The New Testament often likens the Christian life to a race. God calls us to work out what He has worked in us (Phil. 2:12-13), and we are to run to win. What does it take to live all-out for the glory of God and avoid becoming "disqualified"?
"Becoming all things to all people" has been used as a justification for all sorts of ungodly behavior in the name of winning others to Christ. But is that really what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, "I have become all things to all people" (1 Cor. 9:22)? When we look at this statement in its context, we find something radically different: that becoming all things to all people actually means that a Christian must be willing to become a slave to all in order to win people to the Lord. You may indeed be free in Christ, but what freedoms are you willing to give up in order to gain more for the kingdom?
The power of example, coupled with the faithful teaching of God's Word, is key to spiritual growth because character is more caught than taught. What does it look like to love others in our choices about gray matters? The Apostle Paul answers that question by sharing a personal example of giving up his rights in order to win others to Christ.
2 Corinthians 6:14 says that Christians are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Certainly this command applies to marriage, which is the closest of all human relationships. But what if someone becomes a Christian after they're already married and their spouse is still unconverted? Should they pursue divorce? The answer may surprise you.
Christians face many challenges in the present day, whether it be the pressure from a post-Christian culture or the allurement of entertainment. Our self-serving reaction is to retreat from the fray or indulge the flesh. But God calls us to stop living for ourselves and to spend our lives for His glory. This means that we have a responsibility to reach the unbelieving world around us for Him. When we endeavor to walk in wisdom toward the world, we will be mindful of our testimonies, intentional with our time, and skillful with our tongues.
The irrefutable demonstration of a debt forgiven is love. Jesus understood the power of the testimony of a changed life and didn't hesitate to challenge his critics on this one point: if you're not serving Him, you haven't been forgiven.
The Missions Mandate Many Christians argue that if God is sovereign in salvation, there is no need to share the gospel. This common fallacy fails to understand the biblical fact that God has not only ordained the ends of salvation, but the means of it. The means is the necessity for Christians to take the gospel to the ends of the earth in obedience to the Great Commission.