Chip Brogden CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS

Resurrected With Christ
by Chip Brogden
Scripture bears witness to a most amazing spiritual truth: that disciples of Jesus are the crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, ascended, and seated Branches of a crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, ascended, and seated Vine.

How is this possible? Trace it as far back as you can, beginning with where you are “now.”
You are seated together with Christ because you ascended together with Christ.

You ascended together with Christ because you were resurrected and made alive together with Christ.

You were resurrected and made alive together with Christ because you were buried together with Christ.

You were buried together with Christ because you died together with Christ.

You died together with Christ because you were crucified together with Christ.
I'm not making these statements up - they are all recorded in Scripture! Without a doubt, these are some of the greatest, most mysterious truths in the universe!

CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/resurrected-with-christ


I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

NEW EPISODE:
Simple Gatherings
LISTEN NOW
Hello Elaine,

Jesus said that He is in the midst of two or three who are gathered in His Name. For all the talk about “gathering together” it really isn’t that difficult, if you just eliminate from your mind the old institutional obsession with large numbers.

Jesus is not so interested in numbers. He is very non-specific – He says, two or three. Could be as little as two. Could be as many as three. Just two or three. Very small. Very insignificant in terms of what we have come to expect a “gathering” is supposed to look like. Jesus says He is in the midst of as few as two or three who are gathered together in His Name.

I just think that is very liberating. Very freeing, that we do not have to gather dozens or hundreds or thousands of people together and put them in a box. You can call the box a church or a house church or a group or a conference or a meeting or a gathering, but whatever you call it, that “box” often gets in the way of the simplicity of Christ...

Click below to listen (or get the transcript):
http://www.chipbrogden.com/otc-7-simple-gatherings/


I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

OUTSIDE THE CAMP
NEW EPISODE:
Forsaking the Assembly, Part 2
LISTEN NOW

Hello Elaine,

We’re looking more closely at Hebrews 10:25, to answer the question: If you stop going to church, have you really forsaken the assembling of yourselves together?

Well, we began to answer that last week, and when we left off, we had turned from Hebrews 10:25 and gone over to I Corinthians 11:17, where it says, “Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that you come together not for the better, but for the worse.” And I think the describes most of the meetings and services and gatherings taking place today – they come together not for the better, but for the worse. Perhaps because they have already lost the simplicity of Christ, and they have turned the Christian life into a series of religious meetings and services – and I don’t just mean Organized Religion, I mean house churches and home groups as well, because they can be just as religious and dead as the denominational systems they claim to have come out of.

But what made their gathering together so much for the worse that Paul said I can’t even praise you for gathering together? What were they doing wrong?

Click below to listen (or get the transcript):
http://www.chipbrogden.com/otc-06-forsaking-assembly-part-2
I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Chip Brogden
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Hating for Jesus
by Chip Brogden
From our earliest days as young Christians our special emphasis is on love. We are taught to love God with all our heart, love our neighbor, and love our enemy.

We feel convicted if we do not love someone the way we think we should, and we ask God to give us a love for that brother or sister. How wonderful when the Lord responds to our prayer and we are able to love one another with a holy love.

Yet there is another aspect of love that is often overlooked, and that is hatred. This is a holy hatred. It goes right along with holy love. Yet we do not hear a lot about this holy hatred. We are not talking about the kind of hate that causes people to fight and kill one another. We hear the word “hate” and we think of gossip, slander, strife, murder, war, “hate crimes” against individuals and groups, jihads and crusades. There is nothing holy about that, that is sin. But what we have in mind here is a holy hatred that is the result of a holy love.

I would like to suggest that the reason we are not familiar with holy hatred, the good hatred, is because our love is not strong enough. A strong love produces a strong hatred; a holy love produces a holy hatred. For example, in Psalm 119, David rejoices in the truth of the Law of the Lord. Because he has learned to love the truth, he has also learned to hate every false way. You cannot love the truth and love error at the same time. But the more you love the truth, the more you will hate the false. Do you see this? That is one example of holy hatred.

CLICK BELOW TO SEE MORE EXAMPLES OF HOLY HATRED!
http://www.chipbrogden.com/hating-for-jesus
I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

NEW EPISODE:
Forsaking the Assembly, Part 1
LISTEN NOW

Hello Elaine,

Now if you’ve heard this once in church then you’ve heard it a thousand times. So I don’t wonder why I get this objection every week, when people hear me talking about God calling people to come out of church. What? How can that be? And they hit the panic button, just like they’ve been programmed, and they’ll write and say, “Yeah, but what about Hebrews 10:25?” And they’ll even quote it for me as if I’ve never even read it before! As if I didn’t even know that was in the Bible, right? As if they expect me to say, “Wow! I never saw that before! Well, that changes everything!” Ha!

