Pastor

Understanding the heart and mind of God as much as the finite can understand the infinite is fueled by our understanding of what God has said to us in His holy Word. It's important that we study the Bible, not just so we can know what it says, but so we can know the God of the Bible more intimately.

Trusting in someone who is unseen is a major hurtle for people of faith. While trust is an issue for everyone to some degree, trusting in someone you've never seen can feel insurmountable at times. Taking the risk of taking the invisible God at His word is the ultimate request of faith from the God of the Bible.

Many have been taught the tenets of their faith from childhood. But faith that is untested is often frail. Doubts are the friend of faith because they become the fertile soil in which true convictions grow deep roots. True character grows in the presence of adversity. Genuine convictions grow in the context of wrestling well with doubt.

Isn't it interesting how we define fairness in life? We see life as being fair only when it works out the way we think it should--with our best interests in mind. But we often don't consider how God has defined our best interests in the moment. Rather than writing Him off when things don't go our way, maybe we need to listen for what good thing He's up to that we just don't understand yet.

Most people feel more comfortable when they have a plan for their lives. Most Christians believe God has a plan for them and all they need to do is discover that plan. But finding that perfect plan can often be challenging, and sometimes just plain elusive. Discovering God's plan is vital to a healthy and fulfilling life.

If we've lived long enough, we come to understand that life is hard and it hurts. But we also believe we have a loving God who cares about our struggles. And yet, our experience and our beliefs seem to clash when God doesn't show up the way we'd expected him to in response to our prayers for help.

Is God loving? Yes. Is He all-powerful? Yes. So why are there horrific levels of suffering throughout the world that both people of faith and those without faith seem to battle with equally? Frankly, it's impossible for our finite minds to make sense of it. We are left to trust in a God who uses everything--including the suffering--to ultimately bring about His good purposes.

What is a personal relationship with God? It's a personal question with a personal answer. Some describe it as "being saved." Understanding from a Christian perspective what it means to "be saved" is crucial for understanding one's standing before God.

Christians who struggle with particular sins or temptations are often viewed by others (and even by themselves) with skepticism. Not only are others prone to question their level of spirituality, but some even question if they truly are part of the family of God at all. Do real Christians struggle? Or, are Christians somehow expected to be exempt from struggles and living above battles with sin and temptation?

In a cultural climate of tolerance and pluralism that preaches that there are any number of ways to know God and to get the life that you really want now, the Bible's exclusive offer of only one way to God--by forgiveness of sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ alone--is a hard sell. And yet, the teaching that Jesus is the only way to a restored relationship with God is one of the most clearly documented doctrines of the New Testament and forms the core foundation of biblical Christianity.

The Creator volunteering to die for His creatures who rebelled against Him is a truth far too wonderful for us to ever fully grasp. It makes no sense except to say that it's the focal point of all history that provides the clearest evidence of the mysterious and scandalous love of God.

The sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross is a problem for some people who don't see why it was really necessary for Him to die. The idea of forgiveness of sins is offensive to many because it requires an admission of need and an acknowledgment of guilt. The cross is first a humbling truth and then a freeing truth.

Many Christians believe that if they wrestle with doubts that their faith is weak. Could it be that the opposite is true? Too many Christians aren't challenged to test their faith by asking tough questions. The fear is that they will somehow abandon the faith if they question it. In reality, however, an untested faith is a faith without deep personal convictions.

In light of all the chaos, pain, sorrow, and evil in the world, many people of faith and those without faith question the reality of a good God who would allow for such a mess to go on. Either He's good but not really powerful enough to make a difference, or he's powerful enough but just doesn't care all that much. Who is He and what's He up to in a world that seems so flawed and broken?

Life is hard. Suffering and struggle are normal in a fallen world as fallen people who simply are not home yet. The real question isn't whether or not you will struggle. That's a given. But the core question is how will you struggle? Will you struggle well? Or will you struggle poorly?

God is described as a forgiving God. But are there some sins that are so grievous that make a person feel unforgivable? What does it mean to receive the forgiveness of a holy God who hates our sin? While it's that hope of forgiveness that is such good news, it's the fear of some how being unforgivable that robs us of the joy that God offers.

God's love is often a subject for debate when things aren't working out quite the way we expected. Can we be confident of His love when we're facing struggles? The question of God's love is vitally important, for if we truly believe that He loves us, that truth changes the way we view every obstacle and opportunity we face.

Trusting an book from the ancient world to provide wisdom to live life in the modern world seems irrational to many. So what makes the Bible worthy of that kind of trust for millions over thousands of years? There has to be more to the story than it's just a "good book." Who wrote it makes all the difference.

Faith is more of a journey, a pilgrimage, or a long walk. Just like the parable of Pilgrim's Progress written by John Bunyan, the journey of faith takes you through times of doubt, struggle, grief, and joy. But in the end, you get to know God more deeply and richly.

Investing in deep friendships is worth the effort. Join us as Gene Getz shares the foundations of meaningful friendships.