John

How Many Times?

September 30, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

How many times have you determined to live for Christ like never before? How many times have you promised Him this time you were surrendering for real? If you’re like me, over your lifetime, it’s more times than you can count. As I’ve written before, the ugly truth is we’re as close to God as we want to be. Our commitment is as deep as we desire it to be (James 4:8).

how many times,Bible study,prayer,commitment,discipleship,discipline,priorities,salvation,surrender

There is almost nothing we can control in our lives, but how we live for Jesus is something we can control. To our shame, most of us choose to spend our time and energy in pursuits other than studying God’s Word or praying (Matthew 26:41). We can rationalize and make excuses all we want, but when we look in the mirror, each one of us knows the truth.

[Read more…] about How Many Times?

Anxious for Nothing

September 26, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

Have you ever seen so much anxiety as we have today? We have an entire generation (Gen Z, those born between 1997-2012) that is known as “the anxious generation”. It would be difficult for anyone living in our modern world to not feel some anxiety from time to time.

anxious for nothing,fear,worry,trust,anxiety,God's will,salvation,faith,anxious

We have more hatred and political division than at any other time in our lifetimes, constant wars and rumors of wars, and an ever-growing distrust in institutions once thought to be unassailable. It’s a mess. Yet the timeless Word of God tells us to be anxious for nothing (Philippians 4:6-7). How can we reconcile this Biblical instruction with the realities we face every day?

[Read more…] about Anxious for Nothing

Shine Like Stars

September 19, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

I am not so naïve to believe the times we live in are the darkest days in history. The evil running rampant in our world is not without precedence. Tales of the Roman Empire reveal it was-if you can believe it-even more immoral than today’s culture. The holocaust was even more sadistic than most of the evil occurring today, although recent acts of barbarism make that a close race. But without a doubt, these are the darkest days of our lifetime.

shine like stars,commitment,discipleship,faith,mission,purpose,salvation

A day does not go by without gross sinfulness making the headlines. Some of it is criminal. Most of it is becoming not just socially acceptable but societal norms. The world is turning God’s perfect design for marriage and sexuality into perversion. They are exchanging human dignity for murder when having a child is inconvenient. What is good is called evil, and what is evil is called good (Isaiah 5:20). A deep night has fallen across our world, and we must shine like stars to lead others through these dark times.

[Read more…] about Shine Like Stars

The Authority of Scripture

September 9, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

Perhaps nothing is more foundational to our Christian faith than the authority of scripture. God reveals Himself to us through His Word, and any attempt to undermine or minimize the inspiration of God’s Word weakens our faith and conviction. We acknowledge and recognize that Jesus Christ is the author and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2), and that the Bible is God’s Word given to us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to instruct us in the knowledge of who God is and the way we are to live.

fear,God's Word,Bible,authority of scripture

Through God’s guidance, Paul teaches us that all of scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching and training the saints (2 Timothy 3:16-17). He did not say some scripture or even vaguely state that scripture was inspired, but made it clear all scripture is God’s Word. This means we can trust the authority of scripture over every area of our lives. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s Word is true.

How to Make Disciples

September 2, 2024 by Tim Sherfy

The last instruction given by Jesus before ascending to Heaven was for us to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). It’s a serious command because it necessitates putting others before ourselves. Jesus did not charge us with becoming successful, powerful, or living our best life now. He made it clear this life is not about us. It’s about furthering His mission. If we love Him, there is no choice but to obey Him (John 14:15).

discipleship,great commission,Bible study,prayer,mission,making disciples,how to make disciples

And if we’re going to obey Him, we must be about the business of discipling others. But most of us don’t know how to make disciples. We all want to, but lack the knowledge of what we should do. Worse, many believe making disciples is for the super-Christian, those people who seem to possess a knowledge of God we can never hope to achieve. God’s Word is for everyone, no matter how much or how little you think of your abilities.