A few of weeks ago, a brother gave a prayer at church, and in the middle of the prayer, he said, “Father, we are nothing”. As soon as I heard this, the first thing that popped into my mind was, “Does the bible really say that?”. I reflected on it a bit, and realized that I have heard this or similar statements before from different people in different churches at different times. The idea that ‘we are nothing’ is something that has been perpetuated in churches for a long time. Persons say it out of a sense of piety, humility or self-deprecation. Others say it because they believe the bible teaches it. Either way, I find it to be counter-productive to faith and confidence of mind. The question I want to ask is whether the bible actually says it. So, let’s dive in and find out. Read More
Church
Tricky Translation – Chief or First
Paul called himself the chief of sinners. We all know it. We all heard it. We all sing it. We all read it. If the apostle Paul can call himself the chief of sinners, then what about us? What are we? “We are lower than low. We are just guilty sinners”. This is what many Christians have heard and thought throughout the years in churches around the planet. Doctrines have been formulated around this idea. Great preachers have proclaimed powerful sermons around this idea of Paul being the chief of sinners. As a consequence of this, many Christians live defeated lives but are masquerading as pious and humble. What if Paul never said he was the chief of sinners? Well, maybe, instead of just accepting everything we hear, let’s take a deeper look. Read More
Tongues according to Scripture
Growing up in church, I never heard anyone speak in tongues. Honestly, I can’t even recall my first exposure to tongues in church, whether positive or negative. I do know that the elders in the churches in which I grew up do not believe in speaking in tongues, and when they do preach about it, the message is that tongues have ceased since we have the "full canon of scripture" and that the expression of tongues by Pentecostal Christians is gibberish, at best. I am almost 40 years old now, but ever since I was a teenager, I had a habit of reading the Bible and trying to understand it for myself, regardless of what a preacher may say. The more I read and study the scriptures, the more I am realizing that many good and faithful men have been preaching and believing things that they were taught about the scriptures rather than what the scriptures actually say. So, I want to take the time to outline what I see in the scriptures in comparison to what I have been taught and what I have heard in my own church experience. I hope that you will find this to be clear, accurate and edifying. Read More
