fisher of men

Apologetics and the Importance of Listening: A Conversation with Mary Jo Sharp: Mary Jo Sharp is an assistant professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University. She is the founder of Confident Christianity Apologetics Ministry, and an experienced speaker in apologetics. I was impressed with her study, Why Do You Believe That? A Faith Conversation, and so I invited her to contribute to the upcoming worldview edition of The Gospel Project. She is also author of Defending the Faith: Apologetics in Women’s Ministry. Today, I’m glad to welcome Mary Jo for a conversation about apologetics and the importance of listening. Trevin Wax: Tell us a little about your journey from atheism to Christianity. Mary Jo Sharp: As a teenager, I was not a Christian, nor a person who real...

Who was St. Valentine? Saint Valentine, officially Saint Valentine of Rome, is a widely recognized 3rd-century Roman saint commemorated on February 14 and since the High Middle Ages is associated with a tradition of courtly love. All that is reliably known of the saint commemorated on February 14 is his name and that he was martyred and buried at a cemetery north of Rome on that day.  It is uncertain whether Saint Valentine was one individual or a pseudonym for several. Connection to Today Today we exchange cards expressing love or appreciation for one another. According to tradition, on this day, February 14, 269, a young man named Valentine was executed in Rome for his faith. But what does our exchange of sentimental cards have to do with a th...

“…And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” (v.25b) You and I are creatures of desire. There is nothing you ever choose, do, or say that is not the product of desire. Desire not only directs your choices, it shapes your dreams. Desire forms your moments of greatest joy and darkest grief. Desire makes you envious of one person while being glad you’re not another. Desire keeps you awake at night or puts you soundly to sleep. Desire makes you willing to get up in the morning or causes you to be frustrated at the end of the day. Desire makes you expectant and hopeful in one moment, and demanding and complaining in the next. Desire sometimes makes you susceptible to temptation and at other times is the thing that defends you against it. Desire can lift yo...

In my book “What They Didn’t Teach You In Seminary,” I wrote about something you may have never heard before: Ministry is spiritually hazardous to your soul.  Actually, leadership of any kind has a built-in set of challenges. Here are some of the reasons why that are ministry specific, but are easily transferred over to other areas of leadership: First, it is because you are constantly doing “spiritual” things, and it is easy to confuse those things with actually being spiritual. For example, you are constantly in the Bible, studying it, in order to prepare a talk. It’s easy to confuse this with reading and studying the Bible devotionally for your own soul. You’re not. You are praying – in services, during meetings, at pot lucks – and it is easy to think you are leading a life of pers...

“Americans don’t take Satan seriously. His evil and dark dealings with the culture and lives of people is subtle here. But in Brazil, his work is out in the open. We know he is real.” These are the words of a friend of mine who was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  She expressed concern for how “cavalier” we are about evil in the United States. The Bible has much to say about Satan and how he affects our lives and he certainly does need to be taken seriously. Here are seven teachings about Satan from the Bible. 1. Satan is real. Ezekiel 28:11-19 is a dual prophecy describing both the king of Tyre and Satan himself. He was the model of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. He was in Eden, the garden of God, with clothing adorned with every precious stone, all beautifu...

I hate to disappoint you, but the Bible is not about you. Specifically, it was not written to improve the quality of your daily existence (in the way you think). It is not a spiritual handbook and it is not a guide to determining God’s will for your life. The Bible is not a story of God determining in eternity past to send His Son to earth to create a more satisfactory existence for you. But, this is usually where we take the story. We are seriously self-absorbed when it comes to our Bibles. Who else could take the unbelievable episode of Moses and the burning bush and bend it back toward our everyday experience? Or, the life of Joseph and draw out principles for effective management? Your life and happiness are not adequate points of reference for the scope of what God has done and is doi...

In a series of tweets, Tim Tebow has announced that he has cancelled his upcoming appearance at the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. In his own words: While I was looking forward to sharing a message of hope and Christ’s unconditional love with the faithful members of the historic First Baptist Church of Dallas in April, due to new information that has been brought to my attention, I have decided to cancel my upcoming appearance. I will continue to use the platform God has blessed me with to bring Faith, Hope and Love to all those needing a brighter day. Thank you for all of your love and support. God Bless! Tebow leaves this “new information” undefined. For those who have been following this story, you know that Tebow has been under fire for agreeing to speak at a church that&n...

There have been many challenges brought by critics who doubt the reliability and trustworthiness of the accounts of Jesus’ life in the Bible. Some have said that the Scriptures we have today are not the same as what was written by the apostles in the first century. As we will see, however, these challenges do not stand up to scrutiny. New Testament Textual Variants The Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—were probably written during the second half of the first century. Unfortunately, we do not actually have any of the original documents (called autographs) in our possession today. Instead, what we have are copies, often hand-written by scribes to preserve and circulate the words of the apostles so they could be passed around and used in worship services. The fact that the original ...

“Lack of conviction is the nullification of leadership,” ~Dr. Albert Mohler. In this webcam interview with Christianity.com Editor, Alex Crain, Dr. Mohler explains how his book, “The Conviction to Lead,” bridges two groups in evangelical churches: people who gravitate toward leadership material and others who gravitate toward theology. Mohler contends that leadership that matters will embrace both. (www.albertmohler.com) Originally published February 22, 2013.

Noted pastor and author Craig Groeschel talks with Crosswalk.com’s Shawn McEvoy about his latest book, Altar Ego, and how his life changed the day he started to see himself as God says he is. www.lifechurch.tvwww.crosswalk.com Originally published March 08, 2013.

So often, it is the case that when church leaders make moves from one ministry to another, they leave the way people vacate foreclosed home. Hearts are yanked out. Relationships are fractured. Huge informational and resource holes are left behind. Sometimes, this kind of destruction seems almost intentional—as if the ministry leader had a singe of vengeance coming off his clothes. It is astounding that some who are in “gospel ministry” never seem to think of leaving in a positive way so that a grace-filled, gospel ministry is set up to prosper long after their departure. Departures from the local church—God’s house—ought to be gospel departures. Acts 20 illustrates this very different approach to departing. Paul’s example is instructive for church leaders, who—if they must leave because of...