If you didn’t grow up in the church, adjusting to Christian culture can be a bit of a shock. Why are people throwing around terms like “washed in the blood” or being “born again”? While you can adapt quickly, as you grow in faith more terms will become part of the conversation. Even I – a seasoned believer with a religion degree! – encounter words and phrases I’ve never heard before.

Let me preface this post by saying: This is not a devotional-bashing article. I personally use and love certain Christian devotional books, and regularly read books on theology and Christian life. These books fill a very important void in the world of books, BUT: they should not act as a replacement for the Bible itself. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what they do.

How do you know when God is telling you to do something? What does the Spirit’s voice sound like? We aren’t Samuel and aren’t hearing an audible voice from heaven (and honestly? Not many people in the Bible even got to experience this!). The Lord still speaks to us through His Spirit – Jesus says this three times in John 16:13:

The church hurts people because it’s made up of hurting people. It’s made up of flawed, sinful, humans just like you! If you’ve ever in your life hurt someone, why are you surprised that someone in the church could also cause pain?

it’s a simple but loaded question, and one I thought appropriate to begin this series with: What does it mean to be “saved”? If you grew up in the church, you’ve heard this term thrown around since you were two. If you didn’t grow up around Christian language, the terminology and implications can be confusing. But I also believe there are a whole lot of people who believe they are Christians and actually have no idea what salvation is. That’s why this conversation needs to be had!