I don’t typically think of tension as a good thing. The stress of life, throbbing headaches, tight shoulders, difficult meetings, and arguments at home are not my favorite experiences. However, I was recently reminded again that tension is quite important as we teach our people the Bible.
Married life was typical. It was filled with good times and hard times as the challenges of family set in. He was very open about seeking help and exploring new support groups, and so I thought he was progressing. So it came as a complete shock when he said, “There's something I need to talk to you about. Yesterday I did something really bad.”
Some Christians may think, since there is only one God, that he was angry and vengeful in the Old Testament but loving and compassionate in the New.
We’re preaching through Hosea at our church, and studying it mid-week in our Bible studies and youth groups. My group and I grappled with Hosea 6:6. In the NIV it reads “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings”.
This week: public acknowledgement of media bias against those who don't want marriage redefined; what to say to your spouse when you have nothing nice to say; the advantages of consecutive expository preaching; the intolerance of tolerance.
“You have your meaning, and I have mine.”
For some people, grace is a scarier concept to embrace than the idea of hell and God’s wrath. When we invite people to surrender to God’s grace, to trust his love and depend upon his provision, we may be asking them to do something that life has proven to be perilous and foolish.
When we teach on some passages, such as God’s good design for human sexuality and the role of men and women, our initial gut reaction is often anything but positive.
Unless we are very deliberate and diligent, evangelism will almost always ‘fall of the table’ when push comes to shove in church (or Christian group) practice.
La meta con este estilo de lectura bíblica es de promover la participación de todos.