Articles for tag: Grace

March 16, 2014

Christian Standard

“˜Not the Only Christians”

By Robert Oldham Fife As the sun arose on a spring morning in 1945, I stood at the gates of Dachau, one of Hitler”s horrendous concentration camps. It had been liberated only a few hours. I will not here attempt to describe the horror, but will say only that what you may have read in disbelief is true. Other soldiers and I could talk only in shocked whispers as we gazed upon the scene. I did not know at the time that imprisoned within those very gates was a now famous Lutheran pastor, Dr. Martin Niemöller. After years of harsh

March 15, 2014

Christian Standard

Collaboration Without Compromise

By Rick Grover The congregation I serve has a long tradition of cooperation in our city. We intend to continue on this path without compromising what we hold dear. John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:39, 40)1. Sectarianism is as

February 25, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

A Bold Statement, a Beautiful Movie

Let”s go see Son of God, the new movie about Jesus in theaters this weekend! By Mark A. Taylor  Not everyone had praise for the History Channel”s miniseries The Bible when it became a surprise hit last year. Facebook posters and tweeters complained about biblical inaccuracies, criticized the show”s choice of Bible stories, generally attempted to demonstrate that they knew more about the Bible than the show”s producers. But I liked it. Oh, I didn”t like every little thing about it. It had a little too much bombast for my taste. I wasn”t sure every portrayal matched my image of

February 8, 2014

Christian Standard

From Meager to Eager

By T.R. Robertson When people say they wish they could watch more football, or they wish they could spend more time on the Internet, most of them will actually find a way to do just that. But when the people in your church say they wish they knew the Bible better, will they actually set out to do it? For many, the answer is probably not. But why not? One reason some don”t work at learning the Bible might be they don”t really understand the benefits of being more biblically literate. Sure, they”ll agree it”s important. But in fact, they”re

January 28, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

After the Fall

By Mark A. Taylor Did you ever fall without anticipating it? No slow-motion loss of balance before your arm flew out to break the impact””you didn”t even realize you had fallen till you were on the ground. That was my experience last week in a restaurant parking lot on a frigid morning. “Oh, I”ve hit my head,” I said, moving to stand up as soon as I landed. I raised my hand to the pain on my pate and brought back a bloody palm. I have to wash my hand, I thought, and walked back inside. Thankfully, a couple of

January 19, 2014

Christian Standard

The Eyes of Jesus

By Danny R. Von Kanel “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things” (Mark 6:34). The essence of love””our Lord Jesus Christ””showed compassion toward people. Can we have such compassion? The answer is an unequivocal YES! Use these tools to nurture compassion and see others through Christ”s eyes. Recognize people as sheep without a shepherd. As we wrestle with the lost condition of humanity, God will quicken our spirits concerning their need of a shepherd (Mark 6:34). Jesus said he

January 16, 2014

Christian Standard

Consumer Christianity: Idol for Destruction

By J.K. Jones It is a plague that seeks to devour our churches, a spiritual disease as old as Adam and Eve. It is a sickness of the soul. It is a sleight of hand, a slick replacement of God with something that resembles him but is not him. Consumerism of the Christian kind is a making of God into our own likeness, wanting him on our own terms. At its most crass level, clearly evident in the North American Christian landscape, consumer Christianity is taking and never giving in return. It is a worldview, a way of living out

January 4, 2014

Christian Standard

Living on Less

By E.G. “Jay” Link What does God want us to do with all he”s given us, especially when that is so much more than we need? Deciding on the answer to that question requires some changes in how we view and how we use what we have. Recently I received an e-mail with the subject line, “You can live on less when you have more to live for.” This profound and thought-provoking statement so struck me that I literally stopped my expeditious handling of all my e-mails and just pondered it. This is not a statement about an involuntary “belt-tightening”;

December 30, 2013

Christian Standard

What the Church Can Learn from My Cult

By Brian Mavis I belong to a cult. I already shave my head, so I thought, why not? (Then I discovered my cult doesn”t require that. Still, it”s cool.) I meet with other members a few times a week. I pay monthly dues. We have a special diet. We have our own lingo. We meet in a place called a box. We have a creed written on a whiteboard in our box. We talk about being part of a family. You know, just regular culty kinds of stuff. I”m not the only Christian who belongs to this cult. Scott Nickell, teaching

December 23, 2013

Christian Standard

The Color of Christmas

By Daniel Schantz “[White] is not a mere absence of color; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black. . . . God paints in many colors; but He never paints so gorgeously . . . as when he paints in white.” “”G.K. Chesterton, from his essay “A Piece of Chalk,” 1905   Although the traditional colors of Christmas are red and green, no color expresses the spiritual essence of Christmas quite like the color white.   Grace “Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). Snow is the perfect

