, but worship as the authentic response of hearts that have been captured by the love of Christ.
Maybe it begins when we stop trying to win arguments and start trying to win hearts through the irresistible attraction of genuine devotion. Maybe it begins when we realize that our most powerful apologetic is our capacity to worship with such joy and freedom that others want to join us.
Maybe it begins when we take seriously the words of Jesus: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). And maybe, just maybe, the world is waiting to see what it really looks like when Christians worship together, not despite our differences, but through them, finding in Christ the unity that no earthly division can destroy.
The marble floors of the Capitol Rotunda have witnessed much history. But perhaps they witnessed something new last night: a glimpse of what our nation could become when God’s people remember that our highest calling is to worship the King who has already won the ultimate victory over sin, death, and division.
In a world hungry and in need of healing, maybe worship is both the medicine and the food. Perhaps it’s time to find out.”
The Rhythm of Worship and Citizenship: Finding God’s Heart for Our Nation
When our worship shapes our citizenship this way, we become the kind of people any nation would be blessed to have, and the kind of people God can use to be a blessing to our nation.
Why the IFB Movement Can’t Stop Fighting About Worship (And Looking Back to Move Forward)
This isn’t about choosing sides in the worship wars—it’s about ending them by returning to biblical foundations that can guide authentic, gospel-shaped worship for contemporary contexts.
Between Altar and Flag: Patriotism and the Worship Service
When we consider patriotic elements in worship, we’re not asking a neutral question about cultural preference. We’re asking a deeply theological question: What kind of people is this forming us to be?
God with Us, and Us with God
Life changes when we grasp this simple truth: God is with us now, and we’re learning to be more fully with Him.
When Jesus Speaks Your Name: The Personal Power of Resurrection
Only when Jesus speaks her name—”Mary”—do her eyes open to the glorious reality before her.
The Cross at the Center: A Good Friday Devotional
The cross isn’t just central to our theology; it’s central to reality itself.
Is There Really Such a Thing as a ‘Free Lunch’?
Our world runs on carefully calculated transactions. We’re trained to believe that anything truly valuable comes with a price tag to match. “You get what you pay for” isn’t just a saying—it’s practically economic gospel.
And yet, right in the middle of our subscription-based, premium-package, upgrade-obsessed culture, God makes what sounds like a marketing scam: “Come buy… without money.”
