Originally posted on Facebook on Friday, October 31, 2025.

The Bible is about one thing:
the glory of God expressed through His Kingdom.

Because "kingdom" is a core theme, the Bible is often mishandled and weaponized. But the key to right understanding is this: it's "His" Kingdom.

– His rule of His creation,
– His response to rebellion against Him,
– His restoration of His order,

How is this God-glorifying Kingdom expressed?
Jesus Christ.

He is righteousness.
He is justice.
He is love.

So the question is:
Are we with Him or in rebellion against Him?

Does the dominion He gave us:

– rule the way He rules,
– war the way He wars,
– restore the way He restores?

To glorify God through our dominion, it is important to stress that the dominion we have is the one He gave us. It refers to a dominion that is subject to a kingdom that we voluntarily submit to, not one we impose on others.

This kind of dominion doesn’t come through our works, but through Him and His power by His grace. We access this by faith that begins with repentance: a renouncement of our own kingdom, our own power, our own knowledge of good and evil (earthly wisdom), our own effort, our own way—a complete surrender to Jesus.

It is walking according to His Spirit by His power with His mind—the mind of Christ, that His will, not my will, be done on earth as it is in heaven.

So, my work is believing Jesus.
It’s not a work. It’s an anti-work.
Not a doing, but an undoing.
It's resisting the tendencies of my flesh—a putting to death of self, that Christ may live in me.

I align my dominion to His by allowing the increasing revelation of Jesus Christ to illuminate and drive out every area of rebellion in my heart.

If you haven't noticed, there's a theme:
Him.

It is by grace—His work, not ours.

"This was the LORD’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes."
— Psalm 118:23

Does my dominion, in every respect, represent His Kingdom and expresses God's glory?

The good news is, because of Him, we can.

#Kingdom #Glory #RightlyDividing #Gospel #PerfectOurLove

Originally posted on Facebook on Thursday, September 25, 2025.

I don't feel particularly loved by my father at the present moment.

But I know without question that he loves me.

During #StarkvilleBibleU this past Tuesday, we were discussing John 4:48 where Jesus said, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."

We were exploring the contrast between the people of Cana who Jesus just spoke of, and the people of Samaria who simply heard and believed (John 4:42).

The question was "What is the level of faith that Jesus requires?"

Take note:
– "the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did" (John 4:45)
– "the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word" (John 4:39-42)

There's a difference between faith that comes from what you "see" and faith that comes from what you "hear".

The brothers likened it to how our children experience our love as fathers. Do they believe we love them on the basis of what we do for them? Or do they believe our love on the basis of our witness: who we are with them?

The faith Jesus requires does not come from outward perception. It comes from the Holy Spirit doing something in us by way of the Word. The mark is receiving the witness of Jesus and seeing Him for who He is: Lord. (1 Corinthians 12:3)

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
– Romans 10:17

Saving faith births something in us so that we know, even when we don't feel it.

"And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!'"
– Galatians 4:6

Just like with my earthly father, there are sometimes seasons of silence. I don't always feel His love, but I can always know.

"And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him."
– 1 John 4:16

#Know #FaithBeyondFeeling #perfectourlove

Originally posted on Facebook on Thursday, September 25, 2025.

I was praying for correction and was convicted this morning through the following words from Francis Chan.

“When I first started preaching, man, I would just lay it out. I believe I still do, but I would just teach the word of God and if people got angry and walked away sad, I would be like, ‘Yeah, showed you,’ you know?

And man, I had people walking out of the sermon as I was speaking and there was a sense of pride.

And later on I realized, man, a lot of them were not offended by God’s word. They were offended by me and my lack of love in the presentation.”

Oof.

He continues to explain that the point is not to be convicted but rather repentance that leads to life.

I repent.

Sometimes, I can be so focused on destroying an idol, that I forget about loving the person holding it.

I repent.

As a soldier for God, you war differently when you're fighting for what you love rather than destroying something you hate.

I am sorry for being more focused on killing a thing than pointing people to the life Jesus came to give them (John 10:10).

Conviction is not the goal, repentance that leads to life is. (2 Corinthians 7:9-11)

It's not the Gospel if I preach what's bad without preaching the hope of better—the good news of life available in Jesus Christ.

I will strive by the grace God gives to always keep His love and life in view.

#perfectourlove

Originally posted on Facebook on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

None of us are objective.
However all of us are rational.
And we only reason to rationalize what we want.

The only thing that will change what we want, and thereby how we reason, is a heart transformed by the Holy Spirit through the message of what God wants: the Gospel.

But,
"If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
— Matthew 6:23

We are seeing the Gospel (light) molested and leavened into a counterfeit gospel (darkness) in yet another feeble attempt to get what we want, but in God's name (James 4:1-6).

So, I will confront counterfeits and preach the unadulterated Gospel: Jesus Christ—The Way, the Truth, the Life, the Door, the Light of the World, the True Bread (2 Timothy 4:2) without the leaven of our worldly desires that people may have Life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

#Logic #Reason #TrueBread #Idolatry #Gospel #PerfectOurLove

Originally posted on Facebook on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

Charlie Kirk Post Response #3 – "Not a Soldier of the Faith"

I hear from some of your responses that I cannot say "Charlie Kirk was not a soldier for the Faith" and asked what possible basis could I have for such a statement.

I am not saying that Charlie Kirk was not saved.

I sincerely hope that he is in the presence of the Lord.

When I say he is "not a soldier of the Faith", I mean he is not the champion, symbol or standard of Christianity that many try to make him out to be, because he had other loyalties—loyalties that are in direct conflict with the Faith, communicating what God did not, and causing harm to people whom God loves.

"No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier"
— 2 Timothy 2:4

That's the basis.