The truth is, I know all about Hebrews 10:25, and I’ve taught from that passage many times over the years, from the perspective of the pastor trying to scare his members into coming to church, as well as from the perspective of someone following Jesus outside the camp with no church agenda, a little more wisdom, and a lot more maturity, so I can rightly divide the Word of God and not let my “yeah, but” get in the way of what the Holy Spirit wants to say.

What does Hebrews 10:25 mean, in context? Well, as I say, that question has been asked and answered so many times, so let’s dig into it by listening in on one of those teachings where we get into Scripture and talk about it. Have you forsaken the assembling of yourselves together when you stop going to church? Let’s see what the Word of God has to say….


Click below to listen (the transcript will be available soon if you would rather read):
http://www.chipbrogden.com/otc-05-forsaking-assembly-part-1/


I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

7 Progressions of Truth
by Chip Brogden
There are seven stages of awareness through which we must pass through in order to bring ourselves out of bondage towards the fullness of Truth and into the life of an Overcomer.

The following seven stages describe the spiritual growth of the Christian from sinner, to seeker, to believer, to disciple, and to Overcomer.

Which stage best describes where YOU are right now?

CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/7-progressions-of-truth/


I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

NEW EPISODE:
Remember Your First Love
LISTEN NOW

Hello Elaine,

We’ve turned the simplicity of Christ into the complexity of religion – where to meet, when to meet, how to meet, who to meet with. It’s just one long series of meetings, meetings, and more meetings. And everyone has an opinion on how to “do it.” You know what? None of it matters, it’s just the same old religious junk that keeps popping up. Even the people who write books about how Christians should meet, if you actually go to their meetings, you just find the same old religious garbage. It’s really ironic. Sad.

Christians have forsaken the simplicity of a Christ-centered faith and have replaced it with a church-centered faith that feeds a religious addiction, and the primary symptom of that religious addiction is what I call Chronic Meetingitus. They don’t know how to function unless they have some group to be a part of, something to attend. And that’s not even the worse part. This religious addiction is highly contagious, and people affected with Chronic Meetingitus tend to think people who don’t attend the meetings can’t really be Christians. What a crazy, mixed-up, topsy-turvy world we live in!

Religion is an addiction and church is a drug. Church is a drug. However you define “church,” however you do church, if church is the focus of your faith then your faith is focused on the wrong thing.

How do we get over this religious addiction? How can we be cured from Chronic Meetingitus?

Click below to listen and/or download the transcript:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/otc-04-remember-your-first-love


I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Chip Brogden
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Pauline Expressions of "En Christo"
by Chip Brogden
Why do scholars find the essential foundation and pillar of Pauline thought, and the vocabulary he consistently uses to communicate that thesis, so difficult to understand?

NOTE: I wrote and submitted the following as a formal paper to a secular university for a course titled, “Religious Thought of Paul.” Although it is intended for an academic audience, ordinary readers may find it useful for three reasons.

First, it makes a Scriptural case for the Christ-centeredness of Paul’s spirituality as something unique and impossible to fully comprehend by way of traditional theological inquiry.

Second, it describes in great detail the three main applications of Paul’s use of the phrase “in Christ,” which provides some very practical spiritual lessons for all of us.

Third, it offers a scholarly argument for Paul’s use of the word “all” (Greek: pas) to really mean “all” in the context of God’s Purpose in Christ, and not (as many suggest) to mean something less than all, each and every.

Interested? Pour yourself a fresh cup of coffee (or tea) and...

CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/pauline-expressions-en-christo/

I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden

The Secret of Spiritual Power
by Chip Brogden
The way of the world says that in order to be stronger, we must build ourselves up and seek strength and dominance over others.

Christians everywhere are keenly interested in how to be increased, how to be stronger, how to take authority, how to rise up, how to get more. They look for methods, formulas, and techniques for becoming bigger and better.

The results have been disappointing. Many mistakes have been made and many people have been hurt and disillusioned.

The Lord has a different approach for us to take...

READ MORE...
http://www.chipbrogden.com/the-secret-of-spiritual-power

I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

OUTSIDE THE CAMP
AND WE ARE LIVE!
Hello Elaine,

My new podcast came out on iTunes today!

