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The Importance of Theology

The Importance of Theology No matter what some people may think the study of Theology is of the utmost importance not just for academic Christians but all believers who seek to do the work of spreading the Gospel.

            No matter what some people may think the study of Theology is of the utmost importance not just for academic Christians but all believers who seek to do the work of spreading the Gospel. The study of theology is a necessity because at its core “theology is faith seeking understanding”[1] and it provides a framework so we can not only comprehend our faith but know how to communicate it…

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How to Understand and Apply Philippians 2:1-11

How to Understand and Apply Philippians 2:1-11 Look busy Jesus is coming. For many this is their worldview, conscious of it or not. However, Philippians 2 paints a very different picture.

            Look busy Jesus is coming. Unfortunately for many Christians this is their worldview whether they are conscious of it or not. It is an expectation to do something, if not anything to occupy their lives until the day when Jesus returns to Earth. However, the writings of the New Testament and especially the Epistle to the Philippians paints a very different picture of how the Christian…

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What Does it Mean to be a Friend of God

What Does it Mean to be a Friend of God What exactly does it mean on both on a practical and a theological level to be considered a "friend of God" according to what is written in John 15:9-17?

            The author of the Gospel of John has laid out a narrative which seeks to introduce the purpose, ideas and nature of Jesus to a widespread audience made up of Jews and Gentiles. From this understanding we can see how the author uses events such as the Farwell Discourse to demonstrate how one is to follow Christ and how they are to live in this world which is awaiting total redemption.…

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The Life And Influence Of Clement Of Rome

The Life And Influence Of Clement Of Rome Who was Clement of Rome and what impact did his 2nd century epistle to the Corinthians have on the Christian community of his era and beyond?

            For the past two thousand years Christians have been wrestling with the notion of how to best communicate the truths of Christ in the world of “today.” As the ebbs and flows of culture and worldview shift through each generation we are constantly faced with the task of remaining true to the doctrines of scripture while at the same time figuring out how to apply those truths. For us to…

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What was the Role of Jesus before the Incarnation

What was the Role of Jesus before the Incarnation Where was Jesus before the incarnation? This is an unpopular question to ask especially because the OT paints a very different picture.

            Where was Jesus before the incarnation? For many this is an unpopular question to ask even in light of contemporary viewpoints on the Trinity. Typically, Christians believe that Jesus suddenly sprang into action in the Fall of 5BC when he was born in a manger and became Immanuel (God with us) and was called Jesus (YHWH saves). However, a grander look at the Old Testament presents to…

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How to build a Post-Modern Church

How to build a Post-Modern Church The tried and true systems of the Western Church no longer work in the Post-Modern age. Necessary changes must be made so the church can thrive in this age, a change which will result in a plastic church.

            The tried and true systems of the Western Church no longer work, as systems and programs which worked for decades are becoming obsolete at an alarming rate. This drastic shift in Western culture is forcing the church to change at a rate it has not experienced since the apostolic age and the current rate of change increases each year.             In dealing with this tsunami of change…

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The Impact of Modernity on the Life of the Church

The Impact of Modernity on the Life of the Church The culture of Modernity represented a fundamental shift in how the church interacts with the world and how the world can exist without the church but what can we learn from this shift in ideology.

            The Enlightenment and the subsequent culture of Modernity represented a fundamental shift in how the church interacts with the world and how the world can exist without the church being its core cultural pillar. In his book Foolishness to the Greeks, Leslie Newbigin presents several ideas and factors to aid the church navigate the muddle waters of Modernity and the post-Christendom…

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The Kingdom of God in the Gospel of Matthew

The Kingdom of God in the Gospel of Matthew Matthew portrays the kingdom of God as already present to a certain degree, but how can we better understand this and apply it to our lives?

            “Your kingdom come your will be done.” Jesus’ familiar words from the “Lord’s Prayer” evoke a sense of power and curiosity as we desire God to bring this kingdom to earth, but at the same time we question what it could look like. This idea of kingdom which may seem innocuous at first is in fact a crucial doctrinal issue in not only the Gospel of Matthew but for the entirety of the New…

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The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts

The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts The growth seen in the early church was only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit who ensured the church would grow and endure.

