Friday's Catch: 'Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?' And More

Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?
In his incarnation, Jesus left his eternal experience of God’s perfect love to demonstrate God’s perfect love so that he could welcome us into his own eternal experience of God’s perfect love.

Why Such a Lowly Birth?
Jesus was born when “the time came.” The time came, not just for the fulfillment of Mary’s pregnancy, but for the fulfillment of God’s pre-world plan to become a divine human being.

Christmas Isn’t Pagan 

If we turn back the pages of history and look into the first-hand sources, none of the modern traditions associated with Christmas today turn out to be some lost trapping of a long forgotten and profane past.If you tried to get to the origin of these accusations you would find that their beginnings prove more modern than ancient.

Regrettably pastors who should know better are a frequent culprit for spreading the mistaken notion that Christmas was originally a pagan festival. I had the good fortune of hearing one of Prof. Talley's lectures on how the early Christians calculated the date of Jesus' birth and it was very illuminating.

How to Deal With People Who Don’t Like You
Rejection is powerful. How do you deal with it?

Teens Need These 6 Things From Church and Youth Group
Asking what teens want from church is the wrong question. What teenagers desire from a faith community doesn’t compare to what they need. So let’s look at the topic from that angle.

4 Ways to Spread the Gospel
Believing the gospel comes with an obligation to the gospel. In light of that truth, here are four practical steps every Christ-follower can take to be obedient to God’s call to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth.