“Can I ______; can I ______? What’s ok, what isn’t? I can agree sex should be kept for marriage, but I still want to show physical affection while dating.” It is unavoidable that this tension will come up in a dating relationship. In this ...
Many pressures and influences all around us seek to form and shape us. Our own way of thinking and living can oftentimes be shaped by our old sin nature. This results in deformed Christianity that does not reflect Christ. Paul sought to address al...
This message finishes where last week’s left off: Biblical principles for addressing the tension some feel about Christians putting too much pressure on dating for marriage. The two principles proposed here are (1) The believer’s first respons...
It is a common claim in Christian circles that ‘dating should be for the purpose of marriage.’ And yet, what is also a common claim among believers is that there can be ‘too much pressure for marriage’ in dating. Do you feel the tension? W...
North Americans tell their children that Santa Claus delivers their Christmas gifts. Latin Americans give credit to “el niño Jesús” (the baby Jesus). Christmas tradition in Spain maintains that “los tres Reyes Magos” (the three wise men)...
In this message, we pick up where we left off from the previous message. We address yet another tension in the dating conversation. The goal is to evaluate potential causes of these tensions, address them with Biblical principles, and then propose...
A survey of Christian college students and non-Christian Americans revealed some common tensions in the ‘dating’ conversation. For example: ‘It feels weird to date a guy/gal that’s one of my closest friends… and yet I want my future spou...
Trying to ‘date well’ can feel like navigating a hot air balloon through the depths of the Grand Canyon… blindfolded. And sometimes it feels like there are more questions and opinions on the matter than fish in the sea! Wouldn’t it be nice...
Although the abortion debate has been prevalent for years, it has heated up within the past few weeks due to the Dobbs decision handed down by the Supreme Court. While that decision did not outlaw abortion, handing it back to the states i...
The pandemic has caused us all to rely on technology to connect with others. Online groups, streaming, texting, video chats etc. became the new normal as we had to physically distance. Dan and Emily Kopp have led their growth group using t...
Those who have been called by God have been entrusted with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can take hope as we contend for the faith because we are loved by God, and will be guarded by him until the day of glory. Today, contending is as nece...
In the book of Jude we find a letter written to a small church, calling its members to contend for the faith. This ‘faith’ is the gospel ‘once for all delivered to the saints.’ Jude writes to warn of apostate false Christians who have made...