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Feb
23
Each Sunday at Cornerstone, towards the end of our time together, I do my best to answer questions texted in during the sermon time. Sometimes the questions come in too late, or at other times, I request more time to research and think through a good answer for those asking. This week, the following question was submitted:
Where and what does the Bible say about pre-marital sex?
Feb
20
There are many that perhaps rightly criticize the Church of not being socially active in the past generation. I will not argue with that.
The current knee jerk reaction seems to be an inappropriate push towards social activism, but with precious little concern for discipleship, personal holiness, commitment to Jesus, etc.
In fact, the Church has become to some, simply a people resource. A place to mobilize bodies, to gain signatures, and to use for causes, rather than an entity to commit to as a family and a Body.
The pendulum has again swung, and it always swings too far.
I am not criticizing social activism. I am criticizing the over emphasis of it by those who name the name of Christ.
Jesus said that “every good tree bears good fruit”. Social activism ought to be the fruit of a Christian’s life, but it is not the tree. Jesus is the tree, and the fruit comes forth from the tree.
May we be careful to not do the “good thing” while we miss the “best thing”.
Doing “good things” is much easier than “laying down your life and picking up your cross”.
Let’s serve people, but may it flow out of intimacy with Jesus.
Feb
8
Below is an answer to a last minute question which was submitted by text at
our Sunday Service on Feb. 7, 2010. Not all of the text came through, but I think I understand the gist of the question.
The question was about loving our children for who they are, not who we wish they were.
Feb
5
The life of faith has been made to be a bit confusing at times. The Church, Christians, and the general public sometime assign strange parameters and guidelines about what having “faith” looks like. 
I think that the idea of “never quitting” is one of those strange guidelines and benchmarks. We begin something in faith, and believe that in order to stay faithful to God, we must never quit said endeavor.
Another unbiblical sentiment is that of us wanting to know that we were right about the whatever venture of faith we took. We set out to do something in faith, and if we quit, we feel like we have failed, and that others will believe that we failed, and that we “didn’t hear God” to begin with.
Certainly there are times when quitting is not the best option. We can indeed initiate steps of faith towards a project, and then meet with difficulties, and want to quit. There is opposition, loneliness, or things don’t turn out the way we had hoped. Sometimes we ought not quit, but push forward in faith regarding what we believe God wants us to do.
However, I do believe that at other times, we ought to quit in faith. We attempt something in faith, that effort brings mixed results, but after a time, through prayer and the inner witness of the Spirit, we feel released from that effort.
We start in faith, and we quit in faith. I don’t believe that to be a sign of weakness or immaturity. To the contrary, I believe that “quitting in faith” is sometimes a great sign of maturity.
Consider the story of Abraham, who was called upon by God to offer his son.