The purpose of "Outside the Camp" is to provide encouragement and support for anyone who is following (or searching for) the freedom and joy of a Christ-centered faith that is based on relationship, not religion. Hopefully that includes you :-)

If you use iTunes, I need you to subscribe, rate and review the new show on iTunes at this link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/outside-the-camp-with-chip-brogden/id1211669028?mt=2

If you don't use iTunes, just go to my website, listen and share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or wherever: http://chipbrogden.com/otc

We're launching with three big episodes this week. After that, we'll put out one episode every Wednesday.

Episode 00: "Following Jesus 'Outside the Camp'"
http://www.chipbrogden.com/otc-0-following-jesus-outside-camp/

Episode 01: "Jesus Ruined My Life"
http://www.chipbrogden.com/otc-1-jesus-ruined-life/

Episode 02: "Meeting the Real Jesus"
http://www.chipbrogden.com/otc-02-meeting-real-jesus/

Thank you for listening and for helping us spread the Word!
I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com ​​​​​​​

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Chip Brogden

Was Jesus Really a Rabbi?
by Chip Brogden
I have generally assumed that Jesus was a Jewish rabbi. After all, He was born in Israel, He was Jewish, and people called Him, “Rabbi.” But that would make Him a professionally trained religious leader. Was He?

Bible teachers generally assume that when the Jewish leaders saw how brilliant the boy Jesus was, they immediately took steps to get Him enrolled in one of their schools to be formally trained as a rabbi. This accounts for why Jesus is not seen or heard from during his formative years.

At the completion of His training He emerges and begins His ministry as a full-fledged rabbi – one of the best, most brilliant, and most controversial rabbis of them all.

Sounds nice.

Is that really what happened?

I don’t think so.

Let’s not assume, but let’s look into the Scriptures and see what was really going on...

READ MORE...
http://www.chipbrogden.com/jesus-really-rabbi/

I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

OUTSIDE THE CAMP WITH CHIP BROGDEN
Hey Elaine,

Exciting news...

Next week I'm launching a podcast specifically to support those who are learning to follow Jesus "outside the camp" (Heb. 13:13) - in the wilderness, apart from Organized Religion.

I'm doing this because I want to help more people discover the freedom and joy of a Christ-centered faith that is based on RELATIONSHIP, not religion!

Specifically, I want to reach a younger generation of people who are seeking the truth about Jesus and have been hurt, burned-out, and disillusioned with things said and done "in the name of Jesus" that have nothing to do with Jesus.

This is NOT about church-bashing or trying to persuade people to stop going to church if that's where they think they need to be. Plenty of people (including me) have spoken out "against" something but not enough are speaking "for" something.

This is about supporting, encouraging, helping, healing and teaching those who have already stopped going to church, or have never gone. That includes a lot of people who love God so much they can't stand church, as well as a lot of people who are lost, stumbling around, and looking for Jesus in all the wrong places.

We have to do what Organized Religion has failed to do, and we have to reach them "where they are, as they are" by bringing Christ to them - so we can then bring them to Christ!

Why am I telling you this? Because I need your help.

Next week we're going to launch several episodes at once (20-25 minutes each) before going to a regular weekly schedule.

I need you to subscribe, rate and review the new show on iTunes when it comes out.

If you don't know how to do that... just share it on social media and tell your friends and neighbors about it. The idea is to get as many people listening as possible so we can spread the Word and create a lot of momentum.

You'll also be able to listen to and download each episode from the website if you don't have iTunes.

This is where the Harvest is... people are not breaking down the doors of churches, they are online, searching for truth. If WE are not there to fill that space and point them to Jesus, someone else will fill that space and point them somewhere else.

So watch for another email from me next Tuesday letting you know the show is live.

Thanks!

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com


P.S. We cannot do it alone. Thank you so much for your support of Christ-centered teaching!


PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

A Kingdom Manifesto
by Chip Brogden
The Scriptures clearly teach that the saints will rule and reign with Christ, yet nowhere in the Bible do we find instructions on how to rule the nations or how to conquer the world.

We find out instead how a disciple is to rule his own heart and conquer his own natural instinct by denying Self and taking up the Cross daily to follow Him. Only then will it be possible to sit with Christ in His throne and rule the nations (cf. Revelation 3:21).

