Tag: <span>Spiritual formation</span>

My Pastor is better than Your Pastor.

July 23, 2023
by Sharon

I was reflecting on a conversation I had with a church friend of mine. I had accepted his invitation to visit his home church. An experience that even he agreed was boring.

He told me that he stayed there, despite how boring it was, because he felt safe there. Why? Because the pastor preached right out of the Bible.

This begs the question; Is the presence of the Bible and use of scripture enough evidence that you’re in a place where you can gain the wisdom and understanding that is essential for spiritual growth and discipleship?

Perhaps not.

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1

Just the other day I was talking with a man who recently started attending a new church. He was really excited about it. “What do you like about it?” I asked. With great enthusiasm, he said, “I like the fact the pastor preaches right from the Bible. So many don’t, you know.”

Really?

I’ve been to a lot of Christian churches and I never found one that didn’t preach from and through the Bible. They all preach the Bible. They just don’t all preach the same way. Nor do they all arrive at the same conclusions about the meaning of each scripture or passage.

Even within the same denominations, you’ll have inconsistencies in interpretations.

This isn’t to say that any of them are wrong. The fact they have a Bible in their hands… just doesn’t automatically mean they are right.

A perfect example is the time our team visited three different churches of three different denominations in three different cities on the same weekend. One was Pentecostal, one United Methodist, and one Baptist. All three were teaching from the same passage of scripture. None of them communicated the same message. None of them handled the verses in the same way. None of them applied the verses in the same way. We each have our own preference for style and teaching and that’s perfectly fine.

My Way is Better than Your Way

There are three primary Biblical teaching formats: topical, textual, and expository. Most pastors tend to favor one over the other. Most Christians, by the way, tend to favor one over the other as well.

The problem is that many of us make a value judgment saying one is a more valid method of teaching what the Word of God has to say than the other.

With topical teaching, the pastor selects a topic and uses passages from the Bible to elucidate that topic and support the thesis. Love, service, marriage, parenting, sex… the Bible has something to say about all of them.

In practice, the pastor prays about what God wants them to teach the church and then they go to the Bible to construct their message using a variety of verses. Many people find this style of learning helps them connect to the Bible on a very personal level. This style can be useful for helping us gain practical knowledge about how the Word of God relates to our everyday lives.

The danger is that if you are not reading the Bible on your own, you may never fully experience scripture within its original context…and with the Bible, context is everything. There is a beautiful unfolding of the story of God when the books of the Bible are read one by one. A careful teacher will make sure the scriptures are used in ways that preserve the contextual message. Having said that, it’s a dangerous assumption to think that all pastors are that careful.

Textual teaching is where one specific passage from the Bible is used as a jumping-off point for the pastor’s lesson. For example, the pastor may use the story of the Good Samaritan to teach a message on serving others. Like topical teaching, this style is easily relatable to the average listener but, once again, it uses the Bible more as a reference book. Unless the attendees are reading the Bible on their own, the only understanding of the Word of God they’ll have is the one their pastor gave them.

“I believe the Church has to get back to expository teaching…allowing the text to speak for itself. Instead of topical verses that say what I want it to say…the scriptures must be the final authority…if you’re not careful, you’ll have an entertaining leader …but what happens when that leader falls apart?…the church is over because it was built on a personality… I have been that leader…” Jay DePoy, Ashville, NC

Expository teaching is when the pastor teaches through the Bible verse by verse. Each week’s message will be whatever lesson the text at hand is teaching. Most conservative churches feel expository teaching is superior to others. It illuminates the Bible one scripture at a time and allows the learner to better comprehend the “full counsel of God”.

On a practical level, many people find expository teaching hard to follow…or even boring. I say that depends on the teacher.

In reality, no matter the style, a teacher will convey the message the way they, themselves, understand the text. Therein lies the rub.

The most important thing about learning what the Bible has to teach is this; what we hear on Sunday morning is not enough to lead us to wisdom and maturity no matter how great our teacher is or what teaching style is employed. We grow in wisdom and knowledge when we pursue God’s Word, pray for wisdom, and live out what we learn.

Hearing it will never be enough.

