Fisher of Men

Spiritual gifts are something every believer is given when they receive the gift of salvation. Just as the gift of salvation is by grace through faith, so are the spiritual gifts. Our God is so generous. He is constantly giving us things. “Christ has generously divided out his gifts to us.” (Ephesians 4:7 CEV) It’s His grace at work in our lives. 3 Kinds of Spiritual Gifts There are three kinds of spiritual gifts. These gifts are not something we possess; they are God’s supernatural ability showing up in our lives in various ways. The Bible calls it a manifestation. “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is t...

Strolling through the Vincent van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, I stumbled on a disarmingly simple oil on canvas that has since hung prominently in the gallery of my mind. A Bible opened to Isaiah 53 lies next to a well-worn copy of Emile Zola’s La Joie de Vivre on a wooden table. An extinguished candlestick – a typical symbol of death in the 17th-century Dutch vanitas tradition – is in the background, suggesting the fleeting nature of human existence.  The Bible is uniformly recognized by art historians to belong to van Gogh’s father, Theodorus, a minister whose love for the great prophet Isaiah was widely known. Zola’s La Joie de Vivre was an example of French naturalist literature. Together they speak to van Gogh’s lifelong attempt to reconcile his traditional Christian past to modern ...

For more information about Michael Lawrence, visit: www.hinsonchurch.org For more information about Christianity, visit: www.christianity.com Michael Lawrence Originally published August 11, 2012.

June 22/23 Our Gifts for His Kingdom 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 Many people hear the word “serve” and feel that they do not have the necessary qualities to make a difference in others’ lives. This is true – apart from God. But He has gifted each of us in unique ways with a purpose in mind. His plan for us involves using these talents to serve Him for the good of others. Satan would like us to believe otherwise. Our Enemy wants us to notice what others are doing and then to feel inferior. For instance, I have heard women say, “I am just a homemaker.” They see people preaching and singing in the choir and wish they could accomplish something so great for God. Friends, there could be nothing further from the truth. An enormous responsibility rests with ...

  Editor’s Note: Introverts in the Church, (InterVarsity) has apparently struck a nerve. The book is in its eighth printing (as of 3/22/2012) and is giving our ‘extrovert-dominant’ church culture much to ponder, especially about long-standing assumptions on spiritual maturity and the qualities we think leaders ought to possess. I caught up with Adam McHugh via email and telephone to discuss this sorely neglected topic. His answers are both thoughtful and thought-provoking—particularly on the gospel and how it can be applied to the issues raised in the book. Alex Crain Editor, Christianity.com   Why did you decide to write a resource for introverts? It started as a personal quest. I knew that I was (1) Called to be a leader in the church. I had gifts of...

As the title says, these are thoughts on worship and culture. I don’t cover all that needs to be said, nor (I suspect) will every reader agree with each point. But I pray that this will lead to more thoughtful heart preparation for times of corporate worship through music. My aim is to promote God-honoring, Christ-exalting, Holy Spirit-filled praise from the lips and hearts of God’s people.  1. There is very little in the New Testament about the forms and style and content of corporate worship. Following Old Testament forms too closely contradicts the obsolescence of the wineskins. God must mean to leave the matter of form and style and content to the judgment of our spiritual wisdom—not to our whim or our tradition, but to prayerful, thoughtful, culturally alert, self-cri...

Most Christians seem to still agree that preaching is important. We download podcasts and attend conferences that center around preaching, and it remains a primary reason many choose a new church. However, one of the most neglected forms of preaching is also one of the most powerful–preaching to ourselves.  By “preaching to ourselves” I mean the discipline of intense Biblical meditation; reading, dwelling on, and applying the truths of Scripture to our own lives that leads to a deepening love of God, hatred of sin, and faith in Jesus Christ.  The idea of preaching to ourselves is popular today, though my experience suggests that it is under-practiced. Perhaps the reason for this is that we aren’t clear what it is or how it should take form. But I believe t...

How can Christians respond positively to the acceptance of homosexuality and gay marriage in mainstream culture? Consider: ABC’s hit comedy Modern Family – prominently featuring a same-sex couple – won the Emmy for outstanding comedy series. The US Senate passed a repeal of the 17-year-old ban known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” allowing gays to serve openly in the military. The Southern Poverty Law Center classified several Christian organizations that have taken stances against the acceptance of gay marriage, or who have simply gone public with the stance against homosexuality as a morally acceptable lifestyle, as “hate groups.” Facebook has added civil unions and domestic partnerships to the list of relationships that its users can pic...

 I like coffee. I’m drinking it right now. Hot and steaming, black and strong. Perfect. I have one very important rule for my coffee: don’t put anything in it! A good cup of coffee needs no help. Leave it alone. But, what if, unknown to me, someone had polluted my coffee with vile sugar. Reaching over to take a drink, I wouldn’t see the danger. It looks and smells just the same. Outwardly, everything is fine. But, the nature of the coffee, it’s very essence, has been changed…corrupted. Heresy. If you had asked me what I thought heresy was when I started writing this series, I probably would have given you an answer that sounded a lot like sugar in my coffee. The “coffee” is the essence of Christianity, it’s core beliefs and ideas about Jesus a...

The most important thing you can do for a child is to teach him or her the good news about how to be right with God, how to be forgiven of sin through the person and work of Christ. Over the years, many have asked me, “How can I explain the gospel to children in terms they understand without toning down the hard demands of Christ? Must a child understand Jesus’s lordship to be saved?”  Certainly children are limited in their ability to understand spiritual truth, but so are adults. Very few people intellectually understand all the gospel truth at the moment of salvation. Fortunately, the essential truths are basic enough that even a child can understand. Jesus Himself characterized saving faith as childlikeness (Mark 10:15). True belief is not a functi...

We have to have it. We are commanded to give it. Forgiveness. But do we ever pause to come to terms with what the word, the concept, means in God’s Word? What do you really know about forgiveness? There are many places in the Bible to learn more. Let me select one scriptural verse that I have spoken publicly at least once per month for the last three decades. 4 Healing Truths about Forgiveness from the Lord’s Supper “For this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28 NKJV). When a believer comes forward to receive Holy Communion (the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper), the words of the institution recalibrate us back to the shed blood of Jesus. In fact, that is why this is not a one-time sacrament, like baptism. This is a continuing sacram...

You know music has power when it has you shivering while running in hundred-degree heat. Güngör’s Ghosts Upon the Earth is like that, though. From the opening track, the album screams its willingness to be and do something terribly different from most Christian music of the last quarter century. For one thing, this is an album, not just a collection of songs. For another, the musical skill on display here combines with a willingness to forge a new sound, rather than retread the same old pop-rock milieu one more time. Musical and lyrical unity in an album is a rarity today in any genre, but this album tells a story. Indeed, it tells the story. But back to those shivers. “Let There Be” is the first and only time to date that any piece of art in any ...