Look, Charlie Kirk could have been a media personality with a radio show who said some deeply hurtful things for ratings, but off-air and in other respects was otherwise a really cool dude. He could even have had a sincere desire to share the Gospel.

But,
"No servant can serve two masters…"
— Luke 16:13

I'm not trying to make the guy out to be a monster, and he most certainly did not deserve to be murdered. He just doesn't belong as the face of Christianity. That's a place reserved exclusively for Christ (John 12:32)

If there's any lesson here it's that, as Christians who desire to live for Christ, it pollutes our witness and complicates our legacy when we take up any cause other than Christ.

Whether it's:

– Conservatism
– Social Justice

we must PUT IT DOWN.

Our hope is in none of those things. Do you believe Jesus? He said, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17), and the kingdom is not out there [in political movements, policies, or governments] but "the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21)

If the kingdom of heaven came just to the hearts of those in the church it would change the world.

"Not a soldier of the Faith" is less a statement about Charlie Kirk and more a statement about our idolatry.

Repent.

Look to Christ alone. And let's come together in Him.

"from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."
– Ephesians 4:16

#NotASoldierForTheFaith #Idolatry #PerfectOurLove

Originally posted on Facebook on Monday, September 22, 2025.

The next hardest part of working through conflict is maintaining confidence of better things concerning those we are in opposition with. To be clear, our confidence should never be in the person themselves (Psalm 118:8) but in God and what He can do in them.

So, when I engage with people—especially during disagreement, it shouldn't be to destroy but to reconcile, with the hope of who they will be in the hands of God.

"But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner."
— Hebrews 6:9

#FightingWithConfidence #DyingToWin #SpiritualWarfare #PerfectOurLove

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, September 21, 2025.

I had a beautiful moment of church with a dear brother yesterday that revealed an idol that I needed to confess in my life.

That idol was: "what it should look like". I had a vision of what my life has to look like for me to consider it good.

"When I have…",
"When I can…",
"When I get to…"

And here's where it became idolatry: I placed my hope in it. I was metaphorically holding my breath until "I arrived".

I am overlooking and dishonoring what I have, because I'm distracted by what I hope to get.

But God is good all the time.

With deep sorrow, I confess that I've dishonored You God.

It is good wherever You are because, no matter what's happening, I get to do it with You, to know You in new ways and to contribute it toward Your glorious work.

I repent.

I want to be free of the bondage of my lowly vision and expectations, and be free to enjoy You, the greatest treasure and highest good, wherever I am.

Amen.

#TheIdolOfWhatItShouldLookLike #Idolatry #Confession #PerfectOurLove

Originally posted on Facebook on Saturday, September 20, 2025.

Charlie Kirk Post Response #2 – Brainwashed

I hear from some of your responses that I wrote what I wrote and feel what I feel because I'm a victim of brainwashing by mainstream media or social media algorithms.

Please don't do that. It's dismissive and is an insult to my intelligence.

It suggests that the only way someone disagrees with you is because someone else told them what to feel, or because they're in league with "the other side," or they've gotten caught up in the hysteria of the crowd as though they have no legitimate reason to think what they think—while you, however, are the only one operating from a perfectly true, objective and justifiable position. It's a posture that shuts down communication and blocks the path to reconciliation.

I'm not on a side.
You're not dealing with "them", you're dealing with me.
I have a brain and am able to think on my own.
I want to be reconciled to you in Christ.

I feel the way I feel and reasonably arrived at my conclusions because of what I've heard with my own ears and seen with my own eyes.

Here is where I'll deal with another response: "Give us evidence where he said x or y…"

I will not be providing "evidence", because Charlie Kirk is not on trial here — which I will go into more detail about in the next post. I don’t have a problem with Charlie Kirk. I have a problem with how some have tried to make him the face of Christianity, which aligns the Faith with his hurtful rhetoric. My chief concern is how that potentially puts something between the Shepherd and His sheep. I am rebuking that idolatry, not Charlie Kirk.

It is sufficient to say I'm hurt and what was hurtful about what was done. I should not have to prove it and will not dignify attempts to belittle my experience.

When the complaint against the Hebrews of the early Church arose in Acts 6:1 that the Hellenistic widows were being neglected, the response was not "Prove it. Give me evidence", but rather truly treating those who claimed harm like brothers and sisters in Christ and appointing people and dedicating resources to address it.

I say I'm hurt and I say what was hurtful and then you say how you didn't see that as hurtful and how I shouldn't see it as hurtful.

Excuse me?!

You didn't see it as hurtful because it wasn't aimed at you, and you lack the context I'm in to appreciate my hurt.

Were you harmed by his rhetoric? It doesn't matter then how you feel about my hurt. You or your perspective are not the center of my reality.

That's not to say you aren't hurt in some way or that I don't care about your hurt. If you are hurt — and especially if I had any hand in that — I want to correct that. In doing so, I'm going to seek to stop whatever I'm doing to hurt you, to have Christ's love for you, and to clarify my heart for you. But I can't and won't tell you how to feel. All I can do is clarify my posture of goodwill toward you.

If we are both believers in Christ, then He has already established unity and our call is to keep it (Ephesians 4:3). So when we're apart it's because there's a blockage—something that's creating distance.

Jesus is our point of reference. We bridge the gap by honestly evaluating our position relative to Him, authentically communicating where we are, and taking each other seriously when we do. Then we’re in a position to more accurately name the hindrance and remove it — to the end of ushering all whom Christ draws into the full enjoyment of Communion with God through Him.

If we remove the hindrance and move toward Christ, we'll invariably end up together.

Someone said, "I will always be ready to hear but in return I will be asked to be heard." Agreed. If we can start there I believe we can get somewhere.

I'm listening.

I love you.

#Brainwashed #Reconciliation #PerfectOurLove