Laodicea was a rich church as the community was a financial center in Asia Minor. Some scholars note that it was the financial capital of the region, with a wealthy …
worldliness
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There was a time when going to church is what respectable people did. Church was a place not just of worship, but, for the worldly-minded, of upward mobility. My childhood …
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“Consumerism and the Church: Reclaiming the Gospel From Our Most Powerful Religion” is written by Joe Terrell, content manager at CareyNieuwhof.com. Joe’s writings for Medium, Relevant, Carey Nieuwhof, and his personal …
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Introduction In today’s world, it is common for people to identify themselves using their “preferred pronouns” to reveal how they want others to address and identify them. The cultural assumption …
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Faithfulness to God manifest in uncompromising godliness and reliance on God brings blessing. Joshua, the one who had begun to lead the Israelites so successfully against the Canaanites, and who …
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The Book of Judges closely parallels the times we live in today. We can learn much about our culture from studying this Bible book! Scholar Abraham Kuruvilla introduces us to …
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Dear Roger, I’m a new Christian, and I have been reading in the Bible about the crowns, treasures, and rewards that Jesus will give to Christians who live God-honoring lives …
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Many of us enjoy stories about good versus evil. We love to watch the good guy defeat the bad guy. Still, we often underestimate how enticing and persuasive the bad …
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Dear Roger, I am not surprised when I see so many people in our world grasping for riches and money. What breaks my heart is to see Christians doing …
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Our passions and desires are at war within us, and we must fight against them. While pride, boasting and divisiveness mark worldly people, humility, obedience and repentance mark the godly. …
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SO I SAY, WALK BY THE SPIRIT, AND YOU WILL NOT GRATIFY THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH. GALATIANS 5:16 One of the most dangerous heresies that confronted the Early Church …
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James teaches us we need to examine the purity of our hearts and behaviors. Here’s why…
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If you have ever tried to walk straight while aboard a ship being tossed by the ocean’s waves, you know how hard that is. The motion around you challenges the …
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Solomon was a wise man, but he did not always act wisely. Jesus was the personification of wisdom.
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When athletic teams play at home, they know that there are extra odds in their favor. The extra boost of fan participation, applause, encouragement and recognition in their home …
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“Do not love the world nor the things in the world.” 1 John 2:15 When we as believers love this world more than our eternal home with Christ, we risk …
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We need to build our faith on a strong foundation that will protect us when the storms rage. Because a man is the foundation of our society, anything a spiritually-strong …
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In the Bible, Jesus tells us a story about two men who built their houses on two very different foundations. While one was built upon the sand with little difficulty, …
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” If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous …
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Dear Roger, I am presently pastoring a church in a remote area in Nigeria, a community of idol worshipers. My neighbor joined the church. In the process, I discovered that …
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Max Lucado calls us to life and peace in a world filled with uncertainty and violence: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” Matthew 10:28 …
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Dear Roger, I am shocked and disappointed. I have been to several dynamic, growing churches who end a service and asked if anyone in the audience wanted to “pursue a …
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The reality gap is this. Our God is an utterly amazing, incredible God. So we think – What does a God-believer look like? Every one of us comes up with …
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Hello, Roger! Jack Wellman of “Telling Ministries: Talking Truth Through Technology”, emailed me an article that he had written delineating some of the signs of apathy that tell the …
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If you grew up in a conservative evangelical church like I did, it is possible there is a story from the Bible that was repeatedly used to teach you about …
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“The best way to think about Satan’s power is not in terms of physical strength, but moral deception.” Deceiver and Accuser Even though this supernatural being, this fallen angel and …
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Dear Roger, Our Bible study group was studying the Song of Solomon and came across Song of Solomon 2:15: “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin …
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Was Queen Vashti, King Xerxes’ ex-wife, as shallow and stubborn as we assume? I want you to ponder and puzzle with me. Queen Vashti’s gripping story is told in twelve …
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So many of us suffer with false guilt; we take moral responsibility for actions, events, and situations that were not our fault. False guilt has no value; it is always …
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Revelation 2:17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, …
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%&*#! Potty mouth. Sexual innuendo. Cussing. Cursing. Smack talk. Smut. Swearing. OMG…Taking the Lord’s Name in vain!!! We have become desensitized to vulgarity. “PG” ratings now use “R” language. What …
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The American Dream can be a curse when we are driven by greed, futile pursuits, and broken relationships. There are four keys to avoiding the “American Nightmare.” We must value …
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Erik Reece is writer-in-residence at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, teaching environmental journalism, writing, and literature. He published a book last April entitled, An American Gospel: On Family, History, …
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How many of you have had the experience of being stripped naked before a room full of strangers? Anyone here this morning ever been strip-searched? You have if you’re a …
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Lot’s selfishness, misplaced priorities and spiritual dullness cause disaster. He and his family barely escape certain death because of God’s amazing acts of mercy and grace. The lesson for us …
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How do you know if you are greedy? If you make most decisions based on the financial impact, if you put financial opportunity over family and health, if you experience …
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Jesus teaches that it is hard to live by God’s values when we don’t know what they are. He instructs us to saturate our minds with the Scriptures and live …