1794 results for tag: Greg Albrecht
September 2022
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(PDF Format)
Articles:
Walking With Jesus – pg. 1
Our Daily Walk – pg. 2
Living in the Way – pg. 5
God Surrenders to Us in Love – pg. 6
Donkey Rescue – pg. 7
Quotes & Connections – pg. 8
Getting or Being Saved? – by Greg Albrecht
by Greg Albrecht
Are you saved, brother?" the intense young man asked me. He continued, "If you're not saved, you need to get saved!" When the young evangelist cornered me, I surmised he was hoping to save another soul from the eternal torment of hell-fire. I responded, "Before I reply, may I ask you to tell me what it is you believe I need to be saved from?" The earnest young man didn't miss a beat (as I suspected, he rattled off the stock answer he'd learned in Saving Souls 101) "if you don't get saved, you're going to hell."
I locked eyes with him and asked him another question: "So, let me get this straight—I need to 'get' saved so I won't ...
The Universal Body of Christ – Greg Albrecht
The teaching ministry of Christianity Without the Religion (CWR) offers weekly online sermons, with Christ-centered teaching, fellowship, prayers and communion. We minister modestly, without religious embellishments, primarily to individuals and small groups who are part of the body of Christ, rather than overflowing crowds in warehouse-like sanctuaries or in majestic, stained glass cathedrals.
We minister in the name of Jesus, remembering his promise in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” We insist that the church is who YOU are, in Christ,far more than it is a physical location to which ...
The Walking Wounded – by Greg Albrecht
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.—Psalm 34:17-18
When we think of the term "walking wounded," we usually consider warriors who served their country, whose wounds are visible and known, as well as those whose wounds are not as apparent.
Most recently, we are familiar with The Walking Wounded who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. While one of the tragic consequences of any war is The Walking Wounded left in its wake, one of the most publicized examples goes back a genera...
Living in an Amish Paradise? – Greg Albrecht
The following article is re-posted from the May/June 2006 Plain Truth magazine:
Imagine a rigid and repressive commune existing within the advantages and freedoms of modern, progressive and democratic North America. Imagine overbearing rules and regulations that people living in such an authoritarian subculture seem to willingly accept. Imagine a religion that imposes draconian restrictions on private life.
If the examination of such a culture continued in any detail, it would not be long before words like “Brainwashing” and “Cult” would be common reactions.
But when the group being considered is identified as the Amish, ...
Why Forgive? – Greg Albrecht
Years ago, as a pastor, I visited prisoners in jails and prisons. In those days prison officials would often remind people like me, whom they considered naive “do-gooders,” that we were visiting convicts, and that convicts will say anything and pretend to be something they are not in order to expedite their release from prison. Pastors like me were warned not to be fooled by someone who pretends to “come to Jesus”—who fakes a conversion hoping to deceive a pastor or social worker into supporting and vouching for the convict to receive early parole.
Statistical evidence was given to pastors who visited prisoners demonstrating that ...
Satisfaction When Others Get Their Comeuppance – by Greg Albrecht
Friend and Partner Letter from August 2017
Eternal conscious torment in hell is an unbiblical, fabricated teaching of Christ-less religion designed to effectively keep its followers in line. “Believers” in such teaching perceive hell as having positive results because 1) the fear of being consigned to the fiery coals of hell keeps the followers of Christ-less religion in tow, as they “toe-the-line,” and 2) it gives those who are religiously devout “hope” that God will see to it those who do not seem to faithfully “toe-the-line” as they do will get what they deserve.
This “hope” of seeing others “get what’s ...
This is a Football – Greg Albrecht
It’s that time again—football season is here! You can’t miss it (even if you try!). There will be high school games on Friday night, college games on Saturday and NFL games all day Sunday, Monday nights and occasionally other nights.
Critics of football note that football is as close to religion as some folks ever get. Critics of religion (like me) can only say “thank God” for that. Let’s get close to God, but let’s get as far away from religion as possible. Speaking of God, religion and football, the legendary coach Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers is said to have given a “This is a football” lecture to his team at ...
Attend Church or Else! – by Greg Albrecht
by Greg AlbrechtEditor's Note: Just what it means to "be" and "do" and "go to" church is a controversial topic within Christendom. Of course there are vested interests, so that the discussion is rarely objective. One of our readers/listeners introduced this conversation, as he reported his response to an article by a pastor (in italics) he felt to be manipulative and self-serving (our reader's response in bold type). We invite you to be the judge of that! My wife recently brought home a pastoral newsletter from the church she occasionally attends. I read the lead article and couldn't believe what I was reading. Have I just gone completely nuts, ...
