UBC Wed For Life

We now find ourselves in the Halloween season. It is a holiday that many Believers choose not to celebrate. As with many things, the Christian railing against Halloween is a bit misguided due to a lack of understanding about the history behind the holiday. With that said, it is undeniable that much of what has come to be associated with the holiday is not what most would consider to be of God. Still, God can use anything to make his will realized, even things that we may consider to be dark or scary. Anyone who has ever read the book of Revelation can attest to that. With a casual reading one might see this book to be the Bible’s version of a horror story, filled with monsters, death, and destruction. Even against such a dismal backdrop as is painted in Revelation, we are able to see the glory of God. This book is really about Jesus being fully revealed as the Savior and judge of the Earth. It is in this book that we get our best look at Jesus’ promised return. I saw heaven ...

Take a moment to honestly ask yourself a question. Where is your favorite place to be? What popped into your mind first? Was it the mall or a shopping center? Was it a favorite bar, lounge, or other social spot? Maybe it’s the gym, golf course, or other sports related venue. Was it church? For many of us, the honest answer to that question is “No.” Does church at least make your top 3? Top 5? Sure, as Believers, most of us are committed to going to church. Many of us take on responsibilities, sing along with the songs, and fellowship with our fellow congregation members. We do what we feel is required of us. We treat church the same way we treat our jobs, and though we are thankful for our jobs, they probably weren’t the answer to the questions posed above either. Why do we look at church as something akin more to work than recreation? Our relationships with God and the mission given by him are serious business for sure, but should we approach going to the House of the...

Humans have subscribed to a variety of belief systems over our history. Some systems like the Greek mythology that many know from stories was pantheistic, meaning the people worshipped many gods. The Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) are all monotheistic. We believe in one supreme God. However, even among the Abrahamic faiths, most forms of Christianity are unique in that we believe that God presents himself to us in three aspects, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The concept of a single God in three persons is one of the more difficult concepts presented to us in the Bible. The New Testament expounds upon the idea the most, but the plurality of God was evident from the beginning. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, an over all the creatures that move along the ground.” - Genesis 1:26 Despite valian...

We all know the story of Adam and Eve. God created paradise and then created the first two humans to live in it. Upon facing their first temptation in the form of Satan’s trickery, they made a bad choice and disobeyed God. As a result of their action, paradise was lost, not just for them but for all of humanity (Genesis 2:4-3:24). To some that might have seemed like a harsh punishment for a first offense, but when we come to understand what the Word is telling us, we realize that it was not just a simple punishment. Because of the actions of Adam and Eve, humanity was tainted. We were no longer worthy of paradise because every generation after Adam and Eve has been born in sin. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned - Romans 5-12 Born in sin – that’s a concept discussed several times in the Bible, but what does it truly mean? Adam and Eve tasted fruit from the Tree of Go...