Galatians

Is It What You Expected?

July 17, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

How long have you been a Christian? No matter your answer, I have a question for you: “Is it what you expected?” When you came to acknowledge Christ as your Lord and Savior, what did you imagine would be the result? Increasingly, I see Christians encouraging someone down on their luck by pulling random verses out of context and assuring those people that God has big plans for them if they will only trust in Jesus.

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In one sense, those well-wishers are correct. God has big plans for everyone who calls on His name. He plans to give them eternal life and bring them into His presence forever. There couldn’t be a bigger plan. But I know this isn’t what these people have in mind. Too many so-called Christians today have believed the lie that believing in Jesus is the way to success, health, and wealth in this life now.

It’s Not Easy

July 10, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

Amidst all the madness swirling around this world today, two things genuinely break my heart. The first is when I pray for the salvation of my friends, colleagues, and family and face the reality of how many of them, people I love and care for, are going to Hell. While I know it is not my responsibility or even ability to save them, the burden still weighs heavily when I ponder how many opportunities I have let slip by to help them understand the Gospel.

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The second thing that breaks my heart is the number of people in churches around the world who think they are Christians but are not truly saved. It’s not easy to surrender everything to Jesus, but it pales in comparison to how difficult it will be to spend eternity without Him.

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Confess and Repent

July 3, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

Christians have been far too passive in our acceptance of the sins in our society. In too many instances, we have not only capitulated to evil but have even joined the chorus of the culture in singing the praises of man’s ideology. Instead of coming out from among them (2 Corinthians 6:15-18), we march arm in arm to show our unity. Darkness has no fellowship with light (2 Corinthians 6:14).

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It never has, and never will. So why are we so intent on pretending the two can coexist? God hates sin and will pour out His wrath on those who engage in it. If Jesus is our Lord, we will abstain from sin and keep ourselves pure before our holy God and King. We will repent and call others to do the same.

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The Remnant of God

April 24, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

The beauty of God’s plan is He promises there will always be a remnant who will remain faithful to Him (Ezekiel 6:8-10). No matter how dark the world becomes or how dire the circumstances that emerge, the Church of Christ will never be defeated (Matthew 16:18). The light that has come into the world through Jesus will never be extinguished (John 8:12). My question is, “How big will that remnant be in our generation?”

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The more I learn and the closer I draw to Christ, the more concerned I become about the multitudes who profess Jesus with their lips but deny him with their lives. I see no evidence that everyone who calls themselves a Christian is part of the remnant of God. There are simply far too many walking down the path of “doing church” and “being Christian” than could ever squeeze through the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14).

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The Cost of Following Jesus

April 17, 2023 by Tim Sherfy

Many Christians seem to be confused about the cost of following Jesus. I blame the watered-down preaching that has invaded our pulpits over the last century. Particularly in the age of the celebrity pastor, the truth of the gospel and all it implies has been distorted, perverted, and sometimes outright ignored. Know that following Christ will cost you everything. It won’t require you to give up a few things but to abandon everything (Matthew 16:24-26).

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You cannot follow Jesus without cost. If living for Christ does not result in a radically different life, you aren’t following Jesus. If serving Him costs you nothing, you aren’t serving Him. You are fooling yourself for any number of selfish reasons because the cost of following Jesus is noticeable, and it is significant.