As Election Day 2012 has come and gone, many Christians have been left in disbelief after having learned that President Obama has been re-elected for another four-years. Feelings ranging from sadness and anger, to sheer hopelessness has seemed to be the general mood reeling throughout the Christian church. As many are struggling to comprehend how to move forward, I would like to pass on an article that was written by my Senior Pastor, Todd Hudnall, to our congregation this morning. I believe it may help those who are wondering, “The Election is Over, Now What?” Pastor Steve

The Election Is Over, Now What?

America has decided and Barack Obama has been entrusted with four more years as President of the United States. Now that it’s over, let’s analyze the implications of the election.

First I want to express my gratitude and appreciation for the people of Radiant Church who engaged in our 21-days of prayer and fasting. I also want to thank those of you who participated in our Gap prayer services. I had a sense from the beginning, that more important than the outcome, was our willingness to call out to God for His will and for His intervention in this election. My strong sense on Tuesday evening was that the outcome was indeed ordered by the Lord. FULL POST

“Has God indeed said?” These are the very first words spoken by Satan as recorded in Genesis 3:1. They were words not intended to question what God had said, but to manipulate and twist what God had intended in an effort to cast doubt on His love. To clarify, God's original statement to Adam was, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:16). Yet when Satan approached Eve in the Garden of Eden, he didn’t go to Eve and try and deny that God spoke those words, he just mischaracterized them. He used the very scriptures God had spoken, but he completely twisted what He had said. Cunningly, he questioned whether God had really meant what He had said to Adam. “Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?” (Genesis 3:1).

When Eve was tempted by Satan in the Garden, Satan used God’s own words intended for love and protection and distorted them into a negative prohibition designed to cast doubt on God's graciousness. He effectively misrepresented God’s words, which led Adam and Eve to question God’s love for them. Thus, he was able to substitute the truth with his own lie and got Adam and Eve to believe God was holding something back from them. Through his deceptive ways, Satan took God’s positive invitation to eat from every tree, misquoted the Bible, and then turned those elements of truth into a justification for sin; “What a snake!” you might say. No pun intended. FULL POST

As I slowly darkened the selection bubble on my 2012 Presidential Mail-in Ballot, I felt a sense of peace. Peace, knowing that the choice I was making was being done in the best interest of the United States of America, and my Christian faith. It wasn’t a decision based upon political party lines, ethnicity, or who seemed to have the best plan to benefit my pocketbook later on. It was a choice that strictly was decided upon by the candidate that best aligned themselves with my beliefs as a follower of Jesus Christ. And that choice was sharply clear to me; that choice was Mitt Romney.

I suspect now that you know whom I voted for, there will be one of two thoughts running through your head. First, you may agree with me and be voting for Mitt Romney yourself. Or, you may be feeling sucker-punched and decrying, “How can a Christian vote for a Mormon?” My answer to you is, “I didn’t.” I didn’t cast my vote for a Mormon, or any other religious label you want to place upon a person or their identity. If I where directing my vote to a religious affiliation, then I would have to be honest and say that this election is not between a Mormon and a Christian; but a Mormon and a person I believe who is not a Christian. FULL POST

One of the biggest challenges that we as believers in Christ will face today is trying to answer what would seem to be an easy question. This question is, “Who is Jesus?” Unfortunately today, “There are many misconceptions concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. False religions have portrayed Jesus Christ as everything from a space alien to merely a myth. Many people believe that Jesus was only a prophet” (Stewart). So how does one combat these misconceptions? As grandiose as many people would like to believe, not everyone that enters ministry will be the senior pastor of a mega-church. Therefore, we as Christ followers should be more realistic and error on the side of personal interaction. This begins by having full knowledge of how we would answer the question of Christ’s identify to the unbeliever on the street. Therefore, for one to truly know who Jesus is, they must come to identify Him through the offices He held. As this article will show, to know Christ is to recognize what it means for Jesus to have held the offices of the prophet, the priest, and the king. FULL POST

‘Trinity,’ it’s a word never found in scripture, but represents a very important biblical doctrine to the Christian faith. The term is derived from ‘Tri’ meaning three, and ‘Unity’ meaning one, Tri+Unity = Trinity. It is a way of recognizing what the Bible reveals to us about God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God known as three “Persons” who have the same essence of deity; yet the emphasis is that there is only ONE God. Thus, the study of the Trinity seeks to bring a clearer understanding of the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as set forth in the scripture; and yet the absence of the term used to describe the doctrine does not necessarily mean the term is not biblical. Unfortunately with this definition, much debate continues to swirl surrounding the identity of the Holy Spirit. As the twenty-first century has shown, contemporary views regarding the Holy Spirit has been challenged by the emergent church movement and an ever-growing environment of political correctness. This has led some to interpret the Holy Spirit as a fairy-tale like power. Others recognize the Holy Spirit as being more of an impartial influence that God provides to those who follow Christ. Yet, to find the truth, one need only ask themselves, how is the identity of the Holy Spirit described in the Bible? In its simplest form the Bible proclaims that the Holy Spirit is God. However, to better understand this concept, this article will look to identify three areas of the Holy Sprit. These are God as Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, and the identity of the Spirit. FULL POST

Most people in today’s society have heard expressions liked ‘saved,’ ‘born again,’ or ‘converted.’ Yet, no matter how many times they may have heard these terms, throngs of people have never made the effort to accept salvation through Jesus Christ. Ironically the reason for this may not be because they have never been approached; but for the simple fact they do not know what salvation is or how one obtains it. It is my hope that if you have somehow stumbled across this article, by the time you are finished reading it you’ll be able to walk away with a much clearer understanding of three very important questions concerning God’s plan for salvation. These questions are; What is salvation? Why do you need salvation? And, how do you obtain salvation?

