This is a giant question, but I'd push back and say how do you know the bad things are truly evil things? Romans 8:28 (among other Scriptures) would say otherwise, and that what you and I perceive to be "bad" things are really increasing the glory of God, and therefore the amount of joy, in the universe.

Even if you're talking about His allowance of obviously evil things such as the Holocaust or the like, does it not intensify the mind-blowing magnificence of the Cross? That He would redeem a people like us, capable of such horrors? And I'm convinced that as the Cross is made known and made larger, that it's treasures would overshadow all evils to the point that they no longer exist.

Our minds are quite narrow when it comes to the governance of the cosmos.

I think a lot of Christians are practical atheists. They profess with their mouths that they follow Jesus, but profess with their lives that Jesus remains in the grave.

Another way to put it is that I think a lot of people who profess Christ as Savior don't profess Him as Lord.

That being said, I also believe that for the Christian, God has indeed forgiven every future sin. This is an idea known as "future grace", and is based on God's timelessness, the degree to which a person is saved, and the degree of power of the Cross. When Christ plucks someone from the wrath of the Father, there is nothing about that person that is not known or not forgiven. Just as the Cross has the power to save us, 2000 years after the fact, so it has the power to save us from sins we'll commit 20 years from now. Who are we to limit the scope of the salvation offered to us by Jesus?

The key to remember is that we are to remain "in Christ" for the grace to carry over. As we remain in Him, the salvation already earned for us is being worked out in our lives. This means that sometimes our actions don't line up with our identity. For someone who is consistently in sin, I would definitely question their salvation, and I would encourage them to do the same.

I don't believe "once saved, always saved", but I do believe "if saved, always saved". There's a subtle, but important, difference there.

1) Tell your story. Not THE story, but how your story has fit into the story of God. Our culture loves a great story, and the story of the Gospel impacting your heart is the best one you could tell. Your story answers questions like these: What was your former life? Where was your heart? What did you worship? How did Jesus change you? Where do you find joy? What are your current struggles as you follow Jesus?

2) Tell God's story. This is THE story. Start with Good News (Creation), Bad News (Fall), Great News (Redemption & Restoration). Tell the whole story, not just the Redemption piece. As I just said, it usually follows the arc of Creation - Fall - Redemption - Restoration, or Genesis 1-2 -> Genesis 3 -> Cross & Empty Tomb -> Ascension & Renewal.

3) Invite them in to God's story.

Note: it may seem like a lot, but it's really not. You can condense what God is doing in the world into a sentence or two, really. Ideally, evangelism, or "Gospel-ing" takes place over many conversations with time invested in the person. It's most effective when not a "one-off".

The core of the Gospel, in a single idea, is that everything Jesus did was substitutionary for us: in His life is ours, in His death is ours, in His Resurrection is ours, and in His Ascension is ours. This core enables us to join God in the renewal of all things.

It's really a beautiful, beautiful story that deserves to be told over and over.

This is a great question. I absolutely believe that non-pastoral members should hold one another accountable, and I believe there is ample Scripture evidence to support this. That being said, I also think that accountability and church discipline should be rooted in love, which is rooted in relationship.

I don't think anyone should hold another accountable without having a loving relationship in place first. But when there is a mutually-beneficial, loving relationship that is founded on the Gospel of Christ, there should be plenty of room for confrontation and discipline...as both parties know the heart behind the encounter.

The problem that I've seen is one of two extremes: people love to "hold each other accountable" without having a firm relationship in place (acquaintances don't count)...which only leads to strife. OR great friends will let great friends continue in sin without intervention, at the risk of losing the friendship.

It's important to remember that to truly love someone is to seek God's glory, and therefore their joy, in their life...even when it stings a bit.

Just be prepared for them to do the same to you.

In addition. it is crucial for us to look to Christ. We are our brother's keeper (taking ownership of our brother/sister's sins) because it models the Gospel: Christ is the keeper for our sins that He is not at fault for.

For more, go to the Scriptures: Matthew 18:15-17, Proverbs 25:9, Ezekiel 33:7-9, 1 John 5:16

No I don't. First of all, the 10% tithe is a baseline. The actual giving in the Old Testament ranges close to the 25% mark. The New Testament, in contrary to putting a number on giving, says to respond cheerfully and sacrificially. Every time you give, it should hurt and you should be glad about it.

Sound sadistic? Perhaps. But think about this:

We don't give because the rules say to, we give because Christ did. Because of this, Christ's giving should be the model for our giving, not the Old Testament. How did Christ give? He gave EVERYTHING (100%) with GLADNESS.

If we aren't at least willing to do the same, how can we ever say that we believe, trust, and rejoice in the Good News of His death and resurrection?

It really is as simple as that: give as He gave: sacrificially and cheerfully.

Hope this helps.

If you haven't seen it already, I've answered this question on my blog here: http://dxlgie.com/sn . Hope this helps!

The Harmony Kinston "project" was an investigation into the possibility of planting a Gospel-centered church in the city of Kinston. It was not a "top-down" movement, but us exploring the possibility with some fantastic people who travel to Greenville every week from Kinston to attend Harmony.