Have You Forgiven God?
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."—Isaiah 55:8-9
A few years ago I officiated at a funeral service for someone I had never known. I interviewed people who had known the deceased, and in the process I found out some dark and disturbing things.
What do you say at a funeral when you can't find anyone who ever knew the person who has anything good to say about them? What can you say at a memorial service when surviving friends and relatives are having a difficult time ...
God Is After You – by Greg Albrecht
Moses was born into slavery. Freedom was a foreign concept to his people, the children of Israel who lived in bondage in Egypt. The Hebrews had no idea what it would be like to be free.
Like many oppressed minorities throughout history, the Hebrews started to out-populate the majority power. The population explosion of the Israelite slaves was becoming such a problem that the Egyptian king, called the Pharaoh, decided that all male babies had to be killed at birth so that the Hebrews would not eventually out-number the Egyptians.
In one of those unexpected turn of events in which God seems to delight, God used the very family of Pharaoh, ...
The Walking Wounded
by Greg Albrecht
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.—Psalm 34:17-18
When we think of the term "walking wounded," we usually consider warriors who served their country, whose wounds are visible and known, as well as those whose wounds are not as apparent.
Most recently, we are familiar with The Walking Wounded who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. While one of the tragic consequences of any war is The Walking Wounded left in its wake, one of the most publicized examples goes back a generation. You ...
Getting or Being Saved?
by Greg Albrecht
Are you saved, brother?" the intense young man asked me. He continued, "If you're not saved, you need to get saved!" When the young evangelist cornered me, I surmised he was hoping to save another soul from the eternal torment of hell-fire. I responded, "Before I reply, may I ask you to tell me what it is you believe I need to be saved from?" The earnest young man didn't miss a beat (as I suspected, he rattled off the stock answer he'd learned in Saving Souls 101) "if you don't get saved, you're going to hell."
I locked eyes with him and asked him another question: "So, let me get this straight—I need to 'get' saved so I won't ...
Attend Church Or Else!
by Greg Albrecht
Editor's Note: Just what it means to "be" and "do" and "go to" church is a controversial topic within Christendom. Of course there are vested interests, so that the discussion is rarely objective. One of our readers introduced this conversation, as he reported his response to an article by a pastor (in italics) he felt to be manipulative and self-serving (our reader's response in bold type). We invite you to be the judge of that!
My wife recently brought home a pastoral newsletter from the church she occasionally attends. I read the lead article and couldn't believe what I was reading. Have I just gone completely nuts, am I ...
His Blessed Hope – Take Heart – by Greg Albrecht
Friend and Partner Letter from August 2022
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Anxiety and fear impact our world. Disturbing and horrific news overwhelms us so that when we do hear good news—such as the good news of the gospel—we can have trouble fully hearing and appreciating it. We are now, once again as in so many hundreds of times since
Jesus originally said it, experiencing, in our cities, on national settings and international stages, “…wars and rumors of wars…” (Matthew 24:6). Just a few months ...
Elijah and Fire From Heaven – Greg Albrecht
Question from the United Kingdom:
You often make the excellent point that God is not nearly as mad at us as many religious leaders say, nor is he the God of wrath as they so characterize him. I agree, but what’s your take on the story of Elijah calling down fire from heaven to consume army captains and 100 soldiers? If it’s not an act of God, then how did Elijah accomplish this?
Response:
My take on this story. My faith is centered in and on the Cross of Christ. The symbol of my faith is the Cross, not the ashes of the bodies that resulted from the story related in the first chapter of 2 Kings. I do not wear a symbol ...
“We Believe…” – Greg Albrecht
We believe in the Father—Creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in Jesus—the Eternal Son of God, who was incarnated through God the Holy Spirit, fully God and fully human, who suffered, was crucified and buried, who rose again and ascended to heaven and shall come again in his kingdom of which there is no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Counselor, who together with the Father and Son, is one God and who lives within those who believe.
We believe in the universal body of Christ, composed of all who are in Christ, whether visible or invisible to one another, a universal body that transcends any and all earthly ...
Gracebut – by Greg Albrecht
Friend and Partner Letter from July 2015
One of the most common objections to God’s grace goes something like: “Sure, we have been saved by grace, BUT…” That phrase is used so often within legalistic religion that it seems like it should be spelled as one word – gracebut with no comma. When used as a G-rated term for the hindquarters of an animal or human, the word is spelled b-u-t-t. It is wise to keep not only our BUTS (objections or opinions) out of God’s grace, but our BUTTS as well.
BUT, with all due respect and political correctness, we must admit that though BUTTS can become large, the BUT used to diminish, devalue ...
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