“You don’t go to a restaurant once a week expecting to be fed…if you only feed on the Word of God once a week.” Pastor Dale Travis, Family Life Church, Amarillo, TX

“…Pastors are held accountable for what they preach, the listener is held accountable for what they hear…” Pastor Vic Redding, Faith Free Will Baptist Church, Greensboro, NC

Read that last quote again. Ultimately, the communication style isn’t what matters most. It’s up to each of us to make sure we are not just “hearing” the word of God – but what we do with what we’ve learned that changes us from “attenders” to true followers.

In His love and service,

Sharon Bollum

Uncategorized

My Church is better than Your Church!

July 21, 2023
by Sharon

“The Body of Christ is divided.” Pastor Ryan Stafford, Victory Christian Church, Tulsa, OK

“I believe that most people are just playing religion. They don’t have a relationship with Jesus. They believe their connection with a building, walking through those doors, is going to cleanse them. And then they’re out religiously trying to live by rules we know from the Old Testament that man can’t live by.”

Pastor Kevin Berg, Desert View Baptist, Winslow, AZ

“Jesus said we are to esteem each other as more important than ourselves. If we can represent Him in that way then we are wanting our brother or sister to have better than we have. Then we’re really trying to say, “You are not a threat to me; you are a compliment to me. I’m not comparing myself to you. I’m not competing with you. I am meant to blend with you and celebrate you and be excited about the gift in your life.”

Unfortunately, insecurities, comparativeness and competitiveness have made people build little personal empires instead of building the kingdom of God.

It’s been more about a ‘me’ than a ‘we’. What God’s looking for is a ‘we’. ”

Pastor Francis Anfuso, The Rock of Roseville, Roseville, CA

Sadly, the spirit of competition, personal bias, and negative judgments toward churches and denominations other than our own have conspired to make us all look like arrogant supremacists who create more confusion than clarity to the message God is trying to send to the world.

“Denominations just build walls between us. We have a tendency to declare that ‘this is what the Bible teaches’ and be really arrogant about it. We need to respect that another equally intelligent person might see it differently…we have to get over our pride and realize we are all on the same team…God loves us all in the same way and if we could work together the world could be saved.”

Pastor Jeremy Brown, Journey Church, Jackson, TN

“If we’re going to reach this world for Jesus… if we’re going to help people move from where they are…the biggest thing is the Church needs to stop throwing rocks at each other…if the Church can’t get along with itself and unite around Jesus and loving people…why should I put my faith in them?”

Pastor Chuck Van Hook____ , Journey Church, Jackson, TN

“The vast majority of Americans are not interested in a Sunday morning church…the fastest growing churches are growing with transfer growth. We have churches competing with each other for an ever-decreasing piece of the pie. We’re…we’re either going to reinvent the way we do things or we’re going to see an increasing decline in the church.”…”

Jeff Kirsch, We Are Church, Denver, NC

“I think we have to recognize there is no perfect structure. And structures in and of themselves don’t bring transformation. What we’re trying to do is facilitate and make it as easy as possible for God to come on earth as it is in Heaven…For His Kingdom to come. The Church is called to be the incarnate expression of Jesus on the earth. It’s why I love the Church. I love the Body of Christ in all its varied forms and expressions. I’m convinced that if we pay attention to what God is doing and what God is saying to us that every church in every city has a role, a place, and a future.

Paul said it is so unwise to compare ourselves with ourselves. We are not to do that. That’s where so many churches get into trouble. We go to conference after conference trying to figure out what are we doing that’s wrong or what we are doing that’s right or how we do this better.

I am all for excellence. I am all for effective ministry. But I’m so much more confident in the Holy Spirit’s ability to teach us, guide us, empower us, and equip us.”

Pastor Roger Nix, Believers Church, Tulsa, OK

“(Churches of other denominations need to) come together for the sake of the mission…it isn’t just for the lost to be found, but to make God known…that’s when we come together to fight human trafficking or stop hunger… ”

Pastor Les Croft, Greensboro Christian Church, Greensboro, NC

“We shoot ourselves in the foot…the spirit of competition is not of God.”

Reverend Reggie Fowler, 1st Christian Church, Amarillo, TX

I could list more, but you get the idea.

Virtually every pastor we met expressed some amount of frustration about the way churches compete with one another, or the way one denomination will promote the message, their view on scripture is the only, truly accurate one.

We form our opinions about what is true and then make the wild assumption that any differing opinion must be wrong. And by wrong, they usually mean that you won’t go to heaven until you get it right.

Well, their version of right anyway.

One lifelong Christian and seasoned sr. pastor I interviewed admitted, with a good deal of chagrin, that until recently he hadn’t realized the Methodists were saved.