We are still exploring this possibility, but because it is a ground-up movement, we are being patient and relying on the leadership that is in Kinston to direct our steps, rather than forcing something to happen ourselves.

Every time we've been in Kinston, we had a great turnout, and great interest in planting a church there. But we don't want to plant an event, we want to plant a community and a culture. This takes time, leaders, and resources.

We remain committed to the cities of Greenville and Kinston, as well as to church planting, and will continue to pursue opportunities as they present themselves.

Thanks for asking, and if you're in Kinston, I'd love to dialogue with you about it.

email: derek-at-harmonydc.com

Sorry for the delay on this one. It's mysticism. Sozo prayer attempts to put the work of the Spirit in the hands of the believer. That being said, there is definitely a hint of truth here: Prayer can, and does, heal. Prayer can, and does, set free. Prayer can, and does, lead to power. I'm a strong, firm believer in the power of prayer as it is Spirit-led, Christ-exalting, and Father-appealing.

That being said, Sozo prayer in particular, relies on fallible man and a meditation of sorts in order to achieve a desired result. It's a prayer-based, mystical, hyper-spiritualized derivative of the "Word of Faith" or "Prosperity" theology.

The most telling thing here is what "Sozo" means. It's the greek verb to save, or to make whole. And only Jesus saves. Only Jesus makes whole.

Jesus alone.

I wish I could pat you on the back, tell you everything's going to be OK, and sweep it all under the rug. But I can't do that.

Ephesians 5:5, and really every similar verse in the New Testament, means exactly what it says. However, it's also important to remember that it's not the whole story.

What Ephesians 5:5 doesn't say is that "everyone who has ever been sexually immoral...has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ". It says "everyone who is". Present tense. Those who would claim the grace of Christ and yet persist in sin without repentance or wrestling do not cherish Him as King.

My concern with your question here is that you seem to be more worried with the consequence than with the cause. Your concern should be that you are defiling the name of God...not that you have no inheritance.

Are you chasing the transformation of Christ in your life? Are you leaning into Him? Are you asking that He would continually change your heart? Are you seeking His fame through you? Do you accept His grace towards your sins: past, present, and future? Do you then live in response to His grace, instead of trying to earn it through morality?

The way to avoid immorality (whether sexual or otherwise) is not to change your behavior...but to change your god. Do not worship sex, the opposite gender, or your own pleasure. Worship Jesus

Ephesians 5:5 is not the whole story. I would suggest reading Ephesians 2:1-10 for a bigger picture.

It is by grace you have been saved...and it is by grace that you should live.

I can't forgive or cast away your sins.

But Jesus can.

Two things.

1) This requires the discipline of being able to hear the voice of God. What is He speaking to you through the Scriptures? Through prayer? Through others? Through signs and 'coincidences'? Do the things you believe Him to be saying line up according with what you believe Him to be calling you to? Do they line up with Scripture & the Gospel? Are they confirmed by others? I'll actually be teaching on this at Harmony in a couple of weeks during our Advent series, so I'd encourage you to show up to that gathering or to catch the podcast.

2) When the Scriptures teach that He will give us the desires of our heart, it doesn't meant that whatever we want He will grant us. What it means instead is that our old desires will be removed, and He will place new desires within our hearts for us to chase. These desires will be Christ-centered, Kingdom-advancing, and Trinity-exalting desires.

Hope this makes sense. Again, thanks for the question!

Whoa! Have no idea how I missed your question, but I did. Sorry for such a long wait for an answer. I really hope you forgive me. Seriously.

That being said, I know exactly what you're talking about. I would say that there is such a thing as "too spiritual"...but perhaps not in the way that you mean.

So many times, people create this boundary between "spiritual" or "sacred" things and "not-spiritual" or "secular" things. This is really a false dichotomy. Garbage. There is really no distinction. To quote from a former pastor in Grand Rapids, everything is spiritual.

I believe that Scripture teaches that everything we do is a form of worship: it shows where we place our value, and who we believe God to be (whether ourselves, a statue, some sex god, Jesus, etc). That being said, there is nothing outside of the realm of worship. Everything is spiritual.The thing that preaches this most loudly is the season of Advent, or Christmas.

Think about it: Jesus didn't show up as some ghostly form, or in a shining light. He came as a dude. With a liver and skin and facial hair. He farted, drank, ate, and slept. He worked a job for 30 years. If you hold to the division between spiritual and secular, you would call the first 30 years of Jesus' life secular. And I would call that division being too spiritual...though in some very real sense, it's not being spiritual enough.

What I believe you to mean by being "too spiritual" is that people only dwell in their self-defined categories of spirituality (everything is about Bible study, or prayer, or demons, etc.) instead of seeing all of life as spiritual. As an example: instead of referring to something bad happening, they say something along the lines of "the devil's out to get me today".

To sum it all up: people who you may call "too spiritual" are probably, in reality, not spiritual enough. They define what is spiritual instead of submitting to a Biblical view of spirituality.

