While there are some helpful things in this episode, we encounter the first things in the series that I believe are dangerous.

I want to write a quick post to help you be discerning as you watch The Chosen rather than only having to depend on blogs and episode guides like I am doing right now. I believe that there are helpful things about The Chosen, but I believe there are some helpful things as well.

This is the first episode in which we get actual events that are found in the pages of the Bible! Not much of what is here is found in the pages of Scripture, but hopefully we are moving in that direction.

The first two episodes of season 5 have been refreshing in that it contains more actual events that I have seen in past episodes. There are still concerning elements, but some helpful things as well.

Even thought I’m just starting to blog my way through this series, I want to include the most recent episodes for Season 5, which is in theaters now. Here is episode 1.

Here we find an episode that is drawn entirely on fiction, but their might be some things that are helpful.

Here is my second attempt at an episode guide. Hopefully it’s helpful for those of you who have watched The Chosen and have questions…

…We were made for community, not isolation. We were made for relationships, not information…

End times theology, called eschatology, is complex and detailed, and if theologians are honest, filled with the unknown. The reality is that we don’t know what the future holds, though some things that will happen in the future are revealed to us…

Personal identity is a subject of unprecedented interest in our day. Knowing who you are and being true to yourself are seen as signs of good mental health and well-being, and the keys to authentic living and true happiness.

Israel killed sheep and bulls and birds and goats… are new covenant believers required to sacrifice something?

Matthew teaches that you and I have sinned. We have separated ourselves from God. And now we are under his just judgment. Every single one of us. But Christ has come in love to take the punishment for our sins on himself and to rise in victory over death. And then he has come to us, calling us to repent and believe, to trust in him, to turn from our sins, and to have a new life in him…

I hope the title of this caught you attention. Is he for it? Is it a distraction? Do they disrupt the sermon? All questions that might come to mind with a title like that. Let me just say from the get go… I love it when kids are in the worship services…

I’ve thought all week about what I would write as the world watches with rapt attention at the events going on the Ukraine.

Can we line up the events going on in Ukraine with events in Daniel and Revelation? Probably not… though Matthew 24 might have somethings to say about watchfulness.

Is the invasion of the Ukraine by Russia categorically wrong? Yes.

Is it right for Ukraine to defend itself? Yes, I think it is.

“The truth of the matter is that there is something terribly wrong with people. Most of us, at least if we’re being honest with ourselves, will admit that there are thoughts, desires, patterns, behaviors, etc. in us that aren’t good…”

Every new year comes with an opportunity to see the greatness and glory of God. As I have for some time, I started a new Bible reading plan this year. It’s not really a new plan, it’s the same old plan. But I have started reading it again. And once again I find myself in Genesis…

God demands perfection. If you’re imperfect like me, then this is a big problem.The good news…Jesus has overcome that problem…

Last week I invited members of my church to fast with me on Monday’s. Fasting doesn’t really have much of a place in our lives today. As I sit here at about 1:00 pm on a Monday, I am hungry. I haven’t eaten now for over 19 hours. So what exactly is the benefit to this and why would you ask others to join in? These are excellent questions and so I thought it would be good to talk about the value of fasting of why it could be beneficial even today.

“…you are God’s temple” according to the apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 3:16. This is a really important verse for us to understand, but it may not mean what we often think it to mean…

As we begin to bring this series on elders and deacons to an end, we come to the question of whether or not women can serve as deacons. Let me first say that this is not a cut and dry issue.

Having looked at the precursor to deacons in Acts in the last blog post, we come now to look at the job description of the deacon. What do deacons actually do?

We have for the last 4 posts looked at the role, requirements, and responsibilities of elders. I want to turn our attention now to deacons. Who are the deacons? What do they do? Can they be men or women? All of these questions will be answered as this series continues to unfold. However, before we can answer any of these questions we need to see the events that occurred in the church that revealed a need for deacons. This is found in Acts 6:1-7…

Is the church to submit to the elders or are the elders to submit to the church? Who has the authority in the congregation? Who is in charge? These are the questions that I want to try and address today, but the answers are a bit complicated…

As we continue to look at the issue of elders and deacons we come to the matter of pay. How should we pay a pastor? Why should we pay a pastor? Should we even pay a pastor at all?

