Church purpose versus church growth

God Rejected King Saul, But Declared King David a Man After His Own Heart. Didn’t God Get this Backwards?

Ian Johnson November 14, 2021 7 Comments

God rejected King Saul, a bungler who made a few mistakes trying to do God’s will, his own way. But he accepted King David, a rapist and murderer, forgave him two unforgivable sins, promised him an eternal kingdom, called him a man after his own heart–and put him in Jesus’ lineage! Didn’t God get this backwards? NO!!

Confession and Repentance, Desire to have our own way, forgiveness and mercy, God is Love, God's Existence and Nature, God's rationality, Leaving Our First Love, Peril of Seeking Power, Refusing to hear, Rejecting God, Repentance, Repentance versus Remorse, Sin, Sins versus sin, Social control and statecraft, The Problem of Evil, Trusting sight over God's words, What is sin?

after my own heart, forgive, forgiveness, King David, King Saul, man after God's own heart, rejection, remorse, repent, repentance, sin, sin vs sins, sins, unforgiveable

King Saul, The People’s Sin

Ian Johnson November 7, 2021 5 Comments

King Saul is an example of a leader appointed by God–at the rebellious insistence of the people–who followed his people’s idolatrous rebellion against God. Generally, in spiritual matters, worldly leaders follow their constituents rather than lead them. After God warned the people about the way their king would take, and sent a sign of his displeasure, they showed remorse–false, incomplete repentance–but did not change their ways. Ultimately, King Saul also followed their lead.

Confession and Repentance, Desire to have our own way, God's rationality, idolatry, Peril of Seeking Power, Rejecting God, Repentance, Repentance versus Remorse, Sin, Social control and statecraft, The Problem of Evil, Truth and Falsehood, What is sin?

false repentance, human leaders, idol, Idolatry, in place of God, king, King Saul, leaders follow the people, rebel, rebellion, repent, repentance, Samuel, sin

Repeated sins, repeated repentance and repeated forgiveness in Luke 17:3-4

Ian Johnson October 17, 2021 2 Comments

Jesus uses unforgiveness as the prime example of a stumbling block we can place in the way of a fellow believer, bringing judgment. Therefore he warns us that we must be careful to freely forgive those who come to us expressing repentance for harm they have done to us by missing the mark of either our own, or God’s, expectations for their behavior.

Confession and Repentance, Confession of Sin, Divisions in the Church, Forgive as we forgive, Forgiveness and Unforgiveness, Repentance, Restoration of our Relationships, To live in unity

debt, expectations, forgive, forgiveness, miss the mark, my expectations, release, repent, repentance, sin, stumbling block, unforgiveness

Repentance in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Luke 16:19-31

Ian Johnson October 3, 2021 1 Comment

Like the rich man who ignored the needs of poor Lazarus in the parable, those who self-indulgently use their wealth and are indifferent to the needs of the poor need to repent. But, because they are accustomed to ignoring God, most have rendered themselves incapable of repentance–even if someone rises from the dead to warn them (as Jesus did).

Changed treatment of each other, Leaving Our First Love, Refusing to hear, Repentance, Sin, What is sin?

abuse of wealth, God's Word, Hades, Hell, indifference, Lazarus, parables, parables of Jesus, Poor, repentance, Rich man and Lazarus, self-indulgence, the Law and the Prophets

Eli, the High Priest, Talking when Action was Required

Ian Johnson September 26, 2021 2 Comments

True repentance would have required high priest Eli to act to remove his sons Hophni and Phinehas from office. Hophni and Phinehas were using God and their offices as a magical charm and using others, as many in the Church do today. The people also learned to do these things from their example. Instead of removing them, Eli just nagged them, and he and all Israel paid the penalty.

A God who Speaks, Desire to have our own way, Desire to have our own way, God Acts by Speaking, God's Voice, Prophecy, Refusing to hear, Repentance, Repentance versus Remorse, Sin, What is sin?

Eli, false religion, God as an idol, magical charm, nagging, remorse, repentance, Samuel, true repentance, using God, using people

“Unless You Repent, You Will All Perish,” the Parable of the Spared Fig Tree, and the problem of evil in Luke 13:1-9

Ian Johnson September 19, 2021 2 Comments

In Luke 13:1-9, Jesus answers the “problem of evil” by pointing at his questioners’–and everyone’s–sin, pointing out that death and suffering come as a result of sin, not of being a greater or lesser sinner, and calling for repentance.

