November 7, 2023
by Dawn Levene
I was at work recently when a co-worker and I got into a conversation about the hardships and lack of love in the world. As we watched the news and saw all the terrible things happening around the world, he asked me why I would serve a God who made bad things happen to people. He wanted to know why, if my God is a God of love, He would not simply erase all the suffering. In his mind, God could just wave a magic wand, or according to Him, say the magic word and make everything better. I had to stop for a moment and give it some thought, and I prayed for help to give him a reasonable answer....Keep Reading
Posted in: Suffering Tags: Suffering, Sin
August 29, 2023
by Eric Stillman
A few years ago, I read a lengthy article on the Financial Times website about Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, and the prosperity gospel (https://www.ft.com/content/3990ce66-60a6-11e9-b285-3acd5d43599e). In case you’re unaware, Lakewood Church is the largest church in America, and millions more watch Joel Osteen every week on TV or online. Early on in the article is a paragraph that sums up very well Lakewood’s approach to the Christian faith:...Keep Reading
Posted in: Sin Tags: Sin, Salvation, good news
August 15, 2023
by Eric Stillman
This coming Sunday, we will be baptizing four people at NewLife at Mill Woods Park after the worship service. Baptism is the sign of the new covenant, which is a fancy way of saying that the act of baptism points like a sign to the gospel of Jesus. As the individual goes under the water and then is brought back out, they are identifying with the death and resurrection of Jesus, proclaiming that they have died to their old self and have been raised to new life with Christ, as the water symbolically washes away their sins. While many churches baptize infants into the community of faith, our understanding of the Bible is that because baptism is a sign of the new covenant, it is something that should be entered into when an individual is old enough to profess faith in Jesus....Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: Discipleship, Sin, Baptism
May 30, 2023
by Eric Stillman
Hebrews 11 is one of the most fascinating chapters in the Bible. The writer of Hebrews recounts numerous displays of faith by the men and women of the Old Testament, some which resulted in God doing miraculous things, and others that ended up in suffering or death this side of eternity but glory thereafter. The writer follows up in the beginning of chapter 12 by encouraging us that, since we are surrounded by these great examples, we should cast aside every hindrance and sin and “run with perseverance the race marked out for us,” fixing our eyes on Jesus, who endured all the way to the cross out of His love for us (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Soon after that encouragement comes this incredible verse:...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: Jesus, Discipleship, Sin
January 24, 2023
by Eric Stillman
In the recovery movement, step 4 is daunting yet potentially life-altering one: “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” In this step, the individual in recovery usually works with a sponsor to examine their past substance abuse or other sins and how they have affected themselves or others, resisting the desire to blame anyone else.
I have been thinking about this step lately as our church has been taking part in a 21-day fast....Keep Reading
Posted in: Sin Tags: Discipleship, Sin
December 20, 2022
by Eric Stillman
If you have ever been a part of a recovery group like AA, NA, or Celebrate Recovery, you know that these groups often succeed in creating the kind of atmosphere and community that the church is meant to display. One of the ways the church can go wrong, especially with young people, is by preaching the “gospel of sin management” (Dr. Kara Powell’s book “The sticky faith guide for your family” explains this well). This kind of teaching and witness leads young people to see the Christian faith as a collection of do’s and don’t’s: to be a Christian means that you go to church, don’t swear, don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t sleep around, etc. One of the main problems with this understanding is that when the young person inevitably breaks those rules, their response is often “I can’t go back to church, because I would just be judged and condemned.”...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: Sin, recovery, addiction
November 1, 2022
by Eric Stillman
In this past Sunday’s sermon on the gospel and personal growth, I made the case that underneath every sin is idolatry: we are looking to something other than God to give us satisfaction, comfort, peace, glory, etc. And, if you are willing to dig even deeper, underneath every idol is something we don’t believe about God....Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: God, Sin, Truth, idolatry
August 16, 2022
by Eric Stillman
I became a follower of Jesus as a college freshman at age 18. After a couple of years of learning what it meant to follow Jesus and developing some close friendships with my Christian friends, I started to understand the importance of accountability, of having someone that I trusted enough to confess my sins too, someone who would ask me the tough questions about my walk with the Lord. For the past 20+ years, I have always had at least someone that I talk with regularly about my struggles so that I stay sharp in my discipleship. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
But here’s the thing about accountability...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: Discipleship, Sin
December 22, 2021
by Eric Stillman
In the first chapter of Paul’s first letter to his protégé Timothy, Paul has just finished listing a number of ways that people break God’s laws. But soon after calling out all of these examples of sinful behavior, he shines the spotlight on himself. He tells Timothy that he considers himself the worst of all sinners. But Paul follows up that indictment with the amazing truth that, despite his rebellious past, he has been shown incredible mercy and patience by Jesus in order to show that no one is beyond God’s reach.
