All religions are basically the same. A spiritual, material, eternal reward is offered and a system of behavior is required. When properly applied, the behavior brings the reward. The rewards differ: Nirvana, 72 Virgins, Cosmic Consciousness, Heaven, etc. As well, the system of behavior differs: prayer wheels, jihad, religious rituals, moral living, etc. But the [...]
Someone has asked me why, given all we know about our faith as a relationship with God rather than a works based religion, do we so easily fall back into a works based, religious orientation toward God. I think there are two basic reason for this. The first is pride. Sadly, pride survives conversion. In [...]
Avoiding the second stage. See post on this discussion. For most of us our return to our true identity is a three stage journey; from slave, to servant, to son or daughter. We start out as slaves to our own self focus. We call it sin but it is really just a deep commitment to [...]
So how do we change our identity from a merely conscientious [yet failing] servant to “successful son or daughter”? The short answer is; we don’t, but He can. Listen to full sermon here. Many times I have reminded you that sin is not the bad things that we do but the deep desire within all of [...]
Someone sent me an article from Richard Rohr about the Dark Night of the Soul. I am including the full article and then my comments below. There comes to many seekers, at some time or a few times in their lives, a “dark night,” a period of seeming distance from God, from the ways in [...]
What are the words that come to mind when you hear the word “Naked?” When I ask this question when I am teaching, I get the following word answers: “shame”, “ugly”, “sin”, “vulnerable”, “exposed”, “embarrassed”. Most of these are negative – fear shame, etc. Have you ever noticed how you can read a verse and [...]
Have you ever noticed how you can read a verse and skip over it without paying much attention and then one day you take another look and a light comes on - connections are made and the Lord is teaching you something? Catch this verse – it contains within it one of the most important [...]
Mark Cowper-Smith 1 Corinthians 5:11 But as it is, I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who is called a brother who is a sexual sinner, or covetous, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner. Don't even eat with such a person. (see full chapter [...]
Mark Cowper-Smith I was asked this question recently: Mark, I was reading John 6:28-29 & wanted to get your opinion. The people wanted to perform miracles, but Jesus said that God only wanted them to believe. If someone rebuts modern-day prophesy w/this scripture, what should I say? I responded as follows: The context [...]
The argument goes something like this - isn't death often a natural result of sickness. We get old and sick and then we die. If God has "ordained" death then why oppose sickness? Death was never God's Plan for man. It entered human history because of the sin of rebellion. Man stepped out from under [...]