Tag: christianity

What I Love about the Church

By Asher Witmer Ecclesiology

Today, we know the church primarily as either a building or a group of people gathered together around a common set of ideas. The problem with this view of the church is that it’s incomplete, at best. If not downright unbiblical. As long as we can relegate the church to a building or a group of people who believe certain things and abide by certain guidelines, the church will always be disposable to us. There is nothing intrinsically eternal about a church established around man-made material or beliefs.

Read More

An open letter about the Bible, blogging, and why I choose the titles I do

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation, Theology

A couple months ago I wrote an article titled, No, You Don’t Have to Read the Bible. I received quite a basket of mixed feedback, so I thought it beneficial to follow-up and bring clarity where I may have failed to before.

This is an open letter. Quite long, to be honest. But necessary for clarifying a few things I deeply believe. The letter is separated into the following sections. Feel free to skip ahead to whatever interests you most by clicking on the heading below:

  • Summarizing No, You Don’t Have to Read the Bible
  • “What a title!!??”
  • Intentional Blogging
  • Relational vs. Intellectual, and an “ever-evolving message”
  • The Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Inspiration of Scripture
  • The Problem with Scripture in 2017
  • What I Believe about the Bible in 18 Statements

Read More

Nonconformity: Does It Even Matter?

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation
aw_nonconformity_matter?

Because of grace, there are no excuses for sinful living. Only, God is for us. Not against us. Too often we live the Christian life expecting ourselves to be more perfect then even God expects us to be. As if holiness is something we are to accomplish before we have peace with Him. But that matter was taken care of by Christ on the Cross. We have peace, period. We can now live in relationship with God, and it is from that relationship we find the ability to live as He designed, to obey Him from the heart instead of obligation as they did under the Old Testament Law.

We still live in a fallen world, though, bound by a fallen nature. Living as He designed goes contrary to our nature. We have been grafted in—we’re not a part of the trunk that gave us root. It feels more natural to live without Him.

It is within this context that Paul is writing in Roman’s twelve.

Read More

Nonconformity: A Dangerous Alternative

By Asher Witmer Popular Posts, Spiritual Formation

Until our relationships accurately represent Christ, our doctrines will always be held in suspect.

Not everyone is rebellious, wanting to do their own thing. Many know the Bible and the God of the Bible and how He relates in love and grace, and when that isn’t being lived out in a community that focuses so much on trying to be like Christ, we feel something is missing.

But what if we’re chasing relationships at the expense of faithfulness? What if in our desperation for Christ, we completely miss Him?

Read More

Radical Love: how you can tell a true Christian from a fake one

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation
aw_lmp4

If God did create, then His plan for my life is the plan that is most fulfilling. Because I am born with a fallen nature, I constantly trying doing life outside of His plan. I need saved. When I am saved, I become a part of a family that far transcends my immediate friends and connections. Experiencing more of God requires my continual engagement with His people.

Creation and salvation are absolutely fundamental for understanding life as God designed. Church, the body of Christ, is a critical part of going deeper with Him. But understanding creation, experiencing salvation, and participating with church are not enough to live a life that truly matters.

True meaning comes from radical love.

Read More

What I Believe About Salvation

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation
aw_lmp2_salvation

God does not have a reverse economy. Satan does, and we chose to settle for his perversion of God’s economy, God’s perfect creation.

Nothing exists that God did not create. No creature, no desire, no ability, and no pleasure. He made it all and it is good. The normal way life functions is the way God designed it to. We are the ones who reversed the economy of life. We are upside-down from what God created.

Lust is not our longing of something Satan created, but our settling for his perversions as a way of fulfilling our longing for what God created. In order to live a life that truly matters, life as God intended, we need a supernatural salvation.

Read More

The New Conservative

By Asher Witmer Spiritual Formation
aw_new_conservative

We like to throw around the labels conservative and liberal as if they’re two different camps of people. But what does it actually mean to be conservative or liberal? Can I accurately assume what someone stands for just because they’re labeled conservative?

Labels are often vague and worthless. What does it actually mean to be CEO of a company? What does a Coaching Consultant do? Pastor how does one know a good pastor from a bad pastor or a good Dad from a bad Dad?

I’m not sure we can ever rid this world of labels—that’s really not the point. Too often, however, we stop at them, as if being conservative completely describes who we are and what we stand for.

Read More

4 Ways Facebook Steals Your Identity

By Asher Witmer Personal Wholeness

I talk to myself sometimes. I used to work alone labeling books in a warehouse. I’d practice preaching when I knew no one would stop in. A few times my wife caught me discoursing on some profound truth I thought the world needed to hear. Usually, we call people who talk themselves schizophrenic. They are slightly […]

Read More