Tag: witness

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Christian Living

I Heart Jesus

Jesus

Saying Happy Valentine’s Day to God is a great way to spend this Sunday

When I read the New Testament I see a God of love. God sends Jesus to earth out of his love for us. Jesus dies for us because he loves us.

In fact the only reason we even know what love is and how to love others is because Jesus shows us how to do it (1 John 4:19).

This post is my Valentine card to God. I love you God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are so amazing; you are so awesome.

The word love occurs hundreds of times in the Bible, disproportionally more so in the New Testament. Many of these occurrences reference God’s love to us.

His love for me overwhelms me: flooding me with joy, giving me security, and providing contentment.

Centered in God’s love is the best place to be.

Another common context for love in the Bible is loving others. In fact, Jesus gives us a “new command” to “love one another” and says it is an act of witness (John 13:34-35 (NIV).

Later Paul writes to the church in Rome simply saying that when we love others, we effectively complete the Old Testament Law (Romans 13:8).

Imagine that. One short word and one simple action fulfills the 613 confusing and complex commands found in the Law of Moses.

Love makes the Law easy-peasy.

Saying Happy Valentine’s Day to God is a great way to spend this Sunday, but not just this Sunday—every Sunday. Better yet we can love every day. And we don’t just love God.

He is easy to love, but we also should love other people, too, even the ones who aren’t so lovable.

As we love God we are better prepared to love others in his name. And if we all did this, the world would surely take notice.

Happy Valentine’s Day, God. I love you.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
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Bible Insights

What Do People Remember About You?

remember about you

Faith, Hope, and Love

When Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica he professes three things he recalls about them.

He remembers them and their characteristics before God, presumably as he prays, offering thanksgiving to God for their lives and the examples they provide.

Three things stand out as the testimony of the Thessalonian church, their witness to the world around them:

Faithful Work

Their faith in God produces their work. They don’t work for the sake of working or do things just to do things. They work with intentionality because of their faith.

They couple actions with belief, with their actions springing forth from their spiritual moorings.

Loving Labor

Their love for others prompts them to help others. They don’t love in name only or in theory, they show their love by their deeds. For them love is a verb.

Because of their love, they toil for others, laboring for the benefit of those around them.

Enduring Hope

They persevere because of Jesus, through their hope in him and the promises he offers. This hope inspires their endurance; it motivates them to persist regardless of the situation or circumstances. Their hope propels them forward.

When Paul thinks about this church, this is how he remembers them. He recalls their faith, their love, and their hope.

In another letter Paul upholds all three of these ideals and then adds that the greatest of them is love.

(1 Thessalonians 1:3, 1 Corinthians 13:13)

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
​
​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

3 Goals for All Christians and 2 Outcomes

Christians

The Church in Thessalonica

Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica.

3 Goals

He tells them to do three things. I think we should all follow his instructions.

Paul teaches them, and us, that:

  1. We should strive to lead a quiet life.
  2. We should mind our own business.
  3. We should work to meet our own needs.

2 Outcomes

Then Paul shares two reasons for doing these things, the two expected results. When we do as he instructed:

  1. We earn the respect of others.
  2. We won’t need to depend on other people for our needs.

This seems so straightforward, elegant in its simplicity. Yet, this is sometimes difficult to remember and hard to do. But through God, we can accomplish exactly what Paul said.

And when we do, our actions may become our strongest witness.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 1 Thessalonians 4-5 and today’s post is on 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
​
​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Christian Living

Why Can’t Christians Get Along With Each Other?

It’s a shocking stat, but there are 42,000 Christian denominations in the world!

Yes, the church that Jesus started is currently divided into 42,000 factions. Notice I didn’t say Jesus’ churches (plural), but Jesus’ church (singular).

How do I know Jesus intended there to be only one church? Quite simply because he prayed we would be one, just as he and his father are one.

Jesus even said why he wanted us to be as one: so that the world would believe. Succinctly, our unity maximizes our witness.

The implication is our disunity—our disagreements that have divided us into warring denominations—serves to weaken our witness.

Our divisions and petty squabbling over theology and tradition, lessen who we are, what we stand for, and why we’re here.

Oh, how our disunity must grieve the God we claim to serve.

As Christians, why can’t we all get along? That’s what Jesus wanted and that’s what he prayed for. Let’s ditch our divisions and unite for the sake of Jesus—so that the world may know.

Our factions and denominations don’t matter, Jesus does.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.