Changed treatment of each other, Death of Members, forgiveness and mercy, God is Love, God's Existence and Nature, God's rationality, Greed, Religious violence and persecution, Repentance, The Problem of Evil

bearing fruit, Death, fruit, fruitbearing, Judgment, Problem of Evil, repent, repentance, sin, sinners, suffering, unjust death, unjust suffering

Joy in Heaven Over One Sinner Repenting: The Parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Son

Ian Johnson September 11, 2021 3 Comments

The parables of the lost sheep, the lost coins and the two lost sons, one of them the “Prodigal son,” in Luke 15 show our value to God, God’s search for us, and our returning to him, or not, in repentance, and teach why we should not be judgmental toward those who appear great “sinners.”

Changed treatment of each other, Divisions in the Church, Forgiveness and Unforgiveness, Free will, God's purpose for us, His Children, Leaving Our First Love, Merit, Repentance, Replacing Relationship with Morality, Salvation

acceptance, judgmental, lost coin, Lost sheep, lost sons, our value to God, prodigal son, repent, repentance, sons

Simon Magus told to Repent of His Attempt to Buy the Power of God: Acts 8:9-22

Ian Johnson September 6, 2021 3 Comments

Simon Magus was told to repent of his attempt to buy the Holy Spirit. We should also repent of our modern forms of claiming we can possess God for our own use or profit.

Church purpose versus church growth, Desire to have our own way, Divisions in the Church, Greed, Heresy, idolatry, Peril of Seeking Power, Repentance, Repentance versus Remorse, Selling Forgiveness, Truth and Falsehood

baptism, buying God, buying the Holy Spirit, commerce in God, Holy Spirit, magic, repent, repentance, selling God, Simon Magus, sorcery

Judas Iscariot: Remorse Too Late in Matthew 27:3-5

Ian Johnson August 18, 2021 0 Comments

Judas demonstrates the difference between worldly remorse and true repentance. Judas was truly remorseful after he saw Jesus would die because of his betrayal, and he tried to fix things himself. When that failed, he hanged himself. He was remorseful, but never repented of doing things his own way.

Confession and Repentance, Desire to have our own way, Desire to have our own way, Divisions in the Church, Greed, Repentance, Repentance versus Remorse, What is sin?

godly sorrow, greed, Judas Iscariot, remorse, repentance, sorrow of the world

Debts, debtors and paráptōmata in the Lord’s Prayer and Jesus’ associated saying on mercy towards others’ weaknesses–Matthew 6:12-15 and Mark 11:20-26

Ian Johnson August 12, 2021 2 Comments

In the Lord’s Prayer and the parallel teaching about mercy, Jesus tells us that we are to ask God to release us from the consequences or resulting debts of our sins as we release others from the debts we imagine they owe us. While praying, we are to show mercy upon the flaws (paráptōmata) that led them to sin, because the Father will show us mercy in the same measure.

Confession and Repentance, Divisions in the Church, Forgive as we forgive, forgiveness and mercy, Forgiveness and Unforgiveness, Reconciliation, Repentance, Restoration of God's Image, Restoration of our Relationships, To live in unity

by the same measure, debts, flaws, forgiveness, Jesus, Lord's Prayer, mercy, paráptōma, release, sins, unforgiveness

God Rejected King Saul, But Declared King David a Man After His Own Heart. Didn’t God Get this Backwards?

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King Saul, The People’s Sin

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Repeated sins, repeated repentance and repeated forgiveness in Luke 17:3-4

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Repentance in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Luke 16:19-31

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Eli, the High Priest, Talking when Action was Required

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“Unless You Repent, You Will All Perish,” the Parable of the Spared Fig Tree, and the problem of evil in Luke 13:1-9

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Joy in Heaven Over One Sinner Repenting: The Parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Son

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Simon Magus told to Repent of His Attempt to Buy the Power of God: Acts 8:9-22

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Judas Iscariot: Remorse Too Late in Matthew 27:3-5

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Debts, debtors and paráptōmata in the Lord’s Prayer and Jesus’ associated saying on mercy towards others’ weaknesses–Matthew 6:12-15 and Mark 11:20-26

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Church purpose versus church growth

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