24 results for tag: Steve Orr
Jesus Turns Tragedy Into Triumph – Steve Orr
In our Christianity Without the Religion blog, we often say: "PTM proclaims authentic Christ-centered Christianity without the religion, giving hope to those burned out by legalistic religion. We are centered in faith alone, grace alone, and Christ alone. Our focus is all Jesus, all the time."
Religion rears its ugly head in people's lives and in far too many churches. It is subtle, under the covers, and inconspicuous. Yet it is a constant presence in our world. Religion usually seems innocuous, even tame. But snakes are sneaky. They don't come directly at you. Instead, slowly, quietly, and methodically, they approach from behind.
Most ...
The Word of God – Steve Orr
The Bible Is NOT the Word of God—Because the Bible says so—In so many words.
I take exception to the Bible being called the Word of God because it's un-scriptural and detracts from Jesus Christ, who IS the Word of God Incarnate. The Bible expressly states that Jesus alone is the Word of God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. (Revelation 19:13)
Nowhere does the Bible state that the Bible is the word of God.
Literally, the Bible is not dressed in a robe dripping with blood. Some claim to read the ...
Our God is a Scandalous God – Steve Orr
Why did God wait until it was much too late for Sarah to get pregnant?
Why did God Make Jacob wait fourteen years to marry the love of his life?
Why did God let the patriarchs and kings have multiple wives?
Why did God punish David for his dalliance with Bathsheba by letting the child die only to have a subsequent child be in the lineage that led to Christ, the Messiah?
Why did God let a young Jewish girl participate in a beauty contest under a pagan king? And how is it that she won the contest and became the queen of the largest empire of her time?
Adding scandal to scandal, why did God secretly get a young, unmarried girl ...
Everlasting Grace – The Economics of Eternal Life – Steve Orr
Grace is a core, defining doctrine of Christianity. Everything changed when grace came to this world in the person of Jesus Christ. God's grace was so radical that no one understood it, much less accepted it. Consider these words from the Gospel of John:
In [Jesus] was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:4-5, 14).
Before grace came to this world, the emphasis was on earning God's favor ...
Everlasting Grace—How Deep Is God’s Love? – Steve Orr
In the last article, we discussed the depth of God's love through Jesus' redemption of the Samaritan outcasts. In this article, I continue on this theme with Jesus' redemption of the lepers.
Jesus' healing of the lepers illustrates His grace and compassion, offering hope and restoration for all those shunned by society.
What was it like to be a leper? Let us walk in Jesus’ footsteps as he walked through the footsteps of a leper.
The Curse of the Untouchables
Leprosy was commonplace from the time of Moses to the time of Jesus. Literally, no one was immune. It was incurable. For millennia, it was the most feared disease of all. Even ...
Everlasting Grace—How Expansive Is God’s Love? – Steve Orr
This question is posed in a pop music hit by the Bee Gees, which is among the top 500 greatest contemporary songs.
Despite the pop culture overtones, this is a serious question. "How deep is your love, 'cause we're livin' in a world of fools, breakin' us down."
There are spiritual overtones: "I believe in you. You know the door to my very soul. You're the light in my deepest, darkest hour. You're my savior when I fall." "It's me you need to show, how deep is your love?"
To this I would like to ask another question: How deep is God's love?
I believe the Word of God, Jesus incarnate, demonstrates the width, length, height, and depth of ...
Everlasting Grace – To Err is Human, To Forgive, Divine -Steve Orr
Everlasting Grace—To Err is Human; To Forgive, Divine.
I love aphorisms like this that speak volumes with an economy or words.
These divine words of wisdom come from line 525 of "An Essay on Criticism," a classic poem by Alexander Pope. (If you like classic English literature, you can find the entire poem here: (An Essay on Criticism)
The Big Picture of Human Hostility
While endless hostility in the Middle East seems to be ingrained in their culture, few, if any, nations are exempt from having a history of hostility. Unfortunately, the divine miracles that come with forgiveness among nations are rare.
One exception is the ...
The Bright Morning Star – Steve Orr
"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright Morning Star." (Revelation 22:16)
For me, the Bright Morning Star is a fantastic metaphor for the coming of a new day. Who brings this new day to our hearts? Jesus. When Jesus says He is the Bright Morning Star, he says…
I am your new day! With me, you get a new start. Yes, it's the dawning of a new day of creation, for morning has broken like the first morning. Behold, I make all things new! I am your daily shining light who overwhelms all the darkness of your past. Prepare your hearts, for my Kingdom has ...
Our Greatest Treasure – Steve Orr
In our Divine Treasure Hunt series, we pondered where the divine treasure is. Now, going beyond the where, let us consider the what.
What is the worth? Given that the treasure is divine, it must be rich beyond our comprehension. I picture the elaborately ornate New Jerusalem described in Revelation and think, “And we're going to live there? Our treasures are rich indeed!”
So, how can we be good stewards of our treasure? Consider Jesus' parable in the gospel of Luke:
And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' ...
Jesus Kicked Out of Church–Part 2 – Steve Orr
Click here for Jesus Kicked out of Church part 1.
Jesus was not impressed by political power.
When interrogated by the Roman Governor, the foremost authority in Jerusalem, Pontius Pilate asked, "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"
Jesus did not flinch, saying, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above." Pilate was oblivious to the double meaning. Jesus was talking about "the god of this world," but Pilate was thinking about Caesar back in Rome.
