Dr Paul Allen

Why do we even go to church at all? To worship God? To be entertained? To have all of our preferences met? Why Do You Go to Worship? Jesus asked people of his day the same thing when they went to hear the preaching of John the Baptist. Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’” ( Matthew 11:7–10 ) Surveying John the Baptist’s ministry and Jesus’s questioning of the crowds, God gives us five bad reasons to go to church. 1. To Be Comfortable What did you go out into the wilderness to see? ( Matthew 11:7 ) Church, if we’re not careful, can become a suit...

In the darkest hour of history, the darkest hour of Jesus ’s life, Jesus devoted himself to seeking the joy of his disciples and equipping them for what was ahead. In John 13:1 John says, “When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” How does Jesus loves his disciples to the end? He washes their feet, symbolizing the spiritual cleansing they will receive through his death, instructs them (John  13:31–16:33 ), and prays for them and those who will believe through their ministries (John 17:1–26). Soul-Keeping Joy Five times in his teaching he states why he is instructing his disciples. “These things I have spoken to you,  that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full .” (John  15:11 ) “I have said all these things  to you to keep you from falling away .” (John 16:1) “I have said these things to you,  that when their hour comes ...

Depression and discouragement are not respecters of the holidays. For many reasons, the normal sorrow of life can reach a highpoint this time of year for some. It may be a reminder that we are without a loved one. It may be financial stress, or loss, in a time where the pressure is to purchase. It might be emotional pressure of getting together with broken family. We just may not have a clue why we are discouraged, which can be discouraging itself. We can, even unintentionally, place big demands on this time of year to deliver and fulfill us in impossible ways, apart from God . And Christmas time or not, many of us experience the normal, heavy weight of discouragement and depression as a regular thing; dejection, confusion, frustration, sadness, hopelessness, anxiousness, anger, darkness, despair. But God has answers and real hope from his word for the battle. Here are 11 truths for strength in sorrow: Especially during depression, our souls are thirsty for Go...

There are a myriad ways God demonstrates his love for us, but here are three for you to ponder this week… 1. Your Father Predestined You Ephesians 1:4-5   even as he chose [elected] us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ , according to the purpose of his will, The doctrine of predestination can be tricky. Trying to see where it fits in with faith and repentance can be confusing. Today I’m not going to try unscramble the Rubik’s cube of predestination; that you can find in other blogs by using the search bar. What I want you to savor today is the motive that fueled God’s predestination of people in the first place—his unfathomable love. David was staggered by God’s foreknowledge. As he wondered in Psalm 139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet the...