Author: howellbible

The Power of God’s Testimony

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Reflections from Week Two of Our Evangelism Class

“Who does that sound like to you?” my friend Blaine asked after reading a passage from Scripture. My Buddhist friend paused, then quietly said, “Uh… Jesus.” Blaine smiled. “You know what? I think you’re right. That sounds like Jesus to me too. Does it mean anything to you that this was written 700 years before Jesus was born?”

I watched the color drain from my friend’s face. For the first time in our many conversations about faith, he had no wise-crack response, no smarmy comeback. He just sat there, speechless.

That moment, years ago, taught me something powerful about the difference between sharing my personal experience with Jesus and sharing God’s own testimony about His Son. Both have their place, but one carries a weight and authority that the other simply cannot match. Continue reading →

The Missing Piece: What Following Jesus Really Costs

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This post is adapted from Sunday’s sermon on John 15:18-27.
Click here to listen to the full message.

Have you ever tried to assemble something with an important piece missing or without all the instructions? Or attempted to understand a conversation when you’ve missed the crucial context?

That’s exactly how many of us approach Christianity—we’re missing a vital piece of information that would make everything else click into place.

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Embracing the Call

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Reflections from Week One of Out of the Fire

“I couldn’t keep it to myself… I realized it was all true, and I just couldn’t keep it to myself.”

Those words from Elijah, one of our class participants sharing about his early days of faith, captured something powerful in our first evangelism class this week. There’s something contagious about someone who has truly grasped the reality of the gospel—they simply have to tell others.

But let’s be honest: most of us don’t feel that way most of the time. Continue reading →

Go! Embracing Our Divine Commission

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The Call to Evangelism

In today’s Christian landscape, a profound disparity exists that we cannot ignore: for every 1,000 people who search online for prayer, only 10 search for evangelism, and just one seeks evangelism training. This stark contrast reveals a troubling reality in our churches—while we readily embrace certain aspects of our faith, we often sidestep the Great Commission.

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Embracing Our Spiritual Gifts

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A Call to Active Membership in the Body of Christ

Spiritual Gifts

[A sermon reflection from Mother’s Day, May 12, 2025. Full sermon audio available here.]

Beyond Greeting Cards and Flowers

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, grandmas, and great-grandmas reading this! While our culture sets aside this special Sunday to honor mothers, Scripture reminds us this should be our daily practice. And for those finding today difficult—perhaps you’ve lost your mom or are mourning a relationship that wasn’t what it should have been—please know you’re seen and held in prayer.

But today, I want to talk about different kinds of gifts—not the Mother’s Day kind, but the spiritual kind that each of us has received as members of Christ’s body. Continue reading →

Church Membership: Beyond Names on a List

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Church Membership: Gather

The church is not a building, but a body of believers united in Christ.

Changing—Not Lowering—Our Expectations

As a church leader for over a decade and a half, I’ve had many conversations with people explaining why they’re leaving their church. During one particularly memorable discussion, someone listed several complaints: the services were too long, the environment was too noisy with crying babies, and it was difficult to hear the sermon.

While listening, I suggested they might need to “change their expectations.” They misunderstood, thinking I meant they should lower their standards and accept mediocrity. That wasn’t my point at all.

I wasn’t asking them to lower their expectations—I was inviting them to transform them entirely. If we have the wrong expectations, even something good might seem disappointing. It’s like expecting a brownie and biting into a steak—you’d be surprised and likely disappointed, but if you were expecting steak from the beginning, it could be delicious.

In fact, many of us need to raise our expectations of what church is truly about. Continue reading →

Living in the Light of Resurrection

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How Shall We Then Live?

The resurrection isn’t just a past event—it’s a present reality that transforms our daily lives.

The echoes of “He is risen!” may have faded from our Easter Sunday celebrations, but the profound reality those words represent should reverberate through every moment of our lives. The resurrection isn’t merely a historical event we commemorate once a year—at least, it shouldn’t be. It’s the foundation that should transform how we live every single day.

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The Resurrection: A Historical Truth That Transforms Lives

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Millions of Christians around the world gathered yesterday to celebrate Easter. In this celebration, we are reminded of an event that happened nearly 2,000 years ago. An event that forever changed the world. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just a cornerstone of Christian faith but a transformative truth that invites us to reevaluate our understanding of reality itself. Today, we delve into the significance of the resurrection as highlighted in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 and explore the compelling evidence that supports this pivotal event.

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Abiding in Love: A Journey Through John 15

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In a world where distractions abound and priorities often shift, the call to abide in Christ remains a steadfast anchor for believers. This sermon, rooted in John 15:1-17, invites us to examine the fruit of our lives and challenges us to remain in the true vine, Jesus Christ. As we delve into this passage, we are reminded of God’s enduring desire to dwell with His people and the transformative power of abiding in His love.

The True Vine and the Vinedresser

In John 15, Jesus declares, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1). This metaphor paints a vivid picture of our relationship with Christ and God the Father. Jesus, the true vine, signifies the source of life and sustenance for believers, while God, the vinedresser, tends to the vineyard, ensuring that each branch bears fruit.

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Hallowed Be Thy Name

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Growing up, I said the Our Father prayer a lot.

A lot. Multiple times a day.

It was part of my religious tradition. Most of the time, I mumbled it as quickly as I could.

For what it’s worth, my Dad tried to help me understand that mumbling the prayer without understanding what it really meant wasn’t the goal. He wanted me to understand it. He wanted me to mean it.

I remember sitting with him in the car one afternoon while we went through every phrase. He did his best to explain to me what the terms meant. Why we would say these things. Why it mattered.

It didn’t take. Continue reading →