“We are too denominationally driven…my church is more right than your church…”

Dr. Lee Simpson, Faith Clinic, Amarillo, TX

“I’m Longing for a church that isn’t about denomination…just a building that says “We love God”.”

Reverend Reggie Fowler, 1st Christian Church, Amarillo, TX

Here’s the thing: According to the 2010 Religious Congregations Census, there are about 314,000 Protestant and other Christian churches in America.

Most of them probably feel they (or their denomination) have the “most accurate” understanding of the Bible and what it has to say about God, faith, and practice.

Yet, there will be a multitude of disparities from one to another. If we all got together to argue about theology and doctrine we’d surely walk away feeling exhausted and frustrated at the end of the day (if not beaten and bloody).

Simply put, no one could win the arguments because we’re not all wrong and we’re not all right.

We ought to be humble enough to admit it, but far too many of us aren’t.

If thousands of scholars and theologians can’t agree; why are we so hell-bent on this relentless, community-destroying game of “Religious King of the Hill” with one another?

We reviewed hundreds of church websites looking for those we might visit as we traveled across the U.S.

There were more than a few who weren’t shy about claiming superiority over other churches, even at times, within their own denomination.

We would usually find it in their “What We Believe” page or in the “Letter from the Pastor” page.

I read numerous comments that boasted about how special or different their church was from all the rest.

One pastor even posted this,

“Other churches pick and choose which doctrines they want to follow. But (his church) is not ashamed to follow traditional doctrine.”

The upshot was, ‘if you want to go to the right church, with real Bible teaching, with the real people going to Heaven, this is the only one!’

It isn’t only denominations.

With the surge of the new myriad Post Modern expressions of the Church, we have no shortage of arguments about what is the “right way” to do church. We’ll talk about this in more detail later on.

“The Body of Christ is divided.” Pastor Ryan Stafford, Victory Christian Church, Tulsa, OK

Given the reality we’re confusing the non-Christians and undermining the work of the Gospel by criticizing one another, do you think that a cease-fire is in order?

What message do you think the present disunity among God’s people is conveying to the non-Christian world?

In Sacramento, CA, where I live, there is a movement started to create unity among pastors of all denominations.

They meet with regularity to build one another up.

They pool resources and meet the needs of all churches to the best of their ability.

This movement has created a groundswell of love and brotherhood that has erased the lines between denominations, individual church communities, race, and gender.

“As a result (of reaching out to other pastors) bridges have been built, breeches have been healed, relationships have been formed that have been absolutely transformational. So now, some of my closest friends are leaders around the region that I know would take a bullet for me just as I would take a bullet for them.”

Pastor Francis Anfuso, The Rock of Roseville, Roseville, CA

“I see denominations partnering more than ever before.” Pastor Steve Tiebout, The River, Cookeville, TN

Let’s be honest. We all want to feel like the church we attend is the right church. There is nothing wrong with that…to a point.

One Body but Many Parts (1Corinthians 12:12-27)

There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts.

Suppose the foot says, “I am not a hand. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. And suppose the ear says, “I am not an eye. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body.

The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” In fact, it is just the opposite. The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor. The private parts aren’t shown. But they are treated with special care. The parts that can be shown don’t need special care. But God has put together all the parts of the body. And he has given more honor to the parts that didn’t have any. In that way, the parts of the body will not take sides. All of them will take care of one another. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part shares in its joy.

You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it.”

Before you let that message go in one ear and out the other (ooh that’s punny!) It isn’t you who decides what body part you best represent. God alone knit us together. God alone knows how this all shakes out.

Be humble. Lift up all who proclaim the Name of Jesus Christ.

In His love and service,

Sharon Bollum

Uncategorized

I Believe, Lord. Help me with my Unbelief.

August 16, 2019August 16, 2019
by Sharon

We all struggle with our faith from time to time. That’s only human.

Perhaps you heard in the news that some fairly well-known Christians recently denounced their faith after years of being church leaders and influencers. One of them on Twitter no less. They each said, in one way or another, they had too many doubts and unanswered questions about their belief in God. They found their faith had frayed so much they couldn’t hold onto the thread any longer.

I’m sad for them. But, I am far more sad about the impact their public denouncement will have on the people who look up to them.

