Category Archives: Church Life

Is Bethel a Cult?

By | 6 Dec 2023

A tremendous amount of mud-slinging is currently going on in the Church these days. I’ve addressed that topic in multiple articles here on Miscellaneous Ramblings. In case you’ve missed any of them, here’s a brief list for your reading enjoyment and — I hope! — spiritual edification: Of Blind Men & Elephants Filled With The Troll-y Spirit The… Read More »

Fear

By | 1 Dec 2023

Ever since the Rebellion in Eden, God has spoken through His Word a single, consistent message to scads of people over several millennia: “Don’t be afraid!” This command is recorded hundreds of times in Scripture. Someone claims to have accurately counted 365 such verses. This means we literally have 1 for each day of the year. This seems… Read More »

The 4 P’s of Following Jesus

By | 31 Oct 2023

In my humble opinion, all Christ-followers should be exhibiting the four P’s in their lives. As His followers, every one of us has been called by our risen Lord to partner with Him in making disciples of the lost, thereby transforming the culture in which we live. If we are not effectively and powerfully impacting those within our… Read More »

Worshiptainment

By | 24 Oct 2023

Worshiptainment is a term coined by tradition-bound “heresy hunters” on the Internet to attack modern worship. While none of us — especially me! — can discern their hearts and minds, their words can certainly give us a good idea of their thought processes because “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (see Matthew 12:34). This article… Read More »

Disappointments

By | 17 Aug 2023

Introduction Several years ago, our church’s guest speaker was a former pastoral staff member, a Calvinist-Baptist minister closely aligned with John MacArthur and John Piper doctrinally. His message centered on the illness, death, burial, and raising-from-the-dead of Lazarus in Bethany recorded in John 11. His sermon remarks opened with the statement “God will disappoint us” and then continued with… Read More »

Charismata #9:
When The Perfect Comes?

By | 15 Aug 2023

Over my 50+ years of serving Jesus, I’ve met more than a few sincere Christ-loving folks resistant to the charismatic experience. I’ve also run across more than a few flaky tongue-talkers who also zealously love our Savior yet cannot seem to get their act together, whether doctrinally or character-wise. Most of the former I’ve encountered holding that position… Read More »