I hope this all makes sense. If it doesn't, feel free to email me at derek-at-harmonydc.com, or show up to Harmony one Sunday morning (Tipsy Teapot at 10am) and ask in person (we have a Q&A session during our gatherings, or just grab me before/after gathering). And again, I'm soooo sorry for the delay. Your future questions are a priority now. :)

Honestly, who hasn't violated something in Revelation 21:8? The thing to remember is this: no one on this side of death is ever past the grace of Christ. God is indeed able to forgive anything, and everything. And we are to repent of our sins. And it is never too late.

My concern for you, just reading these brief sentences, would be this: your repentance is not a magic potion to regenerate health in the cosmic videogame of life. God is not a genie who, when you rub the metaphorical lamp, shows up to be at your beckon and call.

God does not forgive us because we repent, He forgives us because of the work that Jesus has accomplished on our behalf. When we realize that Jesus died in our place, and that not only has He died FOR us, but we have died WITH him, it causes us to change our mind who we serve as God (repent). We are then raised to new life with Him, to live guilt-free, joy-filled lives now until we are united with Him.

The work of Jesus in our place not only brings redemption of past sins...but sins we haven't even committed yet. Jesus died for the future you just like He has died for the past and present you.

My encouragement to you would be to not focus so much on your repentance and trying to convince God to forgive you, but to focus on Jesus instead, and trust everything in His hands. He'll take care of it.

Promise.

An innie. He liked picking the lint out and lighting it on fire by snapping His fingers when the disciples weren't looking.

Just kidding. No one knows.

No problem at all. Beware of people who preach legalism and "rules" instead of grace and Gospel. But still take into account what people say. Even the Pharisees, the most infamous of moralists, got it right occasionally.

I'm down with them. Not me personally, but you know. It's simply a choice of style. However, as with anything, your appearance can become an idol...whether it's Mary Kay, leather jackets, tattoos, or nose rings. Do you find your identity in the way you look, or who you worship?

When done tastefully, I think they're awesome. In fact, my wife has had multiple piercings (nose, multiple ear, etc). They can definitely accentuate the beauty that Christ has given someone, and should be used to tell that story.

I think I need some clarification here. Can you give an example or be more specific?

Just at face value, He is sometimes subtle (especially with day-to-day things), and other times blunt (think the Cross of Christ, the most in-your-face event of all time).

I do know this, though: there are no such things are coincidences. God is not only the watch-maker, but the second-hand-pusher.

I wasn't aware there was a line, honestly. I absolutely adore science and use it to inform my thinking about the Gospel and about God. Job 26 says that the universe is but the FRINGES of His power. Romans 1 says that the Universe declares the greatness of God. To ignore what Creation teaches us about our Creator is to ignore a large part of who God is.

That being said, it's important not to elevate current scientific doctrine above Scripture. Science constantly changes, hence the whole scientific method thing. For instance, we now know that the sun doesn't revolve around the earth. We also know (only within the past 100 years or so) that the earth does not revolve around the sun, but rather they are BOTH orbiting the center of gravity between the two (which happens to be closer to the sun because of mass and the curvatures of spacetime, etc.) Quantum mechanics (we can't know everything - Heisenberg) and astrochemistry (Did you know the Milky Way tastes like raspberries? Look up ethyl formate.) are also great examples.

I say all that to say this: examine science, question it, love it, and use it to further your understanding of the Gospel and of the nature/character of God. But don't put more stake in the messenger than you do in the message.

It's easier to take those questions in reverse order.

What isn't sin is the nature, person, and work of the Trinitarian God as outlined in Scripture. This is what we may refer to as "holiness" or "righteousness" or sometimes even "glory". Notice that, just as it is with us, the actions of God flow from His character. Righteousness is NOT the summation of all of God's actions (what He does), but rather the sum of His nature and traits (who He is).

Because holiness is the sum of character, not the sum of actions, sin is not something you do, but rather something you are. Contrary to "Bible Belt" religion, you perform rebellious actions because you are sinful. Religion (in the bad sense of the word) flips this around, preaching the false doctrine that we are only sinful as we sin. But sin is a much deeper issue than actions or deeds. Sin is a heart issue. It deals with what Jonathan Edwards (and others) refer to as the affections, or the passions.

Sin is not something you do, but something you are.

This manifests in different ways, primarily through rebellion (I'm God over my life here and now) or through religion (I follow God here and now so I can be God later).

But thankfully, there is an answer. Jesus didn't just do all the right things...He became all the wrong things. Jesus did not just go through a transfer of actions, but of characteristics.

Dwell on this verse, and how it uses the verb "be/become":
For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Hope this helps. I'll be glad to answer any follow-up questions or point out further resources.

Valid? Absolutely. Complete? No. But one would be hard-pressed to put together a complete statement on the topic of divine sovereignty. Especially with a nitpicker like myself. I'd also take issue with some of your verbiage, but the gist of the statement is OK. Though I smell a trap. :)

Um...what? My wife and I are happily married....even on Facebook.