Tag: Religion

What the Statistics Reveal About Evangelicals

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Pastoral10 Comments

White Church

I recently read a Pew Research study reporting on the beliefs and practices of the religious. The results were shocking.

Pew Research Study

Narrowing the results to Evangelical Christians – Not liberals or Catholics or anyone else. Here is what they report:

  • 90% of Evangelicals say they believe God exists.
  • 79% of Evangelicals say religion in one’s life is very important.
  • 78% of Evangelicals say they pray daily.
  • 58% of Evangelicals say they attend services once a week.
  • But only 36% of Evangelicals believe their religion is the one true faith leading to eternal life.

What Does This Mean?

It means we believe there is a God. We believe religion, prayer, and church matters, but we don’t know why Jesus matters. That’s a problem! If we don’t know why Jesus matters, we don’t really have True Faith. We aren’t really Christians.

What Does Salvation Require?

Salvation requires we recognize Jesus as the only Savior. Faith defined as complete trust and confidence in Jesus as our Savior based on certain fundamental truths found in God’s Word, means we can’t believe there are other ways to God. We either have complete confidence and trust Jesus is the Savior of the world, or we don’t. We can’t have it both ways.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you believe there are multiple ways to God?
  2. Do you believe Jesus is the only Savior of the world?

Resources

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Post adapted from my sermon What is True Faith?

Pew Research Study

Don’t Waste Your Life

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals2 Comments


 

Reading James Hamilton’s commentary on Revelation, I came across these lyrics by Lecrae from Don’t Waste Your Life. You can watch the full video above. What Lecrae has to say is powerful. It is something we should all consider. 

Don’t Waste Your Life

Your money your singleness marriage talent and time
They were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is Divine
That’s why it’s Christ in my rhymes
That’s why it’s Christ all the time
See my whole world is built around him
He’s the life in my lines I refuse to waste my life
He’s too true to chase that ice
Here’s my gifts and time
Cause I’m constantly trying
To be used to praise the Christ

Questions for Reflection

  1. Are you wasting your life?
  2. Do you see a life not lived for Christ as a wasted life?

Resource

Lecrae, “Don’t Waste Your Life,” from the album Rebel, Central South District, 2008.

On Church Discipline

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Church Life, Leadership, Pastoral, Practical, QuotesLeave a comment

Discipline is not the “final straw” where judgment is pronounced.

Biblical church discipline is a culture of accountability, growth, forgiveness, and grace that should permeate our churches.

Each member of the church has a responsibility to help others as they struggle with sin – not through judgment and criticism, but rather with gentleness and an eye toward restoration, knowing that he too is subject to temptation (Gal. 6:1).

Matthew 18 does not describe some kind of alternative to litigation; it is a primer on how we lovingly engage one another, patiently exhausting lesser steps (for example, going in person) before moving to greater ones (for example, taking it to the church).

Questions for Reflection

  1. How do you think of Church Discipline? Does it have a negative connotation to you?
  2. Do you have a culture of accountability, growth, forgiveness, and grace in your church?

Resources

Table Talk Magazine, August 2013, pg 25.

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On Forgiveness

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, Discipleship, Quotes2 Comments

All sin breaches our relationship with God, but we must never think that the Lord will refuse us if we humble ourselves and return to Him with true contrition.

He longs to take us back, and His willingness to forgive His children is infinite.

No matter where we are or what we have done, we can be confident that God will pardon us if we forsake our sin and turn to Christ alone for our pardon. That is the magnitude of His grace. That is the mercy of the God whom we serve in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Questions for Reflection

  1. How do you think of God’s grace and mercy alongside His justice?
  2. What is the key to the Lord taking us back?

Resources

Table Talk Magazine, Devotional from July 4th

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On Man’s Ego

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, Quotes6 Comments

Never in the history of the race has man been so busily occupied with the study of himself as he is today.

The behavioral scientists and the religionists are turning out tons of material for us to read as we search for new knowledge about ourselves. Most of us are surprisingly eager to do our assigned reading because, quite frankly, we are enthralled and fascinated with our subject. We are unreservedly devoted to this baffling, unmanageable creature called man.

No one interests us more than ourselves.

One large reason for this is that we are all egoists at heart. And that’s a problem, the world’s biggest. God has shown us how this problem is solved. God is Himself the solution.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Are you enthralled with yourself?
  2. Do you realize you have an ego problem?
  3. Do you know that God is the solution?

Resources

Earl Jabay, The god-players, preface.

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God Ordains All Our Work

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

Ports

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. – Jeremiah 1:5

Before Jeremiah was born, God had a plan for his life. He knew, consecrated, and appointed him to be a prophet. God accomplished His plan for Jeremiah’s life. He served as a prophet to Judah during the latter years of Jerusalem before they were conquered by Babylon.

What about us?

If the prophet’s vocation was established before he was born, it is not a stretch to assume that our sovereign Lord has a plan for our lives as well. Before we were born, the Lord marked out our days, determining our vocation and the ways He might use us.

Our vocation, then, is God ordained. Ministers are not the only ones called and set aside by God. We are all called. God ordains all our work.

You are not sitting in your cubicle or corner office, your not working at Starbucks, running a thriving photography business, dancing on broadway, or teaching kindergarten by accident. You didn’t get yourself there. God determined your vocation and accomplished His plan just like He did with Jeremiah.

Questions for Reflection

  1. If God ordains all our work, what are the implications? How does it change your view of your vocation?
  2. How should we view our God ordained vocation in regard to ministry? In other words, do you believe ministry only occurs during church activities?

Resources

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