1783 results for tag: Greg Albrecht

When Were You Saved…And Does it Really Matter?

by Greg Albrecht Here's an email I received recently: I said the prayer to be saved when I was ten years old. I don't remember much about it—just that my mom was upset that the church I was attending with my friend would baptize a child (me) who was not really sure what was going on. Many years later, in another church service, I asked Jesus to come into my heart again. The pastor announced to the church that I was rededicating my life. Yet looking back, I feel that God was with me all along. Is it possible that I was truly saved when I was age ten, even though I was unaware of its great importance? I know that God knows my heart and I have a ...

Haunted by Cult Guilt – Q&R with Greg Albrecht

Question  I spent 20 years as a Jehovah's Witness. My problem is that I still have dreams and feelings of guilt for robbing my ex-husband's parents (who are now deceased) of all the holidays my husband and I refused to celebrate because we followed Watchtower teachings. My ex was an only child. Ten years after I became a Witness, he also became one. After his parents died, for various reasons, I left the marriage and am now remarried and a member of a Christian church. My ex is still a JW. I can't get rid of the feeling that I have. His parents were very patriotic and my husband gave up that belief when he became a Witness. Now I am ...

November 2020

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Articles: Like Wool on Sheep – pg. 1 Descending to Serve – pg. 2 Thanksgiving for Everyone – pg. 5 Scaredy Pants – pg. 7 Quotes & Connections – pg. 8

Q&R with Greg Albrecht – “Can a 2000-year-old book apply to a 21st-century Indian?”

Question I am a third-year medical student writing from India. I have heard it said that the truth of the Bible is absolute – true for all people at all times at all places regardless of culture, ethnicity or nationality. But the Gospels and the Epistles were written to a specific group of people in a specific context addressing specific situations. How does that apply to me, an Indian, separated by 2,000 years from biblical events, by thousands of miles from biblical geography, and most of all by a vast cultural separation from those people to whom it was written? Response According to the Bible, God has revealed his plan to us ...

Just Wondering – Greg Albrecht

I was recently challenged by someone whose religion causes them to believe God the Holy Spirit to be an “it” rather than a divine Person.   Their mannerisms as they “taught me” reminded me of mansplaining - the current term that women use for men who patronize them, adopting a condescending conversational tone as if they are empty headed, immature children.  After I listened to this person “setting me straight” I said I had a few questions – they of course had to allow me to say something, since I had listened to them, and “questions” sounded good because it may have seemed I wanted clarification.  Indeed I did ...

He Cares For You! Greg Albrecht

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). Paul wrote these words when he was in lock-down – the power of the mighty Roman Empire insisted he “stay safe at home.” Paul was social distancing whether he liked it or not.  He was in prison, or at the very least under house arrest. He had good reason to be anxious about everything in his life yet he said, “Do not be anxious about anything…”  Paul was an intelligent man. He had a ...

Will You Get Enough Right Answers? Greg Albrecht

Will You Get Enough Right Answers? My driver’s license is expiring in a few weeks. In the past, my license expired every five years and the state of California automatically renewed it and sent me a new one in the mail.   But now, knowing I have passed the exalted age of 70, and apparently completely oblivious of the legal implications of age discrimination, the good people of California have determined that I and other old codgers like me must have my vision and knowledge tested to see if we are worthy of sharing the road with all the careful, cautious and patient younger drivers we encounter every day. I made an appointment and showed ...

Q&R with Greg Albrecht – “Do I need to learn ‘Christian-ese’?”

Q. I’m finding it hard to communicate with some of the Christians I have met.  No one I know talks the way people do in the church I am attending. Can you help? A. There are several schools of thought about in-house Christian vocabulary. On the one hand, there are technical terms, as with any discipline or endeavor, needed to accurately define Christian belief and practice. Using specific terminology enables us to be concise and accurate, and to avoid misunderstanding.  Here’s a few technical terms that are necessary to accurately explain some of the complexities of the Christian faith: AtonementEschatologyHerm...

Grace Without Reservations

By Greg Albrecht And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, then grace would no longer be grace.—Romans 11:6 Have you ever had an altercation, a conflict or misunderstanding with your wife or husband, adult child or a good friend and wondered how in the world you could patch things up? We've all been there, haven't we? Perhaps we are "there" right now. Let's suppose (and it's a safe supposition, isn't it?) that the mess we are thinking about is a mess that is our fault. We are to blame. After all, at some point in our lives, we have all been in the wrong, haven't we? At some point in our lives we have all been the major ...