Too many of us in the Christian community live on weak or shallow faith. What we have, even after years of being Christians, is not strong enough to withstand a major trial or period of serious doubt. This is why we see so many people fall away.

For some, when their religious convictions are challenged by circumstances, they find they aren’t as convicted or as convinced as they thought they were. They begin to question … WHICH IS A GOOD THING! That’s why we find the phrase in the Bible, “I believe, Lord. Help me with my unbelief!”

We call this a “crisis of faith”. Most of us will have several in our lifetime. Whether or not we survive these times with our faith intact wholly depends on the foundation our faith stands on.

We have way too many Christians living without any foundation for their faith. They believe. Sincerely! But they don’t know the stories, the lessons or the history behind the truths that support their dearly held affections for the Gospel. Because of this, when they are challenged to defend their faith, they simply cannot.

The vast number of Christians only read the scriptures that are printed in their Sunday sermon notes. Thoughts, insights, and ideals carefully curated and prepared for them by someone else. They pay attention well enough to fill in the blanks; but the lesson, as well as the scriptures, are forgotten by the time they leave the building.

Your pastor can’t build your faith or your foundation for you.

A pastor’s job is to inspire you and help you more fully understand the Word of God. But, let’s face it. If that’s all the Bible you are taking in each week it just isn’t enough for spiritual formation and growth. That would be the equivalent of only eating once a week. Eventually, you’ll find yourself in a crisis. And you’ll be too weak to stand against any enemy wanting to take your life …or your faith.

And this is both my point and my warning for you. Your faith has to be in the Word of God, not your pastors’ presentation of it –even if it’s a great presentation.

Life will throw your faith against the rocky cliffs at the edge of your understanding like a violent, rageful ocean.

Every foundation will be tested. Yours and mine. And we must be prepared for that.

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
1 Peter 3:15

Your only defense is to know and understand the full counsil of God. This means taking in the words and the wisdom of the whole Bible.

The foundation of the New Testament is the Old Testament. Reading and studying both will help you understand SO MUCH MORE.

You’ll learn why it doesn’t make sense to pluck one scripture and use it as a proof text for any complicated human or social issue. You’ll see how the 66 different books and the 2000+ years it took to write them collectively express God more than any single idea, concept or scripture ever could.

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder. “
” James 2:19

Read your Bible. Both the Old and New Testaments.

You once believed in Santa Clause simply because someone told you he was real. You had no real evidence to defend your belief when someone told you he wasn’t. Don’t treat your belief in God with the same childish faith you put in Santa Clause.

We are not without evidence. God made certain of that!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Ephesians 6:10-17

There is a battle going on. You’re going to need the full council and the Full Armor of God to survive it. I pray you will.

Read your Bible. Listen to it on the Bible app if you don’t have time to sit down and read. Get some Bible inside you! We need you in this fight.

In His love and service,

Sharon Bollum

Christian Living

The Chaos of Destiny

January 15, 2019January 15, 2019
by Sharon

Remember your first time on the monkey bars? The goal was to get from one end of the bars to the other. You’d seen other kids do it lots of times. They climbed up the ladder, took hold of the first bar and then swung their free arm toward the next. Once they grabbed hold of the second bar, they let go of the first bar and swung that arm toward the next bar. Simple.

But there you stood. Feet firmly placed on the ladder. Mentally wrestling with fear and uncertainty.

In order to even start, you had to sacrifice the safety of the ladder you stood on. Holding tightly to the first bar with one hand, you risked life and limb to swing out with the other hoping you’d reach the second bar.

Whew! You did it! Remember how that felt? It was absolutely thrilling!

But then you had to let go of the first bar and swing your body to the third one. If you didn’t do it just right, you’d fall. No one wants to fall.

That space between the bars, where we hung by hope and the tenuous grip of one little hand…is chaos. Anything can happen. You might reach the next bar, but you might not. No one wants to fall. No one wants to fail.

Like every other little kid on the playground…you probably did a little of both.

But look at you now! You survived the monkey bars and lived to tell the tale. You even mastered a few other daring feats along the way to becoming who you are today. You have a lot to be proud of! Life is seldom easy and accomplishments are almost always hard won.

I know something else about you too. Despite all your success, you have a nagging sense that God has something more, different, or new for you in mind.

We can’t always articulate our destiny, but we can feel it in our bones.

That space between who we are and who we are becoming is filled with mental and emotional chaos. The uncertainty can be so fearsome it’s tempting to just stay where we are and call it good. Well, at least, good enough.

