It would not be an exaggeration to say that The Cost of Discipleship has made a larger impact on my life than any other book save the Bible itself. Although the concept of radical discipleship is in vogue in our contemporary setting, when Bonhoeffer wrote The Cost of Discipleship, this was certainly not the case. […]
The Gospel of Peace Acts 10:34-43
The following is the manuscript from a recent sermon I delivered at Oasis Community Church. Some portions are in outline form rather than full manuscript form. One should have his or her Bible close by while going through the expository section. The podcast link above is a recording of the actual sermon as delivered. Before […]
No Other Name: Acts 4:1-14
The following is the manuscript from a recent sermon I delivered at Oasis Community Church. Some portions are in outline form rather than full manuscript form. One should have his or her Bible close by while going through the expository section. The podcast link above is a recording of the actual sermon as delivered. Text: […]
This Present Darkness: A Reflection On The Futility of Culture War Rhetoric
There is a lot of talk in Evangelical Christian circles about “being at war with American culture,” about how Christians need to flex their political muscle to “make America a Christian nation again.” Much of this rhetoric is couched in the language of warfare and positions the church over against the indigenous culture in which […]
Kingdom of Priests: Exodus 19:1-9
The following is the manuscript from a recent sermon I delivered at Oasis Community Church. Some portions are in outline form rather than full manuscript form. One should have his or her Bible close by while going through the expository section. The podcast link above is a recording of the actual sermon as delivered. Introduction: […]
Fish and Cucumbers: Numbers 11
The following is the manuscript from a recent sermon I delivered at Oasis Community Church. Some portions are in outline form rather than full manuscript form. One should have his or her Bible close by while going through the expository section. The podcast link above is a recording of the actual sermon as delivered. The […]
Collusion, Seclusion, or Collision? Take Up Your Cross: Luke 9:18-27
This text contains one of the hard sayings of Jesus that is commonly misinterpreted. If we are to understand it properly, it must be interpreted within its literary and historical context. Sometimes we tend to read too much abstract theology into a text like this without first taking seriously the historical, political, social, and cultural […]
Formation – A Brief Reflection
Along with middle-age has come bifocals, muscles that take longer to recover than they used to, and a profound sense that, contrary to prior assumptions, I am not going to live forever after all. Nonetheless, one of the few nice things about being middle-aged is that by the time one has reached his forties, he […]
Unfailing Love – Isaiah 54:4-10
What is the first human relationship recorded in the Bible? The marriage relationship between Adam and Eve. The first thing God created after He created the first two people was the institution of marriage. The first wedding occurs in Genesis chapter 2 and the last wedding (between Christ and the church) occurs all the way […]
The Tragic Cost Of Rejecting God: An Exegetical Study Of First Samuel 8:10-18
TRANSLATION OF FIRST SAMUEL 8:10-18 10 So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who had asked from him a king. 11 And he said, “This will be the custom of the king who will rule over you: your sons he will take and appoint among his chariots and among his horsemen, […]