Thinking Christians
One of the great things about real Christianity is that it calls us to sincerely engage our minds and always check out the facts. Unlike those who say that “faith is something that is to be embraced in spite of the truthfulness of the particulars,” the Bible tells us we’d be better off without it if its message is nothing more than inspiriting stories or fables to live by. In referring to the historic basis for New Testament theology 1 Corinthians 15 emphatically asserts that if the accounts of Jesus are not factual then “preaching is useless,” “faith is futile,” the apostles are “liars” and we are a pathetic bunch of deceived people that the rest of the world should “pity” (vv.14-19). If we are going to base our lives and daily decisions on the ministry and teaching of Jesus Christ, then we’d better accept the challenge to be “thinking Christians” who understand that “faith” feels much more like a well-reasoned confidence than an emotional wishful thinking.
-- Pastor Mike
FEBRUARY OFFER
“I hope all is well!” “I hope to see you soon.” “I hope I don’t have any cavities when I visit the dentist.” “Here’s hoping!”
Like many words in our vernacular, the word hope is often tossed around casually and even mechanically. It comes to our lips spontaneously without a thought to its meaning or significance. Most of the time we use the word hope, we are really expressing a wish. It amounts to saying something along the lines of “it sure would be nice if such and such would happen.” But there is so much more to the biblical word “hope”.
In the Bible, hope refers to a confident expectation of a future event. This is not just wishful thinking; instead, hope is closely related to trust. It is the joyful anticipation of something we are certain is going to come about.
For your donation this month at Focal Point, we would like to send you a book titled Hope Again by Chuck Swindoll. This book explores the practical ways our hope in Christ moves us beyond our daily struggles. You will learn from a biblical standpoint how to find hope beyond failure, temptation, guilt, unfairness, immaturity, bitterness and more. Chuck calls this “A book for all who sincerely search for ways to hope again when your life hurts and your dreams fade.”
Request Hope Again with your donation this month.
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