Chrysostom wrote about the importance of allowing the Spirit to enlighten the things of God, as we need the Spirit to understand spiritual things.
But the person without the Spirit does not receive what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually. (1 Corinthians 2:14 CSB)
I am a little bit of a perfectionist. Maybe I have a touch of OCD. I like to get things right and it kills me a little every time I find out that I have it wrong. This leads me to pick at details.
It is interesting to note how both God and the devil are attributed to being “in the details.” I do not know if there is any psychology behind which phrase you utilize, but the main point is the value and virtue of getting details right. So, honestly, I can get a little nitpicky when it comes to God and the Bible, or life in general. It is one of things my wife and daughters love about me.
Do you ever get that feeling where you know something and you have to get it out? That is where these “Nitpicky Pastor” posts are going to come from. They are kind of soap-boxy and may elicit strong feelings. Hopefully they encourage us to think about these concepts more. Like this first post…
Are you familiar with John 3:16? It is a staple of Bible memorization. “For God so loved the world …” Can you finish the quote? In this verse we find God’s unfathomable promise to those who choose to put their faith in Jesus.
I learned this verse in the mid-1980s from the King James Version. It was probably close to my first exposure to “thee” and “thou” and verbs ending in “eth”. I guess my brain dropped the King James-ness of the verse as I assumed my memory was of the New International Version (NIV1984) or New King James (NKJV). All three of these make use of one important word which newer versions swap out. Can you guess what it is?
Continue reading “The Nitpicky Pastor: Eternal vs Everlasting Life”
Life is complicated. The world swirls around us in what can feel like ever-increasing chaos. There are pressures put on us by others: work, spouse, children, society, church. And there are pressures we put on ourselves: professional aspirations, finance goals, character development, comparison with others.
Life is also hard. It takes effort, investment, perspiration. If we allow life to “just happen” to us, we get tossed by a current that is unrelenting and unforgiving. “Along for the ride” is a hazardous approach to life, for the highs and lows will feel like an extreme roller coaster, and the scars will be worse than taking a boogie board through white water rapids.
Thankfully, life is not meant to be a solo endeavor. We are designed for community. This is much more than the presence of others, though. It includes the participation of others. Asking others to help us evaluate the complications and hardships of life is even a default setting for us; we often seek the input of others. And when we are disciples of Jesus, we should prioritize fellow believers as a source for godly input.
Continue reading “A Case for Asking Other Christians for Advice”
When do you start putting up Christmas decorations? Some people get started in October, others wait until the November holidays have passed, and some like to do it in the final days before Christmas.
Getting ready for Christmas means in northern North America means Christmas lights. The winter season means even our waking hours are dark more than see the sun. It is helpful to have Christmas lights brighten our homes and countenance.
One of our first steps is often to check the lights to make sure they work. At least, it helps to make it an earlier part of the process. It is important that the majority of the light bulbs are bright and clear. If only one or a few lights are working we will probably replace it.
A strand of lights can remind us of an important truth about the Church, both local assemblies and the greater Body of Christ.
Continue reading “The Lesson a String of Lights Teaches about the Church”
I have one of those online accounts to document and explore my family tree. It seems like a lot of people do. As of 2023, Ancestry.com boasted to have 25 million users.[1] That is an enormous amount of people looking to connect who they are today, to who has gone before them, and combine all of their “branches” into one story.
It is a fun, though not always easy pastime. And it can come with some pricey expenses, whether it’s a monthly website subscription or trips to far away places in an effort to track down information and documentation.
As a Christian, I am also part of a spiritual family tree. Thankfully the greatest “price” was paid by Someone else, and the “documentation” is rather handy. But just like researching a physical family tree, as we dig through and consider the information available, we may find out we have some branches missing or connected in the wrong places.
Continue reading “Am I Living on the Wrong Branch of the Family Tree?”
Paul told Christians to use the Armor of God to fight against the “evil tricks” of our spiritual enemy: “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11, CSB).
It is always interesting to see how far preachers and teachers will go with their illustration of the armor. Will be it Medieval or Roman in style? Are they going to put it on piece by piece, or have someone else model it for us? I recently thought a preacher could use a Minecraft type of “armor stand” to help us see each element for more than a few seconds.
If we walked around, dressed in a visible set of the Armor of God, we would be an impressive sight. But what good will the Armor do us if we do not know how to attack or defend? What if we are short-circuiting the power of our primary weapon?
Continue reading “The Weakness in Our Weapon (Sword of the Spirit, Part 2)”
Chris MacKinnon 