CWR Blog
Christianity Without The Religion BLOG hosted by Brad Jersak.
December 2024
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Brad Jersak Sometimes, Waiting Is Hard – pg. 2
Laura Urista Great Gifts in Small Packages – pg. 4
Greg Albrecht Believe Him & Receive Him – pg. 5
Christian Tracts? Brad Jersak
Question:
I have just finished reading your book A More Christlike God and found it thought-provoking and wonderful. I have been deconstructing my Evangelical faith. I am contacting you to ask if you know of any tracts with this Beautiful Gospel on them. I don't like most of the tracts evangelists use, so I thought I would check with you before trying to reinvent the wheel! I feel burdened to reach the "ripened harvest:" but everyone I know is preaching a gospel of fear dressed up in love! I don't find it easy to stop and speak to people, but I want something ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
November 21, 2024 - Quote for the Day:
“Excess does not guarantee happiness – on the other hand, many examples of excess we see in our Western world lead us to conclude that having ‘too much’ may lead to misery and unhappiness.
Two things I ask of you, LORD, do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me my own daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God – ...
Overcoming Religion
In their religious zeal, some churches conceal the Good News of Jesus Christ from their members. Christians need to scrape the religious barnacles off of Good Ship Christianity and leave religion behind in order to know our Lord and Savior in the fullness of his goodness.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0263.mp3
Two Women – Two Ways of Life
Sarah was barren so she had her slave, Hagar, be a surrogate mother of sorts, but later Sarah had a child of her own. The apostle Paul used the story of their resulting conflict to illustrate the conflict between the old covenant of law and the new covenant of grace.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0286.mp3
Meals on Wheels – by Greg Albrecht
Earlier this year my wife and I attended memorial services for the wife of an older gentleman who frequents the same gym where my wife and I exercise. Jerrat is one of a number of seniors who arrive early at the gym, virtually every day. We have joined this group about three times a week over the last 6-8 years.
A group of about 20 of us from the gym (we call ourselves gym rats) joined Jerrat, his family, loved ones and friends, supporting them during this time of loss. A week or so after the funeral my wife Karen decided to make some dinner for Jerrat. We called him ...
CWR Video – Our Generous God
In this CWR Video, Ed reflects on Luke 6:38 and our Generous God.
https://vimeo.com/1011058707
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Reflections Along the Jesus Way
November 19, 2024 - Quote for the Day:
“Lending institutions place a cap or limit on the total amount of purchases you can charge to their card. They will only let you go so far before your credit runs out. How far can we go with God before he says to us, ‘That’s it – my grace has its limits!’ Is it possible to use so much of God’s love that our account will be ‘maxed out’? … Is it possible for us to come to a place when God says to us, ‘You’ve gone beyond the limits of my compassion. You have too many sins on your sin debit card now – I ...
The Condensed Gospel
What two words would you use to summarize the gospel? In two words how would you define God, what he stands for and what he's all about? What is the condensed gospel? Be sure to catch Greg's discussion of which words work and which words don't.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0285.mp3
We Need a Grace Revolution
Our natural state spiritually is that we're dead corpses -- among the walking dead. How does God determine that you will be saved? On what basis? How much of your salvation is up to you -- does God expect you to do everything you can and then he'll do the rest?
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0283.mp3
The Widow and Her Two Copper Coins – Ken Williams
Luke 21:1 As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on”. (NIV)
My neighbor and friend, Deputy Don, is a retired Monroe County sheriff. During his thirty years of service, he protected all people he was called on to help. His concern for other people’s ...
Q&R – Can Satan counterfeit spiritual fruit? Brad Jersak
Question
Being an angel of light, can Satan mimic joy and other fruit of the Spirit to try and deceive us when we try to judge something or someone by its fruit? Can a non-Christian produce the fruit of the Spirit?
Response
First, I think it's helpful to remember the context of that phrase from 2 Corinthians 4. Here are some of the critical passages there:
3 But I am afraid that just as the serpent’s cunning deceived Eve, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a ...
One God – Vengeful in the Old Testament, Loving and Forgiving in the New? – Greg Albrecht
Question:
How does a person reconcile the God of love and grace with the one described in the Old Testament as filled with rage, violence and wrath? I must admit that this is why I do not like to read the OT as I can't picture such an angry God. It is just confusing to me is all. I am trying to read the Bible but the Old Testament just doesn't make sense to me.
I don't know if I have made any sense here, but after years of feeling that God was disappointed and angry with me for what I had done and that I was condemned to hell because of it, I ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
November 16, 2024 - Quote for the Day:
“In God’s kingdom, creation is in harmony, even as God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, dwells in perfect harmony. God’s kingdom is not a temporary cease-fire. God’s kingdom is not a provisional agreement to refrain from hostilities. The perfection and eternity of God’s kingdom is all of creation glorifying God with one voice, like a symphony of orchestral instruments uniting their sounds, joined by a choir of many voices all singing the same words at the same time.
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom ...
God’s Love and Grace Lifts Us Up – by Greg Albrecht
Civilization is a stream with banks. The stream is sometimes filled with blood from people killing, stealing… and doing things historians usually record, while on the banks, unnoticed, people build homes, make love, raise children, sing songs, write poetry…The story of civilization is the story of what happened on the banks. Historians are pessimists because they ignore the banks for the river. – Will and Ariel Durant
We cannot ignore the warfare, bloodshed, brutality, oppression, poverty and disease ...
Legalism, License or Liberty?
Legalism and license are two ways people lead their lives that lead to destruction. Many people follow these two opposing paths that are in their own ways popular and enticing, but the third way, liberty in Christ -- freedom in Christ, is found by only a few.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0282.mp3
An Offer We Can’t Refuse – by Greg Albrecht
Luke 14:15-24
There are more than 38,000 Christian denominations around this world. Over 3.5 million congregations that identify themselves as Christian churches formally gather together, on a regular basis, around this world.
But did you know, in spite of what I've just said, that there is only one Christian church in Germany? Only one in Italy? Only one in India? Only one in China? And only one in the United States and Canada.
I'm speaking, of course, about the church of Jesus Christ —not about a humanly incorporated corporation or institution—but about the one ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
November 14, 2024 - Quote for the Day:
“God’s joy runs deep, in our souls, more meaningful and satisfying than happiness, a word which often speaks of a more short-lived, surface feeling. Joy can and often does include happiness, but not always. For a Christ-follower, joy can exist even when immediate and physical circumstances are far from ‘happy.’ James speaks to this apparent conundrum – Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds… (James 1:2-3)."
Originally published in:
Wonders of His ...
The Master Heresy and Greatest Lie
Do these teachings sound familiar? "You're the most important person in the universe, the master of your own destiny, truth for you is what you decide it is and you can do everything necessary to save yourself." Greg talks about the "Master Heresy and Greatest Lie".
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0281.mp3
The State of Christianity
What is the world at large thinking about Christianity when it sees the circus antics of some Christian TV, religion posing as the gospel and people playing the "church game"? Authentic Christianity exposes the bad-news imposters freeing us for the good news of Christ.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/PTR0280.mp3
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