That only works for a while though. Sooner or later your love for God will prove greater than your love for comfort and the status quo. You know it will.

Maybe you feel it already.

It is time to reach for the next bar? Are you ready to let go of that thing that holds you back so you can reach for something greater on your way to becoming someone greater?

Is today the day you say yes to Jesus and the chaos that often comes with it?

What’s holding you back? Be honest with yourself.

Do you need more courage? Ask Him for courage.

Do you need more strength? Ask Him for strength.

Do you need more faith? Ask Him for more faith!

Whatever you need; Ask Him!

Trust that even if you fall, He will catch you. That’s His Grace. And His Grace is indeed sufficient.

He who has begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

No one ever said it wouldn’t take a little effort on your part too.

In His love and service,

Sharon Bollum

Uncategorized

Whose Side Are You On?

March 15, 2018March 17, 2018
by Sharon

Our society is changing all around us. Some days I feel like my head will spin right off my shoulders when I listen to the latest news of the latest scandal or the latest disaster. Each one triggering another round of caustic social comment and chaos.

I’ll be transparent and say I am worried about the future of America these days. Yes, yes, I know God is still God, but never underestimate the ability of mankind to make a mess of the world God gave us.

I still remember the bomb raid drills at school when I was a kid. I remember lying awake at night wondering if everything and everyone I loved was going to disappear in one awful moment.

It feels a little something like that to me again, these days.

I bet you think I’m talking about North Korea aiming its nuclear missiles at the West Coast. I’m not. I’m far less worried about Kim Jong-Un and his potential destruction of America than I am of the destruction of America that’s happening from within.

Do people actually believe that we are so much smarter and wiser today that we no longer need the wisdom of the ages to guide us?

Yesterday I heard a public figure from Great Britain say how strange it is that “America still clings so strongly to a set of documents written more than 200 years ago”. His contention is that in 2018 we should feel free to write a new declaration of values and principles for our society.

I can only imagine his view of people who still cling to a set of documents that were written more than 2,000 years ago!

Do people actually believe that we are so much smarter and wiser today that we no longer need the wisdom of the ages to guide us? Do people actually believe it’s time to toss out the writings of the framers of the greatest nation on earth simply because it’s nearly 250 years later? Do people really believe it’s time to discard the wisdom of the Bible?

Do we think a man or woman born in the 21^st Century is somehow endowed with greater intelligence, morality, or wisdom than a man or woman born any generation before? Such arrogance!

There was no such thing as Google in Abraham Lincoln’s lifetime, but there is no greater wealth of wisdom today than there was then.

Without question, some of the greatest thinkers in history lived and died before anyone reading this post was born.

Each and every one of us is born completely ignorant no matter what year we arrived in this world. Any claim we lay to a new or greater wisdom is wholly dependent on the successes and failures of those who came before us. EVERY generation must rely on the experience and wisdom of those that preceded it… or risk recreating the failures and disasters that already scar the history of humanity.

Jesus, who knew everything, taught us to revere the wisdom handed down from the prophets. Wisdom recorded centuries before His birth.

That’s because Jesus knew something we are in danger of forgetting:

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

To be sure, we have gained new wisdom through generations of Americans. But, by no means has every generation been a forward step in anything we can all be proud of. Believe me, I came of age in the 1970’s. My generation gave you Disco, legal abortion and the sexual revolution. Were it not for Atari, Wozniak, and Jobs we’d have nothing good to show for ourselves but bell bottoms, line dancing and a few epic PG-13 disaster movies.

Every social boundary we’ve set, (the sexual revolution notwithstanding), was made based on the ethos formulated and carried forward through the ages in a collection of books we know as the Bible. Yes, even those penned in our Declaration of Independence and every subsequent amendment was rooted in what the Bible teaches.

So, it is no surprise the enemy would strive to make the Bible and all who revere it into a whipping post for those who think “It’s Time” to tear it all down.

Our culture isn’t just becoming “less Christian” people are increasingly seeing Christians as the ones whose values should be formally disregarded and rejected. Our prayers are mocked as silly and useless. Our brand of morality is ridiculed. We are considered enemies and obstacles to social equality and freedom.

This battle belongs to the Lord. The least we can do is not be foot soldiers for the enemy.

