The Lausanne Movement has helpfully defined the prosperity gospel in these words: “We define prosperity gospel as the teaching that believers have a right to the blessings of health and wealth and that they can obtain these blessings through positive confessions of faith and the ‘sowing of seeds’ through the faithful payments of tithes and…
In every generation, the church is called to examine the message it is living and proclaiming. One challenge that quietly creeps into Christian life today is the prosperity gospel—also described as over-realized eschatology. This teaching suggests that God’s chief desire is to make us healthy, wealthy, and comfortable. While God indeed blesses His people, Scripture…
Reflection on Luke 15:1–10 Luke 15 opens with an astonishing reality: “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him” (v.1). Those considered outcasts and moral failures were irresistibly attracted to Jesus. In contrast, the Pharisees and scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them” (v.2). Their criticism…
The Nicene Creed is an authoritative, carefully worded summary of biblical truth that the Church recites to confess its foundational doctrines and to remind believers that they belong to something far greater than themselves. Spoken slowly, reverently and meanigfully, it shapes and strengthens Christian faith because, in a real sense, our lives depend on the…
The word Paraclete—a Greek term used in the New Testament—means “Helper,” “Comforter,” “Advocate,” or “Counselor.” It is the name Jesus gives to the Holy Spirit in John 14 as he prepares his disciples for his departure: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate (παρακλητος, paraklētos), to be with you…
Through his suffering, death on the cross, and resurrection, Jesus has brought forth a new creation. In Christ, we are made new, starting a new beginning, a new life, and a renewed relationship with God. The Apostle Paul expresses this in his letter to the Corinthians: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation…
The risen Lord asked the disciples to go to Galilee, where they would see Him (Matthew 28:10). The disciples returned to their home in Galilee, and Simon Peter invited six fellow disciples to go fishing with him. Though they tried hard the entire night, they caught nothing. Despite being experienced fishermen and using all possible…
People often ask for evidence to believe that Jesus is Lord and God. Recently, someone said, “I need the encounter of the burning bush to come to believe in Jesus.” The Apostle Thomas represents such people—he wanted to physically see Jesus in order to believe in Him. He said, “Unless I see the mark of…
Jesus is now going public. All along, He had been doing everything in a low profile. His birth was not noticed by many. His baptism was not a well-publicized event. After performing a miracle, He would often say not to tell anyone. Only three of His disciples had witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus, and He…
The Bible is full of stories about God seeking the lost. When Adam and Eve hid in fear after committing sin, God came searching for them. Since then, God has continued to seek out His lost children. “Lost and Found” is an important theme in the Gospel of Luke. Early in the gospel, Mary and…