Today I want to ask the questions, what do elders do? Understanding this will help us to have proper expectations of our elders…

I struggle to feel loved by God. I’m wondering if you do, too?

There is a culture war going on all around us. Cultural warriors from all sides are pushing agendas in our schools, churches, on TV, in Movies, and even our commercials are loaded with forms of virtue signaling.

Our kids are forced to face ideologies that they may rarely, if ever seen, in generations past. Adrian Rogers said very well that “The sin that used to slink down back alleys now parades down Main Street.”

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” —John 20:29

If you’ve been around the church for any amount of time you may have heard of churches that have foot washing services. In these services you remove your shoes and a member of the church comes and washes your feet. While there is nothing wrong with this, I’ll tell you right now that I’m pretty sure I’d leave before it was my turn…

Last week you should have set up four pages in your journal on Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Intercession. Today will will finish making the remaining pages in our journals…

Today we are going to start filling up the journal with the things you want to pray for. I will include some pictures along the way of my journal, which just happens to be digital. If you are keeping a written journal with Post-It notes then you could fill that the same way…

This week I want to help you start adding some content to your prayer journal. We will do this over several blog posts as it will take some time to get them all set up, but we can begin putting some things to pray for in your journal now…

I have learned through a lot of failure and frustration some things that have helped me to have a more meaningful prayer life. I have also learned from successes. I have read countless books on the importance of prayer, but not many of them actually helped me learn how to be a better prayer.

I would like to invite you in the coming weeks to learn a little from my experiences…

Anybody who has spent any time around the church knows that there are many different Bible translations out there. With this comes a host of questions…

We are all sinners. We are all prone to failure. We all stray from the truth and from righteousness. We all need a savior.

That’s a bold statement. Let me first say that I believe COVID is real. I believe that it poses a real threat to some of our population. I believe that every death that has been a result of Covid is sad, as is every other death. So based upon all of that, let me explain what I mean…

How we think about food can teach us a lot about how to be the church.

If you’re like me you may struggle to really believe that God loves you. I know he loves people. I know he loves you. I struggle to believe that he loves me. There are many reasons, most of them in my own heart and head where I am the only one who knows about them, for God to be angry with me…

There are two notes that I would like to make at the beginning of this post…

The word hope get’s used in many ways. This is true in our everyday speech, but it’s also true in Scripture. So when the Bible speaks of hope, what exactly does it mean? And how does it help us today? I believe the book of Hebrews helps us greatly in understanding the hope that God wants us to have and I’d like to share that with you!

Pastor Thad posed an interesting question on this last Sunday in his sermon: Why are there two different genealogies for Jesus in the gospels of Matthew and Luke? Well the truth is that the Bible doesn’t tell us for certain. But there are some clues that might help us understand. And there are some fascinating implications to these two genealogies…

The gospel of God far exceeds the beauty, worth, and value of anything on earth. In it God demands equal opportunity for everyone to have a chance to respond. And in it God gives equal outcomes to all who believe.

Today is Veterans Day. As one who has never served in the armed forces but values those who give of their lives for the freedom that I enjoy, please let me give you a whole-hearted thank you!

It is November 3rd, election night in 2020. A year that most of us are probably ready to be done with. This year has stretched us, challenged us, changed us. But as we prepare to see what the this election might hold I would like to share some thoughts to both encourage and challenge you…

In our final installment of Understanding the Old Testament I want to give you a series of questions to ask yourself when reading the Old Testament that might help with attempts to apply it to today. There are 6 questions in total, and I will try to be brief in explaining them…

…But first we must understand what the purpose of the laws that were given in the Old Testament are for. John Calvin, in his book The Institutes of the Christian Religion, gives us a helpful starting point. He points out 3 purposes of the law…

In the first installment of this series we raised the questions of how the church should relate to the commands and promises in the Old Testament. It can be hard to know how Christians today are to relate to all the rituals and rules that fill the pages of the first testament in God’s Word…

Jesus saved sinners from the consequences of their sin. That is the message of the gospel in its most simple form. Every person who has ever lived, with the exception of Jesus, has been both a sinner by choice and a sinner by nature (HANG IN, THE GOOD NEWS IS COMING)…

How do all the Old Testament laws and requirements apply to Christians today? I have heard this question many times, and it’s an excellent and important question…