Throughout the book of Acts we encounter the growing forces which we know today as the church and the kingdom of God. From cover to cover of this book we see the systematic expansion of the gospel from Jerusalem to the majority of the Roman world in only a few decades. This level of achievement is frankly not possible through human might and wisdom alone, there must have been another factor…

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Personal Responsibility and The Judgment Of God

Personal Responsibility and The Judgment Of God The judgment of God fell on Judah not only because of the mistakes of previous generations but for their own as they refused to take personal responsibility for their lives and actions.

One of the common themes which ties the minor and major prophets together is the threat of the judgment of God against His covenant people because of their sins. Repeatedly God used the prophets to warn the people that their current course of action would lead to divinely allowed calamity. We see in the exilic era of Judah the people began to believe that they had been unjustly punished for the…

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Who is the Prophet Samuel

Who is the Prophet Samuel? How was the prophet Samuel so influential? What legacy did he leave and how can our own relationship with God benefit from his example?

            Throughout the Historical Books we encounter a variety of prophets and other people who act as spokesman for the LORD. All of them rose up in times of need and through the guiding of the Holy Spirit were able to deliver messages and be the conduits of both miracles and nation changing events. Each prophet was important to their specific day and time but there is one of these prophets…

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How to Understand the Five-Fold Ministry

How to Understand the Five-Fold Ministry Paul's vision of a church built up through a variety of gifts is just as important today as it was two thousand years ago. Why is this style of ministry still a mystery for many?

It seems that one’s personal philosophy of ministry cannot be complete without addressing what has been called the five-fold ministry presented by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:10-16. How one views the need, purpose or even the current existence of these five church roles will determine their overall view of ministry. My personal view is that for a church (or a group of churches) to be able to…

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Erasmus The Reluctant Uncle of The Reformation

Erasmus The Reluctant Uncle of The Reformation. How exactly did Erasmus a devout Augustinian monk become what we could call the reluctant uncle of the Reformation?

When studying the history of the continental Reformation our attention is primarily drawn to the so called “fathers” of the Protestant movement such as Zwingli, Calvin and Luther. However, they should be seen as the benefactors of others who set the stage in Europe for the theological quaking of the sixteenth century. One of those precursors of the Reformation was Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus…

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What is idolatry and does it still exist today?

What is idolatry and does it still exist today? Today we take the concept of idolatry for granted as something done long ago in the age of Pantheons at the height of pagan religion, but.

In our day and age, it appears as if we take the concept of idolatry for granted, it was something done long ago in the age of Pantheons and the height of pagan religion. Or at the very least we see it as a casual annoyance for God as he watched over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Through our modern desensitization to the overall idea of idolatry it is no wonder then why we have…

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Who is the prophet Daniel?

Who is the prophet Daniel? Among the Hebrew prophetic books, no person is as unique or stands out from the pack as much as the prophet Daniel

Among the Hebrew prophetic books, no person is as unique or stands out from the pack as much as the prophet Daniel. This prophet had visions, dreams, angelic encounters and possessed the ears of not one, but three major pagan Emperors. So then what can be learned from studying the life and influence of Daniel the prophet? The assumed author of the biblical book that shares his name the prophet…

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2020 Update

Hi everyone, it's been some time since I've last posted and I figured it was time to check in with a 2020 update...

Hi everyone, it’s been some time since I’ve last posted and I figured it was time to check in with a 2020 update. Life has been crazy as of late even before the world shut down. Back in the fall I started working on my Masters of Theological Studies and that has been taking up most of my productive time each week. I’ve also been teaching small groups at Horizon Church in Surrey from the material…

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29 - Transforming Challenges Into Victories David teaches us the skill of transforming challenges into victories in his battle with Goliath. Today we learn how we to can learn this necessary skill of taking advantage of what God places before us. Receiving a call from God brings with it the great test of if you can transform challenges into victories.