Jesus also confronted the well-entrenched religious authorities of his day, the Pharisees, who ruled over the capital city with ...
Jesus Kicked Out Of Church–Part 1 – Steve Orr
What would happen if Jesus showed up incognito in your church? What would happen if he volunteered to serve as an nonsalaried layman? Many stories abound about regular folks like you who served like this for pure joy out of the abundance of their heart and got kicked out of church because they were seen as a threat to the religious establishment (including yours truly).
Apparently, even young people are a threat. A young man named Jessie volunteered to start a youth ministry in his church. Jessie got real. The youth connected with one another as they were led into authentic relationships with Jesus. The congregation witnessed the youth ...
The Biblical Centrality of the Heart – Steve Orr
With a career background in computer science, I decided to quantify this Biblical centrality of the heart business. By using computer search tools on the entire text of the King James Bible, I found 975 matches to the word heart and to words containing strings like "hearts," "heart's," "brokenhearted," and others. Of course, you don't need a computer to research this, but if you like doing research, just dig out your concordance and read the nearly one thousand verses about the heart.
Suffice it to say that God has much to say about the human heart. The heart is the center of our bodies and our spiritual being as children of God, both physic...
The Divine Treasure Hunt—Part 4 – Steve Orr
The Sacred Inner Sanctum of Your Soul:
I’ve got good news and bad news...
The good news is that all your hard work has paid off. You found the treasure and you’re sailing for safer shores. You have a large cupful of gold dust; you pour some into your palms to admire its beauty. It’s spellbinding. It brings bliss, you celebrate your victory. Your treasure glimmers for a moment. Then, out of nowhere comes a rogue wave. It jars the treasure out of hands and you watch helplessly as it slowly sinks to the bottom of the sea.
The inner sanctum of your soul is your most sacred place. You must treat it with tender loving-kindness.
Be ...
The Divine Treasure Hunt—Part 3 – Steve Orr
The Holy of Holies:
In part 2, we reviewed the New Testament passages that clearly state our bodies are the tabernacle of god, that we are like a traveling tent where god dwells, and that the divine treasure is someplace in this tabernacle. So where exactly is it?
In the Old Testament, the Book of Exodus starts with God's people being in slavery and continues with their miraculous escape by the power of God through the staff of Moses. With the parting of the Red Sea, they leave the slavery of the past behind. But like criminals after a lifetime of imprisonment, the Israelites don’t quite know how to walk in true freedom, and they start to ...
The Divine Treasure Hunt—Part 2 – Steve Orr
The Tabernacle of God:
The Old Covenant Tabernacle was constantly on the move. It was a tent, the temporary dwelling that was packed up and moved with every wandering of the nation of Israel as it sought the promised land beyond the shores of Egypt.
While the journey of our lives may seem like aimless wandering, god’s dwelling place is fixed when we receive the “permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit," as Jesus taught (John 14:16-17; 16:7). This is confirmed by Paul’s rhetorical question, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Cor 6:19).
Throughout ...
The Divine Treasure Hunt—Part 1- Steve Orr
The Search for Treasure:
Everyone loves a good treasure hunt story; it's the spellbinding theme of many great books and movies.
Here is a small sampling of familiar titles:
· Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson;
· King Solomon's Mines, two movies based on the book by H. Rider Haggard. Originally released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayor in 1950 and re-released by Cannon Films in 1985;
· Raiders of the Lost Ark, a film by Steven Spielberg, based on a story by George Lucas.
· The Deep, a movie based on Peter Benchley's novel;
· The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe;
· The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain;
· The Hobbit ...
The Wrath of the Lambkin—Part 3 -Steve Orr
Understanding the Lamb's Wrath with Revelation:
(To read part 1 of The Wrath of the Lambkin) (Or read Part 2 of The Wrath of the Lambkin).
In some ways, it is as if John not only received a vision but is also acting as a stenographer by writing down Jesus' words in the first person:
I am the Alpha and Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8)
I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. (Revelation 22:16)
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelat...
The Wrath of the Lambkin—Part 2 -Steve Orr
Does the Wrath of the Lamb Contradict His Teaching?
(To read part 1 of The Wrath of the Lambkin)
Revelation, the last book of the Bible, is often seen as what was, or will be, the greatest battle of all time. Some see it as a battle between Jesus and Satan for the ruler-ship over all the earth for all time.
When it comes to understanding the book of Revelation, there’s a salient point that we need to understand: Sodom, Egypt, Babylon, and the Whore are all apocalyptic references to Jerusalem, which includes the entire obsolete Old Covenant religious system that came with it. These references to Jerusalem are made clear with these words ...
The Wrath of the Lambkin—Part 1- Steve Orr
The Most Wrathful Book of the Bible:
The wrath of a baby lamb? Oooh, A lambkin—scary. Sure, the Bible speaks about serious things, but the humor of God is plain to see for those who look. Let’s not be so heavenly-minded that we’re no earthly fun.
Wrath? I don't know about you, but when I picture a lamb, the last thing that comes to mind is wrath. Here in Montana, some animals fit the notion of wrath much better: grizzly bears, wolverines, mountain lions, black bears, and packs of wolves. Our ranchers and shepherds make considerable efforts to protect their herds and flocks from these wrathful predators.
So, in an attempt to find ...
Plain Truth Ministries | Box 300 | Pasadena, CA 91129-0300