...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: Discipleship, Sin
November 23, 2021
by Eric Stillman
“Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” This stirring quote came from the pen of Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision and one of the men responsible for Samaritan’s Purse, two of the leading Christian relief organizations in the world.
With a resume like that, you probably envision a passionate man of God, giving his all to share the love of Christ with all who came across his path. And you would be correct to a large extent. But there was much more to the story of Bob Pierce....Keep Reading
Posted in: Missions Tags: Leadership, Missions, Sin
October 26, 2021
by Eric Stillman
In this past Sunday’s sermon on justice and community, I challenged people that any ideology that seeks justice by dividing people into groups instead of emphasizing what unites us is not of God. As Christians, we believe that in two main things that unite all humans: first, that we are all created in the image of God and worthy of dignity and respect, and second, that we are all sinners, rebels against a holy God, out of step with His design for us and in need of salvation. With these two truths framing the way we see each other, we can avoid much of the pride, anger, and division found in cultural conceptions of justice.
One of the most powerful stories I have heard regarding the second truth, that we are all sinners, was something I heard in a Tim Keller sermon. ...Keep Reading
Posted in: Sin Tags: Sin, Justice, evil
October 13, 2020
by Eric Stillman
This past Sunday I preached a sermon on Joshua 7, a passage that belongs in the Terrible Bible Story Hall of Fame. In the story, Achan’s decision to steal some items from the plunder of Jericho leads to the death of 36 Israelites and eventually to the death of both him and his family. This passage is a sobering reminder of the impact our sinful actions can have not only on us, but our families, community, and the people of God as well.
As I prepared this sermon, I thought of the many spiritual leaders through the years who have brought disrepute on themselves and the church through their own sinful actions....Keep Reading
Tags: accountability, Grace, Sin
September 8, 2020
by Eric Stillman
This past Sunday, I preached on the greatest of all Jesus’ stories in my opinion, the parable of the prodigal son. This story, of a rebellious younger son, an offended older son, and a father who displays extravagant grace, reveals our God to be more loving and forgiving than we could have ever imagined.
The danger of displaying such lavish grace, of course, is that people may come to the conclusion that “I can live however I want and confess later, because God always forgives.” This is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer labeled “cheap grace” ...Keep Reading
Tags: Grace, Sin, Repentance
July 7, 2020
by Eric Stillman
In the beginning, they came for the perpetrators of sexual assault. One by one, the women came forward and named their assailants, the ones who had violated them against their will. And giving them our support, we pronounced those men guilty, and canceled them.
Next up were the racists....Keep Reading
Tags: Sin, cancel culture, redemption
August 14, 2019
by Eric Stillman
“Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” This stirring quote comes from the pen of Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision and one of the men responsible for Samaritan’s Purse, two of the leading Christian relief organizations in the world (Michael Wrang shared this past Sunday about his service with Samaritan's Purse).
With a resume like that, you probably envision a passionate man of God, giving his all to share the love of Christ with all who came across his path......Keep Reading
Tags: Discipleship, Sin
January 22, 2019
by Eric Stillman
In Matthew 7:24-29, Jesus tells his listeners that the difference between the wise and foolish person is whether or not they put into practice His words. James, in his letter, says something similar, that it is of no value to hear the word and not act on it, but that the power lies in doing what the word says (James 1:22-25). There are some times in which the important thing is not to tell eloquent stories that move or inspire you, but to simply challenge you towards obedience. This is one of those times....Keep Reading
Tags: Sin, Confession
October 3, 2017
by Eric Stillman
On Sunday night, yet another mass murder occurred in our country. The lives of innumerable people have been profoundly shaken by this terrible tragedy, and so let us lift them up in our prayers, asking that God would bring them His comfort and that He would turn all of our hearts to Him, so that we would walk accordingly to His will for our lives.
Much has been said and written this week about what happened in Las Vegas. I just wanted to take this opportunity to reflect upon Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:21-22...Keep Reading
Tags: Sin, Las Vegas
June 14, 2016
by Eric Stillman
As we gathered for church this past Sunday, most of us were unaware of the tragedy in Orlando, or at least the terrible extent of it. Now that we know how awful it was, our prayers go out to the families of the victims as they grieve, and we pray for the church in Orlando, that they might be a light in the darkness in the way they respond to this tragedy.