The divisions among us are growing. But they aren’t growing because of new and greater wisdom. The divisions are growing because satan knows:

“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” Matthew 12:25

And this, my friends, is why it’s all happening. This hostile environment of competing values is exactly what satan wants.

Is your head spinning trying to understand how Christians have become the unwanted step-child in this country?

Understandably, Christians are jumping into the fray to defend our faith and values from the barrage of attacks on social media. This isn’t a bad thing in and of itself. If we don’t speak up we risk having our voices and our values summarily stamped out of the American discourse. I’m glad we have so many people who are willing to defend the Gospel. The problem is when we try fighting “fire with fire” …because that is not The Way.

If we set the Way of Jesus aside while we slug it out with the jerk on social media we’ve set aside the very thing that makes us different.

I believe this is what Jesus meant when he said,

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13

Getting us to act out in ways that cause more harm than good is exactly how satan rolls. Divide and conquer! He gets tempers to blow and the finger of blame pointing in every direction. Then all he has to do is sit back and watch us devour one another!

satan is running around starting fires, burning down relationships, shattering institutions, disfiguring morality, and using outraged Christians to destroy the reputation of Christianity! Why? Because when we say we represent Christ but act in ways that don’t, we send the message that Christianity is utterly self-serving and useless.

Worse, when we act ugly; When we act judgmentally; When we act superior; we unwittingly become the instruments of satan not the messengers of God we set out to be.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48

Let me go one step further and say that getting into arguments about what is moral or wise is no help at all. Whether online or in person, understand that people are judging Christ and the wisdom of our faith by how YOU handle yourself.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

Brothers and sisters, we are the fragrance of Christ in this world! Let that be more powerful than any argument.

Dear ones, we must live as we are called to live. Show respect and Love to others even in the midst of disagreeing with them. Your goal should not be winning the debate or grossly displaying how many scriptures you know to bring another low.

Your goal should be to honor God by displaying Christ in every encounter you have with another human being…whether they share your view of scripture or not.

“If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” Galatians 5:15

Our very mission is to draw others to Christ. Isn’t it obvious that anything we do that drives people away defeats us?

If you can’t express your point of view without violating the tenets of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control you forfeit any claim that you represent Christ or the wisdom of God’s Word.

You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution.

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!” Isaiah 5:21

God has His own way of dealing with His enemies.

He doesn’t need you making things worse.

This battle belongs to the Lord. The least we can do is not be foot soldiers for the enemy.

In His love and service,

Sharon Bollum

Uncategorized

How to be a Christian in an anti-Christian Culture

October 26, 2017October 30, 2017
by Sharon

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but things are kind of a mess right now.

Our society is in chaos.

The secular world is splintering in a thousand different directions.

The message of the cross will never be irrelevant. But that doesn’t mean the Church isn’t in danger.

Christianity is being steam rolled by an aggressive and growing anti-Christian movement while we struggle to keep the American society, as we know it, intact.

A recent headline stated that Christians are now the minority in the US. However, a careful examination of the article reveals they are actually talking about the shrinking percentage of WHITE Christians;… as if the color of a Christian’s skin is relevant.

Of course, it isn’t relevant at all but that really wasn’t the point of the article. The goal of the headline was to promulgate the notion that Christianity is becoming more and more irrelevant in our society.

What’s true is the health and reputation of the Christian community is at an all-time low. Read more “How to be a Christian in an anti-Christian Culture” →

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Why is the Christian Community so Terribly Weak?

January 14, 2017August 12, 2017
by Sharon

“And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24

We have churches the size of small cities in just about every metropolitan area. This creates the impression our Christian community is healthy and growing by leaps and bounds. In reality, according to the latest census, there has been zero growth in church attendance in the last 20 years. Sadly, our churches aren’t populated with scores of new people coming to faith nearly as much as people moving from one church to another. Read more “Why is the Christian Community so Terribly Weak?” →

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Mercy is a Form of Love That Covers Both…

November 18, 2016August 12, 2017
by Sharon

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

We don’t see a whole lot of mercy or humility in America right now. And because of the way our media distorts absolutely everything we read and hear, it’s nearly impossible to make an accurate determination about what is true or just.

Every single person I know has a fundamental desire to do and be good. Some are better at it than others, to be sure, but I maintain that they all share the same instinct if not the same world view.

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No Fear!

