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The Earliest Creeds in Christianity & What Conclusion They Point To
What are the earliest creeds in Christianity? There are church creeds such as the Nicene Creed (A.D. 325) and the Chalcedonian Creed (A.D. 451), but the earliest creeds go back much farther—to even before the writing of the New Testament. Within the New Testament writings (all written within the first century A.D.), we find creedal...
Brett Seybold
3 Questions to Help Us Awaken to the Spiritual Realm
In John 12, Jesus was praying to his Father in public at a festival. In response, God audibly responded from heaven. While some heard the voice, the crowd largely mistook it for thunder. In the Western world this side of the Enlightenment, it’s natural to try to explain spiritual realities in physical terms. Willful sin...
Leonard Thompson
Faith without Works Is Dead?
What does it mean that faith without works is dead? Having faith in Jesus means that we believe what he says, trust in him to save us, and follow him as king. If we don’t trust him enough to follow him, it means our faith isn’t a living faith. It’s dead. “Faith without works is...
Daniel McCoy
Who is Joining Renew.org Network and Why?
The RENEW.org Network was launched five years ago as a renewal movement for those who prize following the lordship of Jesus through Scripture. With Scripture as our guiding and final authority, we articulated a faith statement to give everyone unity and clarity on the beliefs and direction we are pursuing as a network (see our...
Discipling Children: Protecting the Future (Part 3)
This is the final installment in a three-part series on parenting, outlining three phases of discipleship in our children. Plant the Seeds: Discipleship by Planting Seeds of Stability Provide for the Plant: Discipleship by Supportive Relationships & Training Protect the Future: Discipleship by Influence In the first article, I described the first stage of parenting,...
Renée Sproles
The Sin of Greed: Money & the Protestant Reformation
How destructive is the sin of greed? Greed is an attitude that craves more and more and can never find enough. Colossians 3:5 equates greed with idolatry, so that should put to rest the debate whether Christians today can be tempted by idols. People are infinitely more important than things, yet, in the pursuit of...
Daniel McCoy
Sermon on the Mount: Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged?
Judge not lest ye be judged. In the larger flow of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ command to “Judge not” (Matt. 7:1-6) seems to come out of nowhere. Here are my best guesses for why it’s included at this point in the sermon. First, in the same way that Deuteronomy seems loosely structured around...
Jeremy Bacon
A Psalm of Thanksgiving: Reflections on Psalm 18 / 2 Samuel 22
A psalm of thanksgiving is a worship song which expresses gratitude for what God has done. In this article, we will reflect on the psalm of thanksgiving we call “Psalm 18.” In addition to being the longest psalm of David, Psalm 18 (also found in 2 Samuel 22) is the longest psalm of thanksgiving. In...
Daniel McCoy
Why Is the World So Messed Up?
Why is the world so messed up? The world is broken because the first humans—and every human since—rebelled against their Maker. By seizing autonomy from God, we have upset the intended order of things and brought evil into the world and death upon ourselves. But in this broken world, we are given a great and...
Gavin Andrews
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What is RENEW.org Network?
RENEW.org network is a collaborative community of church leaders, churches, and disciples of Jesus who rally together around the DNA of a clear biblical theology and the mission of being and making disciples of Jesus Christ. Mission – to renew the teachings of Jesus to fuel disciple making Vision – a collaborative network equipping millions...
Renew.org
Making a 10,000-Year Difference
As summer was wrapping up and churches were ramping up for fall, I heard a couple of sermons challenging the church to make a difference in their communities. The question that often arises is, “If our church were to close tomorrow, would our community even miss us?” I think that is a fair question for...
Rowlie Hutton
Thankful for the RENEW.org Network
Thanksgiving Day is almost here. And not a moment too soon! After enduring an exhausting, confusing, and sometimes maddening election cycle, Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to pivot—to reframe our thoughts and settle our emotions. It’s a season to celebrate the blessings in our lives, especially God, family, friends, and food! I have the privilege of...
Mike Rosser
Why the Flood?
Isn’t it a little funny that we often use the walls of church nurseries to paint the most extreme portrait of God’s wrath to date? The Genesis Flood. Of course, the paintings themselves are cheerful. Above the water, you’ve got smiling pairs of animal soul mates and a grandfatherly Noah smiling through his footlong beard,...
Daniel McCoy
The Devil Wears Sweatpants
We love to be comfortable. It’s easy; it’s convenient; it’s killing us. Comfort can be a great thing in the moment. But it can have terrible side effects. It promises ease but prolongs misery. That’s why God calls us to be uncomfortable. Biblical Theology Many Old Testament characters are called to an uncomfortable life of...
Bob Turner
Designing and Proposing a Women’s Ministry
Figuring out how to define women’s ministry can be tricky. As a term, most people have heard “women’s ministry” used but may not have given it much thought. Is women’s ministry what women do in the church? Is it ministry to women? Or a combination of both? What is the purpose of women’s ministry? Women’s...
Anessa Westbrook
Walk by Faith, Not Sight: What It Means, What It Doesn’t
What does it mean to walk by faith, not sight (2 Cor. 5:7)? It’s common to think that, as inspiring as the phrase sounds, walking by faith would make a person unintelligent, sheltered, and aloof. The truth is, walking by faith means being perceptive, resilient, and engaged. In 2 Corinthians 5:7, the apostle Paul says,...
Daniel McCoy
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