Although it will cover the earth, this Kingdom does not begin with global domination. It begins inwardly, invisibly, and secretly within the hearts and minds of individual disciples. Jesus will not move at once to seize the world. Instead, He will train men and women to function is His Kingdom as kings and priests. He is involving them in the process, preparing them, taking them out of the world one by one, and transforming them into His likeness over the process of time.

Where does it all begin? It begins with the heart-attitude of a king-in-training, the mindset of an apprenticed disciple. It is a training program designed to produce a different sort of king and priest, quite a contrast to the “kings of this world”, and like all Kingdom conundrums, it reveals how differently Heaven operates from Earth.

Let us look at each characteristic individually and then ask: how far along are we in our Kingdom training?

READ MORE...
http://www.chipbrogden.com/a-kingdom-manifesto/

I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hey Elaine,

I wonder how many of God’s children are bound by a wrong view of God?

I wonder how many are putting others into bondage with their own warped view of God?

Either living in fear and guilt that they don’t measure up, or assuming they do and no one else does?

These were some of the questions I started asking a few months ago as I began a series of teachings on the subject.

I wanted to let you know those audio teachings are now part of our MP3 Catalog.

Click below if you are interested in learning more:

WHAT IS GOD LIKE?
http://www.chipbrogden.com/what-is-god-like/
Of course, this may challenge your current perceptions about God - which could be a good thing.

I want to know Him AS HE IS.

How about you?

Thank you for supporting Christ-centered teaching
I am your brother
Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com

P.S. Religion messes everything up. All the more reason to press into God, search the Word, get on our face, and see Him as He really is.

Here's the link again:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/what-is-god-like/

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Chip Brogden

God's Entire Plan: in 5 Simple Verses
by Chip Brogden
These five verses condense some very big ideas and spiritual truths into a very compact but all-encompassing Gift of Truth – a priceless treasure for us to unwrap, explore, and value more than all the wealth in the world.

Do you remember when you first received the Lord Jesus? How excited you were, and how great God seemed to be? It is only later, after we have begun to digest the doctrines and traditions of religion, that we tend to lose sight of the greatness of God and the preeminence of Christ. Man is exalted, and Christ is limited, through these religious traditions. But if we put those teachings aside, and simply focus on what God’s Word says, we find nothing to diminish our joy at the riches of His grace revealed in its pages.

READ MORE...
http://www.chipbrogden.com/gods-entire-plan-in-5-simple-verses/

I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Father Knows Best
by Chip Brogden
“Lord, tell my sister to…” “Lord, tell my brother to…”

If we could let go of the idea of bringing correction to everyone else, if we could resist the urge to point out every deficiency we think we see in others, if we could stop trying to be the Holy Spirit to everyone and just learn to be a good brother or sister, letting our Father decide the appropriate discipline, we will find that God is well able to direct our brothers and sisters without us getting in His way. And, we may discover that the problem isn’t really that other brother or sister at all...

READ MORE...
http://www.chipbrogden.com/father-knows-best

I am your brother,
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Chip Brogden

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Elaine,

Why do bad things happen to good people?

If God is great, why does evil persist?

If God is good, why does evil exist at all?

Philosophers, theologians, believers and non-believers alike have struggled with these questions for millennia.

Many conclude that God is either unwilling to do anything (doubting His goodness) or is unable to do anything (doubting His greatness).

Some go so far as to blame the victim - it is your own lack of mountain-moving faith (or church attendance or tithing or keeping the commandments) that creates all your problems.

Right.

Others just blame the devil - the answer is to become a spiritual warfare expert and rebuke the devil all the time.

All of these "solutions" are really just covering up the fact that they don't have a good answer to the main question - why do bad things happen to good people?

What does God's Word say?

Register below to join us for this week's online class as we explore these issues together:

WHAT IS GOD LIKE? Part 4
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27th, 7:00 p.m. (New York Time Zone)

Click below to register:
http://chipbrogden.com/live

You will enjoy it... you might even find a peaceful resolution to these questions.

I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com

Victory is a Man
by Chip Brogden
Everyone who looks does not see. Everyone who hears does not listen. What are we looking for? What is it that we need to see? What would God reveal to us?

There is but one desire of God for us, and that is that we may see Christ. God does not reveal one hundred, one thousand, or one million things to us. He is pleased to give us His Son, and He delights for us to look only to Him. Not even the things He gives, but to Him who is the Gift. We may pray for revelation into a great many matters, but only one thing is important to God, that is, that we may have revelation into the Son.

If we know the Son, if we possess the Son, if we see the Son, we know and possess and see all that God has and is, for He has deposited all of Himself into His Son, and all of His Son He deposited into us...