December 20, 2013

Christian Standard

God and Sinners Reconciled

By Victor Knowles I believe the music of Christmas is the most beautiful music in the world. Indeed, it may even be the most meaningful music the world will ever know. From “Away in a Manger” to Handel’s “Messiah,” the marvelous message of the true meaning of Christ’s coming to earth is made clear. It is especially appropriate at this time of Communion to ponder the reason Jesus Christ was born.x  “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing” (“O Come, All Ye Faithful”). John tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and

December 14, 2013

Christian Standard

God Enfleshed

By Miriam Y. Perkins Incarnation is not a word we often use in church settings. It has the intimidating look of a complicated theological term that causes more confusion than clarification. Yet the incarnation sums up three of the most important aspects of Christian faith: the nature of God”s love, the shape of salvation, and the spirit of Christian ministry. The incarnation inspires wonder and delight in knowing and worshipping God, who is beyond all we know and understand and yet is as fully present to us in the person of Jesus as we are one to another. I invite

November 30, 2013

Christian Standard

Life After Trayvon: What Should Jesus” People Do?

By Ben Cachiaras Before the George Zimmerman trial verdict was announced, we all knew that regardless of the outcome, many people would be upset, angry, and hurt. When a Florida jury found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in July, both sides considered it a travesty””either because the system let a presumed guilty man go free, or because a presumed innocent man had to suffer such degradation. The fallout has been significant, the reaction ranging from violent to despairing. The death of a 17-year-old African-American boy in a hoodie with a

October 11, 2013

Christian Standard

What I Want to Tell Church Planters

By Aaron Brockett Six months after the grand opening of our church plant, I hit a wall. The combination of seeing the last of the “well-wishers” depart, watching our first disillusioned family leave the church, and experiencing the drought of summer attendance was too much. I”d given everything I had to get this young church started, and now the needle of my emotional tank was firmly planted on empty. I wanted to bail. To be honest, I was irritated with the stories of church planters turned megachurch pastors who made it look so easy (or so I thought). On paper,

September 30, 2013

Christian Standard

Who Will Sing to George?

By Vangie Rodenbeck As the designated facilitator of this networking lunch, I sought to engage each member at the table in the discussion. The topic was special needs ministry, and the specific issue of discussion was how to “name” a ministry to such persons. These ministers were asking questions like: What do we call this ministry? Should we use the term “handicapped” or “disabled?” If we use language like “persons with different abilities,” will people understand what this ministry is about? But one man at the table sat quietly as the conversation whirled around him. Soon there was a lull

September 29, 2013

Christian Standard

When ‘Les Mis’ Comes to Life

By Dave Smith I remember the first time I heard songs from Les Misérables. It was 1988, and I was riding in a van to Chicago with Tim Streett and a couple other guys. Tim and I were interning at our home church, East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis. We were on our way to Chicago for a conference. Tim did not say much that day. He just kept playing songs from Les Misérables, over and over again. Many know Les Misérables as a powerful story of grace and forgiveness: but no one knows this better than Tim. Late

September 28, 2013

Michael C. Mack

How Your Small Group Can Carry Out the Great Commission

By Michael C. Mack The mere mention of “small group multiplication” makes some group members squirm. “I finally found a great group of friends,” they protest, “and now you want to split us up?” In last month”s issue, I dared to bring up the subject. I pointed out a “secret” to small group multiplication: healthy groups reproduce naturally. In fact, group multiplication happens best and more often, I”ve found, when it isn”t forced. To carry out the Great Commission, we must continually develop new groups, new churches, and new ministries. But where do we find leaders? I think the best

September 9, 2013

Christian Standard

Shining His Light in Canton

By Jason Lantz People don”t necessarily view Canton, Ohio, as a thriving city. Well, not yet. Like many urban areas across the country, Canton has felt the negative effects of fatherlessness, a struggling economy, inconsistencies in education, and the decline of once-thriving churches. However, throughout history, God has always called his church to go and shine the brightest in the places that seem the darkest. I am so thankful Jesus called my family to be a small part of what he”s already doing in Canton. We are a part of a four-year-old church plant called LoveCanton. We get to join other

August 30, 2013

Christian Standard

Communion . . . and Grace

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Perhaps nothing hurts as much as betrayal. A wife discovers a string of e-mails and realizes her husband has been intimate with another woman. Or a man receives a note from his wife saying she and one of his longtime friends plan to start a life together. Or someone at work gives the boss information that was shared in confidence. Betrayal cuts deeply for all of us, and no less so for Jesus. That last night with his disciples, Judas sat close to Jesus. The plot was in place,

August 18, 2013

Christian Standard

Parenting: The Stewardship of Preparation

By Becky Ahlberg Parenting is not for the faint of heart””or those who can”t take the long view in life. Few things require more of a person””physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually””than parenting. Even in the best situations, parenting is stressful. It is full of emergencies, urgencies, inconsistencies, sleepless nights, second-guessing, and unending challenges! And to top it off, most people feel unprepared for the adventure! But, oh what a ride! It is thrilling, joy-filled, stretching, enriching, humbling, exhilarating, and more, so much more. But parenting is especially precarious for many today. The numbers paint an alarming picture. In 2012, 43

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