Provocative Christian Living is radical, it is about getting to the root of what it means to be a follower of Jesus
Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. I continue to be perplexed at the anger and rejection that so many Christians heap on people whose sin is obvious and public. What befuddles me is that this is about as far from doing what Jesus did as you can get. I look …
Continue reading Blessed are the Merciful: The Irony of Angry Christians
So in the first Beatitude Jesus tells us we are spiritually bankrupt. Okay so now what do you do with that? Simple: You mourn. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4 Jesus said that those who recognize that they are "poor in Spirit", what I called spiritually bankrupt, will in …
There is a history in much of the church that calls for shunning people who do not repent of sin. In part that practice is picked up from the words of Jesus in Matthew 18 where he says that if a person refuses to repent after a process that involved three different encounters calling for …
Continue reading Provocative Bible Verses: Treat Them Like an Unbeliever
If we are forgiven by Jesus as a free gift of grace and our salvation does not depend on being good enough to get to heaven, then what is our motivation for doing the things God commands? It is an understandable question. The answer that is usually given is that when you have been forgiven …
It may be the most often quoted and yet most misunderstood verse in the whole Bible. People who have never even cracked open a Bible have heard and quoted this verse. "Do not judge so that you will not be judged" Matthew 7:1 Usually that verse is used like a hammer to immediately stop any …
Continue reading Provocative Bible Verses: Judge Not Lest You Be Judged
How many times have you heard the statement, "I can forgive, but I can't forget"? When I hear those words they are nearly always spoken with a tone that says, "I am holding on to the pain and I will deal with the offender accordingly". What seems to be said is, I forgive, therefore I …
The classic trilogy written by J.R.R. Tolkien has been dissected countless times as people have sought to plumb its philosophical and theological depths. There have been volumes written on the world view presented by Tolkien, on the nature of good and evil, on the place of sacrifice and honor, on courage and fear, and a …
Continue reading What Can Lord of the Rings Teach Christians about Community? Pt 1
"Bear with one another and forgive whatever grievances you have against each other. Forgive as the Lord forgives you" Colossians 3:13 As Christians we are usually very in tune to having been forgiven by Christ, at least when we first come to faith in Him. What is much more difficult is forgiving people as we …