READ MORE...
http://www.chipbrogden.com/victory-is-a-man/

I am your brother,
Image
Chip Brogden

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

If you haven't registered for tonight's webinar, we still have room for you.

WHAT IS GOD LIKE? Part 3
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20th, 7:00 p.m. (New York Time Zone)

Click below to register:
http://chipbrogden.com/live

Grab your Bible and follow along from your computer - it's not as good as face-to-face but this Word is still setting people free!


I am your brother,


Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com




PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Elaine,

Here's some life-changing truths we're learning.

1. God is Love.

2. God is Great.

3. God is Good.

And the devil (from the beginning) has tried to get you to doubt at least one (if not all three) of these.

- Doubting God's love leads to fear we aren't measuring up.

- Doubting God's greatness leads to uncertainty that He will do what He says He will do.

- Doubting God's goodness leads to frustration when things aren't going the way we want them to.

But there are two more attributes of God that I want to cover this week (I ran out of time last week).

Register below to join us for this week's online class:

WHAT IS GOD LIKE? Part 3
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20th, 7:00 p.m. (New York Time Zone)

Click below to register:
http://chipbrogden.com/live


But as a wise man once said...

"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows." - Epictetus



I am your brother,


Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com


P.S. Online classes are optional extras for people who want to dig deeper. I still write, but something is conveyed in the spoken word that isn't conveyed in the written word. Sometimes you need to close your eyes and listen to my heart.

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Ought Not This Woman Be Loosed?
by Chip Brogden
FACT: The devil uses religion to keep people in bondage.

This is nothing new... Jesus dealt with it in His ministry.

But how He responded to it is really inspiring.

PROOF: Read about it here:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/ought-not-this-woman-be-loosed/


I am your brother,
Image
Chip Brogden

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

This week's online class starts in a few hours:

WHAT IS GOD LIKE? Part 2
SATURDAY, JANUARY 14th, 7:00 p.m. EASTERN

Click below to register, if you haven't already:
http://chipbrogden.com/live

If you can't join us live, register anyway and you will automatically get a link to the replay.

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com
PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hey Elaine,

A few years ago I was speaking to a small group of believers.

They thought they knew the Bible.

They though they knew God.

But at the end of the morning session, one of the brothers was shaking his head.

"God is NOT Who I thought He was," he said. "He IS Who He IS!"

That is the kind of breakthrough moment we all need.

It happens when we realize that God is not Who we think He is, not Who we hope He is, not Who we imagine Him to be, but He IS Who He IS.

We can stop projecting ourselves onto Him and quit creating God in our own (flawed) image.

Even better, we can stop misrepresenting Him to others.

In this week's class we're going to dig deeper into this question: "What is God like?"

I don't speak to small groups anymore.

Instead, I do these online classes.

No travel. No hotel. No fee.

Just join us online and follow along from the comfort and convenience of your own home or office.

WHAT IS GOD LIKE? Part 2
SATURDAY, JANUARY 14th, 7:00 p.m. EASTERN

Click below to register:
http://chipbrogden.com/live

I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com
PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

Hey Elaine,

A lot of people have requested the replay of my ULTIMATE teaching.

It was a series of classes we did a few months ago that talk about the Ultimate Purpose, the Ultimate Plan, and the Ultimate Outcome of what God has done, and is doing, in Christ.

Remember, I said if you want to make sense of a 1,000 piece puzzle it helps to have a picture to look at while you're working on it.

As we look at the Big Picture - the essential elements of a Christ-centered Faith - the individual pieces will make more sense.

You also have a better idea of what does NOT belong in this Big Picture - because you can waste a lot of time trying to fit a Church-centered Faith into a Christ-Centered Faith and wonder why those pieces don't fit.

Anyway, that massive 5-part class has just been converted to a downloadable audio program and added to the teaching catalog.

Learn more and get your copy here:
http://www.chipbrogden.com/product/elements-christ-centered-faith/



I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA

What is God like?

That depends.

If you read the Old Testament, God seems strict and angry.

If you read the New Testament, God seems loving and merciful.

And we have believers in God who seem to reflect very different views of Him.

Which is correct?

Nice God, or Angry God?

The answer may surprise you.

But that's just one thing we'll cover in tonight's online class.

If you already registered, great!

If not, there is still room for you:
http://chipbrogden.com/live


I am your brother,


Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com

PO Box 282
Bunn NC 27508
USA