Roger Severino - Where Faith Meets Life

What We Leave Behind to Follow Christ

January 15, 2021

It would be a day that Simon Peter and his companions would never forget. This is probably not their first encounter with Jesus. Here, once again, they listen to the wise and powerful words of this Rabbi. Then something happens that will change the course of their lives forever. A futile night of fishing turns into an astounding catch of fish at the command of Jesus; nothing can possibly explain this phenomenon in natural terms.

Peter’s astonishment at the miracle causes him to respond in a peculiar way: “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Encounters with the...more

Why Paul Had to Rebuke Peter

January 2, 2021

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. 12 For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. 13 Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw...more

God Loves the World: Red and Yellow, Black and White.

September 25, 2019

John 3:16-18 16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned,...more

THE DANGER OF THE GREAT COMMANDMENT

March 19, 2019

Mark 12:28-34 28 One of the scribes approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which command is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. 31 The second...more

Six Things Barnabas can teach us about Spiritual Leadership (Acts 11:19-26)

October 22, 2018

Who comes to mind when you think about a great spiritual leader? The Apostle Paul? Billy Graham? Martin Luther, or one of the Reformers? One of the reasons we may not think of Barnabas is that he seems like a normal guy in the New Testament. That’s one of the reasons our church has a series called “Just Like Barnabas”; he is someone we can relate to and don’t...more

In the Fullness of Time, God Sent His Son

December 11, 2017

Did you ever wonder about the timing of Jesus’ birth? Was there any particular reason He was born around 2,000 years ago? Why at that time, and not earlier? Or after? Ultimately, only God knows the answer to those questions. But that hasn’t stopped Christians from speculating. As Paul tells us in Galatians 4:4, “When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born...more

HOW IS THE BIBLE PUT TOGETHER?

November 14, 2017

Picture Credit: http://cdn.history.com/sites/2/2015/03/LIST-6-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-dead-sea-scrolls-E.jpeg When we open the Bible, what do we find? We soon discover that this larger book is a compilation of multiple books arranged in two broad categories that are referred to as the Old and New Testaments. Our Christian Old Testament contains the same content as the Hebrew Bible, or the Jewish Scriptures, except the arrangement is different. The Old Testament begins with creation in the...more

WHO WROTE THE BIBLE?

November 3, 2017

One of the first things we want to know about any good book is “Who is the author?” Have you ever asked that question about the Bible? Though Christians throughout the ages have affirmed that there is a divine inspiration of the Bible, there has always been a recognition that God spoke through human authors to write these various books. I use the word “books” intentionally, because the Bible...more

REFLECTIONS ON HUMILITY FROM WINSTON CHURCHILL, JIM COLLINS, C.S. LEWIS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST

September 11, 2017

Winston Churchill described political rival, Clement Attlee, as “a modest man, who has much to be modest about.” No one mistook that for a compliment. He also said Attlee was a “sheep in sheep’s clothing.” Again, “an empty taxi arrived at 10 Downing Street, and when the door was open, Attlee got out.” Is modesty proof of a weak leader? Is humility a virtue even to be desired? Do...more