Worship is a privilege only true believers can enjoy. As believers, God invites us into his presence and gives us the ability to come before the throne of grace. One way we enter his presence is through worship. 

In the church culture today, worship has become an enterprise. I often wonder if we have made worship nothing more than a musical genre and have missed the heart of worship? If this is the case, then what was meant to be God-honoring and spirit-enriching has become something that God never intended it to be.  

To help you understand this, I want to address some ways our worship can become sinful. By the way, many of these things are very subtle, which is why you must be on alert. In full transparency, I have engaged in some of these practices, so I am very familiar with how they can creep in.

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Theocracy, the rule of God, is an important concept in the Bible that matters more than we might expect today.

People who believe in religious pluralism may have problems with Christians saying Jesus is the only way to God. But for what reason?

Sex before marriage is nothing new. But what advice does the Bible give us for handling this complicated topic?

The problem the Pharisees and teachers of the law had is they did not practice what they were teaching. Their righteousness was only superficial.

Hebrews 13:6 does not mean you won’t have trouble in this life. It means, just like this verse in John, that when you have trouble, you don’t have to be afraid. You can have peace amid life’s most difficult circumstances.

If you look across the landscape of churches, there are a lot of good ones out there. Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad ones too.

For many people, two of the most challenging things to do are to find a new church and to know when it is time to leave your old church. It’s possible you might be in either of these positions. You might be at your church and wondering if you should leave. You might also be looking for a new church where you can stay. While I can’t tell you outright whether you should leave or stay (I would need more information to help you make that decision), I can give you some red flags to look out for. These will apply to the church you are currently attending or if you are searching for a new church home.

These red flags are cause for alarm and could be an indicator that church might not be the right church for you. Here are 11 Red flags to look out for in a church (in no particular order).

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A testimony is a personal account of what God has done in your life. It will include your experiences or transformations. When done properly, your testimony should leave people in awe of who God is. 

I grew up in a charismatic church and we believed that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still in operation today. I still hold to the belief that the Holy Spirit still uses the sign gifts today. Yet, if I am honest, I don’t always agree with the way people operate in these gifts. Still, that has not caused my belief in their operation today to waver.

Growing up charismatic, we naturally believed in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the way I was taught, the initial evidence of this baptism was the ability to speak in tongues. However, as I have studied this teaching, I now believe we may need to make some adjustments in how we teach this.

Yes, I still believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but I want you to consider four things we charismatics get wrong about it.

4 Things Charismatics Get Wrong about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

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We have all been fearful, anxious, or worried, but what does that mean in relationship to your faith? You might think your fear disqualifies your faith, but is that true? 

God's timing and process may not always align with your own desires and expectations. Yet, as you surrender to His loving guidance, you can find comfort and peace in knowing that He is leading you toward growth and greater blessings.

Paul was talking to a young pastor, Timothy, and he gave him this charge surrounding the word of God. Today I want to give you the same charge. You may not be a pastor, but you have a mandate to study to show yourself approved (2 Tim. 2:15), which means you have a responsibility to handle the word of God with care.

The title Lamb of God puts a direct spotlight onto the primary mission for which Jesus came. He came to sacrificially offer his life for the redemption of humanity. More personally, he came to die for you and me. Just understanding that will help you see why Jesus is called the Lamb of God.

There are two sides to this debate and your answer to this question largely boils down to how you interpret Scripture. Most people are fairly dug in on this issue on both sides, but I do want to ask some questions about this topic that may at least open the doors to healthy conversation.