Heresy, antiquated or ridiculous or . . .?

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. -- 2 Peter 2:1(ESV)

‘Heresy’ probably brings weird pictures to your mind. People being burned at the stake. Formal trials over ideas or doctrines. Arguments over things that seem antiquated or ridiculous. Those all probably feel buried somewhere in the dusty halls of history, so these verses may seem like an echo from a bygone time. However, Peter won’t allow us to relegate them to the past. He says false teachers have always threatened God’s revelation and will continue to be a threat. Read more

How high do your prayers go?

He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ -- Luke 18:2-3 (ESV)

How high do your prayers go? Like day-old balloons they seem to float only as high as our energy and then sink again. When we feel this way repeatedly, we can be discouraged and wonder if it is even worth it to pray. It’s in these moments we need to learn from a needy woman and godless judge. Jesus tells us another confrontational and troubling tale about prayer in Luke 18. Read more

How's your prayer life?

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. -- Luke 18:1 (ESV)

‘How’s your prayer life?’ It’s a question that turns discipleship groups silent and makes community groups find a rabbit trail faster then a hungry coyote. I’ve never met anyone that answered that question with a positive answer. We always feel we should pray more. We should pray with more consistency. We should pray longer. We should pray with less distraction. Read more