Why the ordination?

I have asked myself this question a number of times before I decided to pursue it. Cross Cultured Church began in 2008. I was chosen by the people of Cross Cultured Church and set apart for the pastoral work. Was that not an ordination event. Of course it was. It was biblical, it was congregational and was perfectly acceptable within …

Should we dedicate babies?

Some of the questions I asked myself while I got to thinking about baby dedications were: Is baby dedication a church sacrament? – No Is baby dedication the same as paedobaptism? – No Does it dispense grace on the baby or the parents? – No Is is regenerative? – Definitely not. In the Jewish religion, male infants are circumcised in obedience to the Mosaic Law. In Catholic, Lutheran, …

Uneasy is the heart until it rests in Thee

In prison, the political officer asked me harshly, “How long will you continue to keep your stupid religion?” I said to him, “I have seen innumerable atheists regretting on their deathbeds that they have been godless; they called on Christ. Can you imagine that a Christian could regret, when death is near, that he has been a Christian and call …

Reconciling the sovereignty of God and Prayer

“If I pray aright, God is graciously working out his purposes in me and through me, and the praying, though mine, is simultaneously the fruit of God’s powerful work in me through his Spirit. By this God-appointed means I become an instrument to bring about a God-appointed end. If I do not pray, it is not as if the God-appointed …

The Elect of God

1 Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are the elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood. Romans  8: 29-30 For those whom he foreknew he …

So you think you can be neutral?

There is absolutely no neutrality in any area of life concerning your attitude toward and allegiance to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If you are not for him, you are ACTIVELY against him. If you say that isn’t true, then you are saying Jesus is wrong in which case you are against him. See, the nature of that claim makes …

Should one repent to be saved?

The gospel call is to repent and believe. It is not a call to “accept Christ,” nor to “ask Christ into your heart,” nor to “let go and let God.” The gospel command is always to repent and believe. The key is you cannot do one without the other and you cannot do either without being quickened by the Spirit …

Praying to a sovereign God

In fatalistic fashion, I’m regularly asked by an anti-Calvinist, “if God is sovereign over all things including salvation, then why pray to Him?”. My response is always, “why pray to Him if He is not?”. I might as well pray to my neighbor or my dog, after all they have just as such ability to do something about my situation …

Are men and women wired differently?

Research says yes! Some people would want to believe that boys and girls are essentially the same until they hit adolescence. They would argue that the hormones are what makes them different. Having majored in biotechnology, I was no different on my convictions. That all changed when I became a father. My little girl who is just 18 months old …