November 8, 2016August 12, 2017
by Sharon

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:26

How are you feeling today? Are you at peace? Are you in turmoil over Politics and Fake News? Are you up to your eyeballs with work and the number of people who need something of you or from you? Are you worried about money? The future? Your health?

If you answered “peace” then praise God! If your answer was anything other than peace, I have great news for you.

The question is, do you desire the peace that transcends all understanding or would you rather live as though the fate of the whole world is in your hands?

Let’s face it; feeling like we are in control is a lot more fun than feeling like we are at the mercy of others. If you’ve ever suffered because of things beyond your control you know how sickening powerlessness can be.

We have a lifetime of experiences, choices and consequences that lead us to believe we determine our own fate. To some degree we are correct. While we have a certain amount of influence in the world and a certain ability to direct our own lives … the notion that we are in control is only an illusion.

No matter how healthy or strong we are, the future we imagine can be changed in an instant by things beyond our control.

No matter how we try to protect the people we love, we can’t keep them safe from a myriad of unspeakable things that happen in this world.

No matter who we vote for, we may wind up with the other guy (or gal) in the White House.

Like it or not, we can only control what we say and what we do. We have to trust God with everything else. When things don’t go the way we think they should, we have to remember that God is sovereign. We have to remember All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purposes.

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 1 Corinthians 4:17

We have to remember who we are and the Mighty God we serve. How we respond to what happens in this world is THE greatest evidence of our faith in God…or lack of it.

Remember how much God loves you. His plan is perfect. His love is perfect. Believing that will bring you peace. Nothing else will.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18

Half of us are unhappy with the person in the White House. Determine now to rise above it. Focus on your progress as a growing disciple of Jesus Christ. Become the kind of Christ follower who inspires others to grow in character and humility. Start a revolution of peace, love and faith in God’s Word.

And remember His promise:

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Notice that the verse says “If my people” not “If everyone on earth”.

Hmmmm, how about that! As it turns out, Christian, the fate of our future really is in our hands.

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Tsunami of Hope!

October 18, 2016August 12, 2017
by Sharon

There are a lot of different natural disasters in our world.

Thanks to the invention of the camera phone, many are recorded as they happen. Mud slides, earthquakes, flash floods, hurricanes, tornados… Each one a terrifying sight to behold. The sheer strength and force of them are humbling.

When nature versus humans, it’s almost always nature who claims the victory. Leaving in its wake a path of destruction that forever changes the face of the world as we know it.

If you ever wonder about how awesome the power of God and His created universe are, go ahead and watch a few of the videos. Try to watch them without your jaw dropping in amazement and horror. I doubt you can. Read more “Tsunami of Hope!” →

Tag: <span>Spiritual formation</span>

Hearing it will never be enough.

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Your pastor can’t build your faith or your foundation for you.

Life will throw your faith against the rocky cliffs at the edge of your understanding like a violent, rageful ocean.

We are not without evidence. God made certain of that!

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Whew! You did it! Remember how that felt? It was absolutely thrilling!

We can’t always articulate our destiny, but we can feel it in our bones.

Is today the day you say yes to Jesus and the chaos that often comes with it?

Whatever you need; Ask Him!

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I still remember the bomb raid drills at school when I was a kid. I remember lying awake at night wondering if everything and everyone I loved was going to disappear in one awful moment.

Do people actually believe that we are so much smarter and wiser today that we no longer need the wisdom of the ages to guide us?

There was no such thing as Google in Abraham Lincoln’s lifetime, but there is no greater wealth of wisdom today than there was then.

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

This battle belongs to the Lord. The least we can do is not be foot soldiers for the enemy.

And this, my friends, is why it’s all happening. This hostile environment of competing values is exactly what satan wants.

Is your head spinning trying to understand how Christians have become the unwanted step-child in this country?

Worse, when we act ugly; When we act judgmentally; When we act superior; we unwittingly become the instruments of satan not the messengers of God we set out to be.

If you can’t express your point of view without violating the tenets of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control you forfeit any claim that you represent Christ or the wisdom of God’s Word.

This battle belongs to the Lord. The least we can do is not be foot soldiers for the enemy.

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The message of the cross will never be irrelevant. But that doesn’t mean the Church isn’t in danger.

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“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

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“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:26

Hmmmm, how about that! As it turns out, Christian, the fate of our future really is in our hands.

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When nature versus humans, it’s almost always nature who claims the victory. Leaving in its wake a path of destruction that forever changes the face of the world as we know it.

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