God Running

Christians Behaving Badly: John 6:66-71

Stained glass depicting Judas turning away from the Last Supper, Moulins Cathedral, France

Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.”

I’m currently reading Joshua Ryan Butler’s excellent book, The Skeletons in God’s Closet. In chapter seven, Butler tells the story of a friend of his named Jeremiah. He was a Native American, much older than Butler, and he hated Christianity. As their friendship grew Jeremiah shared with Butler the reasons why. Read More

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Posted on August 20, 2016 by Kurt Bennett

Bible Study, John, Seeker

Christian hypocrite, Christians behaving badly, Christians hypocrites, Joshua Ryan Butler, skeletons in Gods closet, What does Jesus say about Christians behaving badly

When Jesus’ Words Are Hard To Hear

Blausen_0329_EarAnatomy_InternalEar Read John 6:59-71.

Last post from the book of John we saw Jesus speaking of how he would give himself for the sake of the world using bread and blood as a metaphor. (see What Does It Mean To Feed On Jesus’ Flesh?)

Hard To Hear

He said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. But his disciples were having a hard time with what he was saying. His words were hard to swallow.

I feel the same way sometimes. Maybe you do too. Some of what Jesus says is difficult for me to hear. Jesus said: Read More

A Second Generation Atheist’s Take On The Eyewitnesses Of Jesus

Homicide Detective Jim Warner Wallace is one of the best at gathering and interpreting evidence at his law enforcement agency (LA County). My friend Peter, who researched the guy, described him this way: Read More

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Posted on August 11, 2016 by Kurt Bennett

Bible Study, Is Jesus real, Seeker

atheism, atheist, atheist convert, Christian, Cold-Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace, Jim Warner Wallace testimony

What Does It Mean To Feed On Jesus’ Flesh? John 6:47-59

God Running is a place for anyone who wants to (or even anyone who wants to want to) love Jesus more deeply, follow Jesus more closely, and love people the way Jesus wants us to.

Things I Heard In Church: “It’s like feeding yourself with your toes.”

Toes by Jason Rogers - CC

From my notes on last night’s Life Collective Bible study by Scott Elledge.

Following Jesus apart from the body of Christ is like trying to feed yourself with your toes. It can be done–but it’s awkward. Christ followers need community. (1 Corinthians 12:21-27)

(If you’re interested in a really great community of Christ followers, you’re welcome to join us on Wednesdays at 46 NE 59th Ave., Portland, OR 97213. Dinner’s at 6 (free) followed by the Bible study. Feel free to email me at kurt@kurtbennettbooks.com if you have any questions.)

[Image via Jason Rogers – Creative Commons]

No One Has Ever Seen God (So what can we really know about Him anyway?) John 6:46-51

Boy_watching_with_binoculars by USFW - public domain

No One Has Ever Seen God (So What’s The Point?)

No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:12)

This verse is so good. It reminds us of the greatness of God and how we can never really understand God. He’s just too big. No one can really know everything about Him because, well, as the scripture says, “no one has ever seen God.”

It also reminds us of Jesus’ command for us to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to love our neighbor as ourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)

But right now I want to talk about the first part, the part that says, “No one has ever seen God.”

He Spoke As Though He Knew For Certain About Something No One Can Really Know Read More

1 Comment

Posted on July 30, 2016 by Kurt Bennett

Bible Study, John

1 John 4:12, has anyone ever seen God, How can I know God, how can I possible know God, Is Jesus God, John 6:46-51, no one has ever seen God

People I Know Who Most Resemble Jesus: Hold Lightly

People like Jesus hold expectations lightly

I’ve noticed the people I know who most resemble Jesus, hold on to their expectations ever so lightly.

[Image by Matt Reinbold via Wikimedia – Labeled for reuse on Google Images. Text added from GodRunning.com.]

Am I Going To Heaven? (John 6:44-45)

Orroroo,_Magnetic_Hill-Wikimedia Commons.JPG

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me…” (John 6:44-45)

No one can come unless they’re drawn.

Jesus said to the crowd, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”

Youngs Literal Translation says it this way, “no one is able to come unto me, if the Father who sent me may not draw him…” (John 6:44-45 YLT)

For centuries now, Christians have debated the meaning of verses like this one. God’s sovereignty vs. our free will. Calvinism vs. Arminianism. John Calvin’s theology vs. Jacobus Arminius’s theology. And then there’s a huge number of Christians who hold views that are mixtures of the two. I’m not going to attempt to resolve a debate that began almost five hundred years ago and continues today.

But I will speak to anyone who reads this verse and worries that they may be a person who hasn’t been drawn to Jesus by God the Father.

Am I Drawn? Am I Saved? Read More

4 Comments

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Kurt Bennett

Bible Study, John

Am I going to heaven, am I saved, Calvinism Arminianism, Christian, eternal security, Jesus, John 6:44

The Surest Way To Work Up A Crusade

“The surest way to work up a crusade in favor of some good cause is to promise people they will have a chance of maltreating someone. To be able to destroy with good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behavior ‘righteous indignation’–this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats.”

–Aldous Huxley

“for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:20

You might also like: The Article About Anger That Might Make You Angry

3 Comments

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Kurt Bennett

Bible Study, Suffering

cancel culture, Christian, George Floyd, Huxley quote

The Line Dividing Good And Evil

“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”

–Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

1 Comment

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Kurt Bennett

Bible Study

Alton Sterling, Baton Rouge shooter, black lives matter, blue lives matter, Christian, Jesus, Sermon on the mount, sin, Solzhenitsyn

The Consequences Of Ignoring Jesus: God’s Way, Your Way, And Your Crushed Spirit

(From the archives, an article that’s been trending lately: The Consequences of Ignoring God)

Guilt, Fear, And A Crushed Spirit

Continuing our series on suffering, today we’ll look at how ignoring God can crush your spirit.

Proverbs 28:1 says,

The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion.

Why is that do you think? Why do the wicked flee when no one is pursuing?

The proverb is a reference to Read More

2 Comments

Posted on July 16, 2016 by Kurt Bennett

Bible Study, Suffering

Christian, Christian depression, Fear, guilt, how do I accept Jesus, overcoming fear, overcoming guilt, why am I afraid

This Is Where You Want To Be In Life

Tolentino_Basilica_di_San_Nicola_Cappellone_14 via Wiki-labeled for reuse on Google Images

This is where you want to be in life: The place where you love Jesus so much, you live to do his will, to bless him, to please him.

Image via Wikipedia-labeled for reuse on Google Images, Italian, early 14th century

2 Comments

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Kurt Bennett

Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young

Christ follower, Christian, discipleship, discipleship training, how to follow Jesus, Jesus, love God with all your heart

God Running

There is only one place in the Bible where we see God running.

Christians Behaving Badly: John 6:66-71

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When Jesus’ Words Are Hard To Hear

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A Second Generation Atheist’s Take On The Eyewitnesses Of Jesus

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What Does It Mean To Feed On Jesus’ Flesh? John 6:47-59

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Things I Heard In Church: “It’s like feeding yourself with your toes.”

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No One Has Ever Seen God (So what can we really know about Him anyway?) John 6:46-51

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People I Know Who Most Resemble Jesus: Hold Lightly

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Am I Going To Heaven? (John 6:44-45)

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The Surest Way To Work Up A Crusade

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The Line Dividing Good And Evil

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The Consequences Of Ignoring Jesus: God’s Way, Your Way, And Your Crushed Spirit

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This Is Where You Want To Be In Life

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There is only one place in the Bible where we see God running.

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