Tag: Bible

Bible

Devotion: Hebrews 11:13-16

Chris
Each month I have the opportunity to speak and share music a couple of times at the chapel of our local nursing home.
This is the devotion I shared on a recent visit there.

Hebrews 11 is often referred to as “The Hall of Fame of Faith.” We are taking some time to look at the individuals and other teachings about faith in this chapter of Scripture.

So far we have defined faith (v.1), and spoken of several individuals who lived by faith. Abel offered a better sacrifice than his brother. Enoch walked with God and was taken into Heaven without having to die. Noah heard God’s warnings and built the Ark to save his family from the Flood. Abraham obeyed God, leaving his home when God said “Go,” he waited for the land that God promised him, and he trusted in God to do what he promised.

Then we run into verse 13 that tells us something that seems out of place about these people of faith.

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Bible, Book Reviews

Book Review: “Erasing Hell” by Francis Chan & Preston Sprinkle

Chris

erasing_hell_coverThere has been a lot of discussion over who said what and what the Bible says about Hell. If you have taken note of the discussion, or are just curious, this book will interest you.

But there is far more at stake than the “Hell” debate, and Chan & Sprinkle make it clear right from the beginning. This is about more than doctrine; it is about the destinies of human beings.

Erasing Hell is not a direct response to Rob Bell’s Love Wins book that started the recent rounds of debate. While Chan & Preston refer to Bell in a couple of chapters, it is not a Bell-bashing book. It is an investigation into the biblical description of Hell.

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Christian Living

Being A Christian Should Affect How Your Boss Sees You

Chris

You probably know the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den. Some of the top guys in the kingdom of Persia didn’t like that Daniel was getting so friendly with King Darius. So they tricked the king into signing a law that no one could pray to anyone but him for 30 days. Daniel, of course, only prayed to God, and did so three times a day. It was easy for them to catch him breaking the new law and have him sentenced to the lion’s den.

But there’s a part of this story that we might miss if we do not read the story slow enough. There is something for us to learn from Daniel and his relationship with his boss, King Darius.

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Bible, Christian Living

Be Careful How You Listen

Chris

“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a bowl or hids it under a bed. Instead, the person puts it on a lampstand so those who come in will see the light” (Luke 8:16 NCV).

Many of us have heard these words of Jesus from our youth. We have sang, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” It has been paired with the thoughts of being the salt and light of the world, and to be a light unto dark places.

But this verse is one slice of a greater message. While these are true statements and are implied and connected to these words from our Savior, they are part of something different.

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Bible

Exploring Hope – 6

Chris

If you’ve been following through our Exploring Hope posts, you might be glad to hear that this will be our last one. Some might have felt like we were going through a course to learn Klingon (a comment I received when preaching this sermon a few weeks ago). But these are the words from the Hebrew that we translate to “hope” in the Old Testament. Here is one last word that delivers an intense picture of our hope.

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