One of the most renowned biblical verses in all of Christianity is, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). As this verse shows, salvation is a free gift of everlasting life that is only made possible through Jesus Christ. However, what is the definition of salvation? For believers in Christ we know that our source of life stems from God the Father. Yet, due to the entrance of sin we were forever separated from God. In essence, our only source for eternal life has been separated from us. Salvation is God’s plan that was designed to bridge the gap between sin and man. It is though Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that we are reunited with our father and provided everlasting life. As Thorsen states, “Salvation ultimately represents a gift from God, secured by Jesus, and affected in the lives of people through the Holy Spirit” (Thorsen 277). FULL POST

On September 11, 2001 the world as we know it changed forever. 11-years have passed since that fateful day, and we as American’s still find ourselves struggling to make sense of it all. Some of us have been able to move on; yet for others like myself, the mere mention of the words “September 11th” brings up paralyzing memories of a day that will forever live in infamy.

As a nation comes together this week to remember those who sacrificed their lives, I still find myself angered, grieving, and questioning why this day had to occur. While each of us carries a memory of where we were when we heard the horrific news, there are some of us that still struggle to cope with what occurred that day. It’s been incredibly difficult for me, because I was there to experience it firsthand. As my wife will tell you, this is not a subject that I like to speak about; in fact, this is only the second time that I’ve spoken about it publicly since that fateful Tuesday morning. While most American’s watched the events of this day unfold on television, I had an unwanted front-row seat of what occurred at the Pentagon the morning of the attack. I’ve often been asked what happened that day, but I could never bring myself to speak openly about what I had witnessed. After much soul-searching, I’ve decided to share what I saw as a way to help myself cope with this ordeal; and try and lighten the burden that I’ve carried within me the last 11-years of my life. FULL POST

As November 6th quickly approaches, how a person votes is no longer just subject to what party the candidate is affiliated with. Beyond the scope of financial and social issues, a candidate’s religion has become a major factor in how other people of faith decide how to cast their ballot. In fact, there are some who feel so strongly about voting for someone of a different religion that they may simply decide not to vote. In short, Dr. Todd Hudnall, Sr. Pastor of Radiant Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado helps answer the looming question, “Can a Christian Vote for a Mormon?”

"Can a Christian Vote for a Mormon?" by Dr. Todd Hudnall

In the coming Presidential election there are three options - to vote for Barack Obama, to vote for Mitt Romney or not to vote at all. To vote for an independent candidate is to throw away your vote. For a Biblical Christian there are actually only the two options. Refusing to vote is contrary to the will of God.

According to the Scripture we are compelled to participate in the governmental system (Rom 13:1-7; Matt 22:21), being salt and light within it (Matt. 5:13-16). God is emphatic that complacency and apathy are totally unacceptable for a person of Biblical faith (Prov. 1:32, Amos 6:1). In the words of Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” In addition, a great price has been paid to ensure our voting privilege and as a matter of conscience, every believer should register to vote, be informed on the issues and vote.

Though Supreme Court Chief, Justice John Jay, famously insisted on the preference of Christian leaders in our government, the U.S. Constitution has no such requirement nor does the New Testament. Our nation has enjoyed many outstanding leaders who were people of Biblical faith, we have also had weak leaders and unscrupulous public officials who professed faith in Christ. In addition, America has had leaders lacking Biblical faith who governed prudently and successfully. It's important to remember, we're electing a national president not a national pastor. FULL POST

GAMER. Just the mere mention of the word, conjures up images of lethargic teens glued to a couch while barking taunts into a headset. They are a curious sect to many; surviving on a diet of Cheetos and Mountain Dew while hibernating in the dark lair known as their parent’s basement. Then throw in a couple incidents where troubled-teens mention a video game because their not man enough to admit their responsible for their own actions, and you’ve got society labeling gamers as boys living ‘on the edge,’ who are one Red Bull away from marching into a high school with a handgun and re-enacting the exploits of their pixelated heroes. While this may seem a bit too cliché, unfortunately this is the ‘stereotype’ that mainstream America believes the life of a gamer is all about.

“Put down that silly controller, get outside, go play baseball, or hop on your bike and go out for a ride with your friends.” Yes, the argument could be made that these activities are not only a million times healthier, but also socially engaging as well. Likewise, video games today have become so realistic that their graphic images do seem to warrant parental guidance. However, this is not the premise for which this article is being written. As a gamer myself, I grew up with the introduction of the first video game ‘Pong’ and have seen the evolution of video game entertainment transform over the years. Looking back it still amazes me that gaming has evolved from a ball and two paddles, to now having the ability to control an entire universe of digitized soldiers while lounging on my couch in the confines of my home. FULL POST

As Christians in today’s society, we are faced daily with the pressure to compromise. To compromise our values, our beliefs, and unfortunately the pressure to compromise the message of the Gospel. When we do this we become more concerned with people pleasing in an effort not to offend the sinner. The question to ask ourselves is, “Are we sold out, or SOULED OUT?”

Confrontation is never easy. However, as Christians we are called to do many different jobs. One of these jobs would probably be featured on the hit television show ‘Dirty Jobs.’ This is our job to expose sin; which means we are called to confront the lost with the hopelessness of their condition. Yet, it is at this uncomfortable time we gain the popular job of offering the cure for their wretchedness through the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Rest assured these jobs don’t always go as planned, nor are the ever easy. When we stand up and accept the jobs we as Christians are called to do, we will almost always be met with confrontation and opposition. Yet, we hold within us a courage that mere secular man cannot understand. Our courage to stand firm derives from a humble dependence on God’s power. It is derived from what Paul declares, “Being strong in the Lord, and in the strength of HIS might” (Ephesians 6:10). FULL POST