As we consider the terrible hatred and deception that could cause someone to open fire on a crowd of people, I want to share a story with you that I recently heard...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: Sin, Orlando
February 9, 2016
by Eric Stillman
In my opinion, Romans 8 the greatest chapter in the whole Bible. Filled with promises about the love of God and His commitment to us, it builds from verse 1’s declaration that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” to the crescendo of verse 35-39, where we are exhorted that NOTHING can separate us from God’s love. Hallelujah! But perhaps just as important as Romans 8 is the end of the preceding chapter, Romans 7. After all, Romans 8:1 begins with “therefore,” which should prompt us to ask what it is “there for.” Romans 8, the passionate declaration of God’s great love for sinful, undeserving humans, follows Paul’s most candid confession of his complete inability to live up to not only God’s standards, but even his own. Listen to these words:...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: Discipleship, Sin
September 17, 2013
by Eric Stillman
In my opinion, Romans 8 the greatest chapter in the whole Bible. Filled with promises about the love of God and His commitment to us, it builds from verse 1‘s declaration that ‘œthere is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus‘ to the crescendo of verse 35-39, where we are exhorted that NOTHING can separate us from God‘s love. Hallelujah! But perhaps just as important as Romans 8 is the end of the preceding chapter, Romans 7. After all, Romans 8:1 begins with ‘œtherefore,‘ which means that we should ask what it is ‘œthere for.‘ Romans 8, the passionate declaration of God‘s great love for sinful, undeserving humans, follows Paul‘s most candid confession of his complete inability to live up to not only God‘s standards, but even his own. Listen to these words:...Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: Discipleship, Sin
April 30, 2013
by Eric Stillman
As I‘ve been preaching through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) on Sundays at NewLife, one of the repeating themes has been how the Pharisees interpreted the law in such a way that they found themselves on the ‘œrighteous‘ side of the bar. ‘œDo not murder‘ meant don‘t kill anyone, ‘œDo not commit adultery‘ meant don‘t have sex with someone who is not your spouse, and their laws on divorce came to mean ‘œAs long as you give your wife a certificate of divorce, it‘s okay to divorce her.‘ In each case, the Pharisees looked at the law and felt righteous. But one of the things Jesus does in the Sermon on the Mount is to explain the spirit and truth behind each of those laws, and in the process raises the bar to such a height that no one - not even the Pharisees - can end up on the righteous side of the bar on their own merits....Keep Reading
Posted in: Discipleship Tags: Grace, Sin, Jesus
July 19, 2011
by Eric Stillman
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (1 John 1:5-10)...Keep Reading
Tags: Discipleship, Sin
June 14, 2011
by Eric Stillman
“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’” (Revelation 6:9-10)...Keep Reading
Tags: Missions, Sin
November 23, 2010
by Eric Stillman
There is a story that has been making the rounds of the news channels and blogosphere this past week concerning a New Jersey pastor who demanded that his 50 married church officials delete their Facebook accounts or resign from their leadership positions. Why? The pastor, Cedric Miller, claims that over the past six months, 20 couples in his 1100 member church have run into marital trouble due to one spouse connecting with an ex-flame via Facebook. Quitting Facebook, he argues, will save marriages....Keep Reading
Tags: Sin, Internet
September 14, 2010
by Eric Stillman
Embarrassing story time: I sucked my thumb at night until I was in third grade. Do you know why I finally stopped? My parents took video of my brothers and me sleeping at night on Christmas Eve, and when they showed it the next day, there I was: eight year-old Eric, curled up with my thumb in my mouth.
Needless to say, I was mortified, and never sucked my thumb again....Keep Reading
Tags: Discipleship, Sin
May 18, 2010
by Eric Stillman
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. (James 3:1)...Keep Reading
Tags: Church, Sin
March 10, 2010
by Eric Stillman
This past Sunday, I preached on one of the most stunning passages in the whole Bible, the story of how King David, the man after God‘s own heart, slept with Bathsheba, the wife of one of his best friends, and then had his friend killed to cover it up. That passage, in 2 Samuel 11, begins famously with these words: ‘œIn the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king‘s men and the whole Israelite army... But David remained in Jerusalem.‘ As the narrator makes clear, if David were only where he should have been, none of this would have happened. But instead, we find David arising from a late afternoon nap, wandering up to the roof of his palace, and seeing Bathsheba bathing naked nearby. One thing leads to another, and soon David has broken almost half of the Ten Commandments in an incredibly thoughtless escapade....Keep Reading
Tags: Sin
