Journey to The Journey

What is the best gift you've ever received? Maybe it was something material, like an expensive piece of jewelry or a new car. Maybe it was something more sentimental, like a cherished family heirloom or a handmade gift from a child. Maybe it was not something, but rather someone, like your spouse or your children. Whatever it is, undoubtedly it is something you value greatly, perhaps even consider priceless.

For starters, we need to understand that conflict is rooted in our sinful nature. When my preferences or desires don't align with yours, then conflict and disagreement are born. I'm no psychologist, but even I can see that modern conflict resolution techniques are, at their most basic level, aimed at ultimately declaring someone right and someone wrong.

The term "Christian" is often misused and misappropriated today. For many people who don't completely deny the existence of God, like atheists, but also don't actively participate in any type of formal religion, Christianity seems like a suitable demographic with which to "self-identify."

People often ask me to recommend churches to their friends and family who live in or around this area. After all, I love my church but I'm not delusional in thinking The Journey works for everyone. When people attend your church and aren't "feeling it" you don't have to get offended. Instead, develop a kingdom mindset and recommend other faithful churches so more people can get plugged in and more churches can grow.

Besides simply looking at the content of Peter's message (which is highly profitable itself), let us step back and look at a few important lessons we can learn from the methods Peter uses to preach and teach the Gospel message. By doing so, hopefully we can draw out some guidelines to help us recognize what good teaching looks like, so that we can seek it out and gain from it.

Miracles, like speaking in tongues, always have a purpose. To put it most succinctly, a miracle (in theological terms) is an event that defies the natural and scientific laws of the universe. In other words, a miracle, by definition, can only be attributed to some supernatural power.