Category: Christian Life
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The Benedict Option is Not Really an Option
Since I already have some pretty definite opinions about the book, I thought maybe I ought to read it. My preliminary thoughts about Rod Dreher‘s The Benedict Option is that it offers a good analysis of the present states of both culture and Church, but Dreher’s solution seems more imposed than necessary or biblical. In…
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Two Sides of Holiness
Jerry Bridges offered a powerful insight and challenge to Christians about the nature and focus of the Christian life: “Scripture speaks of both a holiness which we have in Christ before God, and a holiness which we are to strive after. God has made provision for us to live holy, but He has also given us…
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Race & the Church RVA: Why Do We All Look the Same?
The second gathering of Race and the Church in Richmond, Virginia took place on Saturday morning March 12. The theme was: Why Do We All Look the Same? A Cultural & Theological Analysis of Underlying Church Dynamics; featuring speaker Dr. Alexander Jun. Alexander Jun is a professor at Azusa Pacific University, a TED Talk speaker,…
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I Pledge My Life to Jesus & the Gospel
I pledge my life to Jesus and the Gospel. I want Jesus not to be just part of my life or something that makes me feel good, but to be the very center – controlling everything. I want only the knowledge of the love of God. I want to know Christ. I want no desire,…
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4 Questions to Help Know Right From Wrong
Jerry Bridges, in his contemporary classic Pursuit of Holiness, writes: “Years ago a friend gave me what he called his ‘Formula: How to Know Right from Wrong.’ The formula asks four questions based on three verses in 1 Corinthians: 1. ‘”Everything is permissible for me” – but not everything is beneficial’ (1 Corinthians 6.12). Question…
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Jesus Outside the Lines
This afternoon I started reading Scott Sauls‘ refreshing new book, Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides. It seems timely – at least for me. I for one am growing weary of a culture in which increasingly polemic debates seem never ending. And while I was at first…
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Desiring Truth
by Wesley Hurd At the end of one of his films, Deconstructing Harry, writer/actor Woody Allen delivers a movie-ending confession that offers a perverted coherence to the film: “All people know the truth. Our lives consist of how we choose to distort it.” For believers, though, desiring truth – undistorted – is central to the…
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How to Preach the Gospel to Yourself
Paul, in Colossians 2.6, instructs us: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him…” Simple words, but powerfully practical when unpacked. How did we “receive” Jesus? By faith and repentance – or by repentance and faith. We are not quite sure which comes first, but perhaps…
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Gospel Greater Than God’s Law
Preaching through Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, I have received quite a bit of feedback – more than I receive during most series I have done. Much to the relief of my thin skin, I have received no criticism (to date). Most of the comments have been appreciative, either for the reminder of things that we need…
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Spiritual Chrysalis
In preparation for this past Sunday message from Galatians, I again marveled at the insight and passion of Martin Luther concerning our Union with Christ: “So far as justification is concerned, Christ and I must be so closely attached that He lives in me and I in Him. What a marvelous way of speaking! Because…
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3 Requirements of True Discipleship
Discipleship requires at least three things or its not true discipleship: 1. Gospel centered 2. Empowerment by the Spirit 3. Authentic Community
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5 Obedience Killing Lies
No doubt in my mind, it is one of the more difficult aspects of living in line with the gospel. Is it about grace, or is it about obedience? If I say “both” – which I do – then how does this not add a requirement of works to the gospel requirement of faith alone…
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Hurt People Hurt People
There is an old expression that has long stuck in my mind: “Hurt people, hurt people.” In other words, those who are hurting often lash out in some way and hurt others around them; and those who lash out are often themselves hurting on the inside. Sometimes the offending individual is self-aware, but often the hurt…
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Gospel Wakefulness
One of the more helpful works I have read concerning gospel-centered Christianity is Jared Wilson‘s Gospel Wakefulness. Perhaps most insightful to me was Jared’s point that gospel-centeredness can be explained but cannot be taught. In other words, it requires a grace of the holy spirit. I do not think this realization moves gospel-centeredness into a…
