Men, The Church Needs You
Men, we need you to step up. Will you heed the call?
Men, we need you to serve Christ and his church. We need you build buildings and playgrounds. But, we also need you build yourself through Spiritual disciplines and build others through the investment of your time and energy. The church needs men who will heed David’s instructions. Be strong. Show yourself a man. Obey God’s word.... Continue Reading
Walk the War Before You
What It Means to Live by the Spirit
Walking by the Spirit refers to our daily conduct, rooted in our union with Christ in his death and resurrection and empowered by the Spirit who redirects our desires to godly fruitfulness. The Spirit is the animating power in our lives, shaping our daily decisions as we wake up in the midst of the spiritual... Continue Reading
Are Morals and Moralism in Conflict?
Our morals, our desire to live a virtuous and ethical life, stem from God’s desires for us as well.
Just as virtues divorced from the gospel lead away from morality and into moralism, a virtue-less gospel leads to a cold-hearted, complacent, and ultimately dead faith. It’s a “gospel” that treats knowledge as the highest good. The Christian life becomes more about the pursuit of knowledge than about how we live in light of it.... Continue Reading
Redemption in Christ
Authentic Christianity consists of God’s work in the hearts of those whom He gave and drew to Christ.
Our salvation is the product of God’s redemptive work through Christ on the cross. Through it we have forgiveness of our sins and that according to the riches of His grace. Those in Christ have had God’s grace lavished on them. Notice that the result of this is the gift of knowing the mystery of... Continue Reading
Domesticating the Tongue
It is a wild animal that cannot be domesticated. We can never let down our guard.
The capacity of the tongue to trip up and to cause harm resides with each of us because we all have words at our disposal. Each word, improperly placed, can be an IED to a relationship and inflict serious injury to others, and bring dishonor to our Lord. This entire second take on the tongue (Jas.... Continue Reading
Living in Light of Jesus’ Return
The most pressing consideration for believers is how we should live in light of his impending return.
The church’s attention to Jesus’ return seems to be seasonal, with interest rising and falling based upon a host of issues, most especially current geo-political events. The need of the hour is not for more end-times speculation or an unhealthy preoccupation with the sequence of eschatological events. Such interests should give way to an eschatological... Continue Reading
Evangelism and the Devil’s Darts
Staying faithful in ministry by wearing the armor God has provided to protect us from the wiles of the evil one.
We need to be obedient to God’s command to go into the world and preach the gospel. Satan’s ultimate goal is to overthrow Christ and the church. But Ephesians 6:16 tells us specifically how to have victory in Christ by taking up the shield of faith which quenches the fiery darts. And believers are called... Continue Reading
Held Tightly
If you are in Christ, he is holding onto you and will never let you go.
We are secure in Christ. When we think too highly of ourselves (Rom. 12:3), this is a much-needed reminder that our progression is not due to our abilities, but Christ’s. The times we fall down repeatedly and not sure we will ever advance, we can look to this truth and know he will complete the... Continue Reading
Context Matters: O, Death, Where is Your Sting?
Jesus’ resurrection reverses the curse of sin. Death is mere sleep for those who are in Christ—just as he rose, so will we (1 Cor 15:20-22).
The gospel holds our pain in tension with God’s promises. It permits honesty in the face of grief yet assurance that God will resolve our sorrow one day. We still wait for death’s final defeat. Until then, its sting runs deep. Yet the empty tomb of our risen king declares that the sting won’t last... Continue Reading
Biblical Passages for Tough Times
We need biblical encouragement during these difficult days.
The more our world seems to be crumbling all around us, the more we need an unchanging and eternal God that we can run to, take shelter in, and depend upon. And sometimes it is best to say as little as possible, and just let God speak through his Word. There would be hundreds of great... Continue Reading
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