Scandalous Grace – Part 2

by Greg Albrecht Our story centers on Jacob's deception, but more than that, it centers on God promising a reversal. God essentially told Rebekah, Jacob and Esau's mother, that Jacob would receive the blessing the older brother, Esau, should have had. Amazingly, the life of Jacob after he had deceived both his father and his brother was an ongoing saga of deceit and conflict. When Esau realized that he had been duped and deceived, Jacob had to run for his life to escape Esau's anger. The story of Esau and Jacob is an illustration of God's scandalous grace, a grace that reaches into the murky depths where right and wrong seem to be blurred, where ...

Scandalous Grace – Part 1

by Greg Albrecht This is the account of Abraham's son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, ...

Manipulated by Cunning Craftiness – Greg Albrecht

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed to and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).  Paul employs the word picture of a boat being tossed and driven by a storm, reminding  Christ-followers “the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13) will mature them, helping “then” to prevent them from being “blown here and there by every wind of teaching.” The NEB translates this passage:  “We are no longer to be children, tossed by waves and whirled about with every fresh wind of teaching, dupes of ...

Reforming Grace

by Greg Albrecht For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."—Isaiah 57:15 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.—Matthew 23:12 Over 490 years ago, on the day now known as Halloween—October 31, 1517—a young Roman Catholic priest named Martin Luther posted 95 theses, or statements, on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. These 95 issues were a summary of what this ...

October 2020

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Brad Jersak: Faith Beyond Factions– pg. 3 Greg Albrecht: Jesus Invites Outsiders– pg. 6 Keith Giles: Attack of the "Love Buts" – pg. 10 Brian Zahnd: War of the Lamb – pg. 12 Greg Albrecht: Loving Sinners, Hating Sins? -pg. 15

Q & R with Greg Albrecht – What do you think about “Deliverance Ministries”?

Question  Our church has begun heavy use of “deliverance ministries” type materials. I am concerned at this and have begun an in-depth search to come to a better understanding of my own. The trouble is although there is a lot of biblically-based material in opposition to this ministry view, my church leaders condemn this opposition, saying it comes from people opposed to God’s will (whatever that really means!). My pastor says that I have to be careful reading opposing views because the devil can deceive me. How do I know the truth? Response As you report, it seems that those who follow some fad or fancy often become ...

Q&R with Greg Albrecht – “Falling out of God’s will”

Question I am in college. I think God may have called me to be a teacher. The problem is that I want to pursue other goals. I want to study what I am interested in. But when I stray completely away from education, something horrible always happens. The last time I was considering something other than teaching, my mom had a heart attack. I am afraid something worse is going to happen. I am afraid to have fun. I am afraid to have other interests because I am afraid of falling out of God’s will and then something really terrible happening. What do I do? Why is God punishing me?   Response Your question sounds more mystical and ...

How Free is Free Will?

by Greg Albrecht How much choice does any individual human actually have? We speak of "free will"—but how much of a choice to accept God's grace does anyone have, given the brainwashing and propaganda to which they are subjected? How much of a choice to accept God's grace does a young boy in a radicalized Muslim school have? How much of a choice to accept God's grace does someone have who is ensnared by some ultra fundamentalist church, where performance-based religion rules? Being in Christ is a divine invitation to an eternal relationship, open to everyone. But being in Christ is not an automatic, divinely bestowed or imposed gift. Being in ...

The Master’s Voice

by Greg Albrecht "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was ...

I Want to See

By Greg Albrecht— For the last time during his earthly ministry, Jesus was en route to Jerusalem. He had only a few days left in his earthly life—with every step he took toward Jerusalem he knew he was that much closer to the awful pain and suffering that awaited him. The road took him through Jericho, a city located about 17 miles northeast of Jerusalem. It was just before Passover—one of the three times in the year when pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts of the old covenant. So the road was crowded with travelers, and as a result there were many others alongside the road—small businessmen and entrepreneurs, as well as ...

Does God Forgive and Forget?

Q: While attending a Bible study one night in a church I used to attend the pastor stated, "when we ask forgiveness of God, he does forgive us but he never really does forget." He was "clarifying" Hebrews 10:17. The pastor said, "After all, he is God, he knows everything, it would be impossible for him to forget." I find myself angry at this minister even today and I haven't seen him in years. I believe God does forget—however in the back of my mind this minister's comments still haunt me. Please, tell me, does God forget or not? A: I think I know what the minister may have meant. Part of what he may have been trying to say might be true, but ...