Blog

The Gospel, A Disruptive Force?

After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. - (ESV)

We think of Christianity and the gospel in calm and orderly terms. Those that believe it become exemplary parents, employees, and citizens, it’s claimed. It sets their life right and they pull it all together. But does it?

: Andy Wulff; 27 January 2017

I hate telemarketers

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. - Acts 16:9-10

I hate telemarketers. I’ve done everything I can think of to eliminate their calls, but they still seem to sneak through. My least favorite type of phone sales is the one that comes to the church. A photo directory, a new gadget, a comedy group, a hot new study; I’ve received calls for all of them and more. It seems that ‘new’ ‘hot’ ‘improved’ and ‘with more power’ are not just adjectives for soap boxes but for every new strategy and gimmick for churches too.

: Andy Wulff; 06 January 2017

Why don’t you share your faith?

And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. -

Why don’t you share your faith? The predominant answer I hear to that question is fear. It shows up in different ways. We fear how people will view us. We fear we may not be able to answer a question. We fear we may break a relationship. We fear we won’t know what to say. We fear we will look foolish. Generally we are told to just overcome it and get out there. Go do it! I mean, look at the apostles. If they ever felt like us, then the gospel wouldn’t have spread. And then I read Acts.

: Andy Wulff; 20 January 2017

Advent - Hope, Peace, Joy, & Love

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. ( ESV)

Advent simply means coming. In Christmas, we are pointed to the arrival of a person predicted and hoped for from the beginning. We discover how the love of God physically entered into time. We celebrate the joy of reconciliation and forgiveness from God. We find love extended to God’s enemies - that's US!

: Andy Wulff; 23 December 2016

Does the method of evangelism you use matter?

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. - Acts 17:22-23

I’m an Alabama football fan. And I’m a Christian. But I have to admit, this one left me a little confused. Coming home in traffic the other day, I stopped behind a van. Emblazoned across the back window was a bumper sticker. It read ‘Jesus Saves’. I’ve seen that before, but this one was a little different. The ‘A’ in saves was obviously a scripted Alabama logo. I wasn’t sure what the message was. How does Alabama football connect to Jesus? What kind of salvation are we talking about? And for that matter who was Jesus being represented as?

: Andy Wulff; 13 January 2017

Christmas - Unreciprocated Giving

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ( ESV)

Let’s be honest. Christmas is a reciprocal kinda holiday. When we give a gift, we expect something in return. We might only want a ‘thank you’ but we want something. Most of the time we want an equal or greater gift. When we don’t get it, we are a bit disappointed. (Ok - maybe that’s just me!) Because of this ‘rule’ of Christmas, we are a bit picky about who deserves a gift.

: Andy Wulff; 16 December 2016

Hope In Madison