In contrast, I want to describe the other way of doing church. It is a kingdom of religion. It’s where we eat and drink. It’s where we draw sharp lines in the sand and say, thou shalt not cross over this line. It’s where gray areas are elevated to the level of moral absolutes. And […]
religion
Rom 14-15: Building True Unity – The Nuts and Bolts of Church Life (pt1 of 3)
Romans 14:17-19, 15:1-7 We had a wonderful time of fellowship during our Memorial Day picnic. We were the hosts and we invited LBC WLA to join us. I trust that those who were there ate some really great food, as we promised. The ribs were out of this world. And our feast was followed by […]
Talk to Your Kids
By Doug Fields, pastor at Saddleback Church “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting […]
Romans 14 – Moral Uniformity vs. Unity: The Nuts and Bolts of Church Life (pt3 of 4)
It may be surprising to some, but many issues fall into the disputable matters category. It’s a moral gray area. We can call these personal, moral imperatives or arbitrary absolutes. Arbitrary absolutes? Hey, wait a minute. That sounds post-modern or relativistic because in some sense it is. What do I mean by an arbitrary absolute? […]
Romans 14 – Moral Uniformity vs. Unity: The Nuts and Bolts of Church Life (pt2 of 4)
What is Paul saying when he says the kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking? He is saying that this kingdom is not about moral, ethical areas because there is a higher ethic that is at work with the coming of Christ. An ethic to love one another. There are certainly indisputable matters […]
Romans 13: How Much More pt 3 of 3
In what manner are we to love others? Answer: with urgency, understanding the present time. The hour has come to wake up from your slumber (v11). Then, the phrase that might sound a bit odd — our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. What does this mean? I thought once saved, we […]