Category: Christian Life
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3 Lane Escape from Moralism
I am thankful to Joe Thorn for concisely clarifying an issue that I believe confounds many well intentioned Christians. The problem addressed is the confusion of moralism with the gospel. In many case moralism is an attempt to take seriously both God and the Christian faith. Nevertheless, moralism is off track. In a post titled…
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How Can I Be Sure I Would?
Steve Timmis of The Crowded House and co-author of the book Total Church posed the following questions and thoughts for reflection: How can I be sure I would lay down my life for sake of Jesus & the gospel? Perhaps I’ll be like Peter in his bravado and subsequent denial? Can’t ultimately be sure until…
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4 Keys to Cultivating Inner Peace
How can one cultivate genuine inner peace? Thomas a Kempis suggests embracing the following four attitudes and practices: Seek to do the will of others rather than your own. (Matthew 26.39; John 5.30; John 6.38) Always choose to have less rather than more. (1 Corinthians 10.24) Always seek the lowest place and consider others better…
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Spiritual Formation Beyond Decency
We must stop using the fact that we cannot earn grace (whether for justification of for sanctification) as an excuse for not energetically seekng to receive grace. Having been found by God, we then become seekers of ever-fuller life in him. Grace is opposes to earning, not effort. The realities of Christian spiritual formation are…
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Christ-likeness: The Purpose of God for His People
by John R.W. Stott I remember very vividly, some years ago, that the question which perplexed me as a younger Christian (and some of my friends as well) was this: what is God’s purpose for His people? Granted that we have been converted, granted that we have been saved and received new life in Jesus Christ,…
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Prayer a Priority?
Sometimes the truth hurts, doesn’t it? Such is the case in a recent article by Jonathan Graf for Prayer Connect. In the article titled Living Up to a Core Value Graf writes: I was recently at a denominational gathering for a group that I know values prayer tremendously. In one of its core values it…
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Ordinary Saints
Jerry Bridges opens his book, Respectable Sins, with a reaffirmation and reminder that all who are in Christ are declared Saints. While some may find this status difficult to believe, Bridges explains: “We don’t become saints by our actions. We are made saints by the immediate supernatural action of the Holy Spirit alone who works this change…
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My Spiritual EKG
“How are you doing, Spiritually?” That is an important question. The Great Physician, by both direct and indirect statements in his Word, repeatedly encourages us to examine our hearts. But while many may be aware that it ought to be our regular practice to take a Spiritual pulse, I suspect that relatively few know how to read…
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Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment
Having recently posted some thoughts and resources about dealing with our discontent, I thought I might offer something from the other direction – how to cultivate godly contentment. As Paul wrote to his protege, Timothy: “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6.6) Thanks to the folks at Monergism, Jeremiah Burroughs‘ classic The Rare…
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Art of Our Discontent
Trevin Wax asks these questions: How do unbelievers know we are Christians? By the fish symbols on our car? By our bumper stickers? By our voting patterns? By our church attendance? No. Jesus tells us that the outside world will know we are Christians by the way we love one another. (John 13.34-35; 1 John…
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This Present Communion
“We are justified if we have accepted Christ as Savior. But present communion with God requires continual bowing in both the intellect and the will. Without bowing in the intellect, in thinking after God; without acting upon the finished work of Christ in my present life; and without bowing in the will in practice, as…
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Organic Church
You will observe that I am not merely exhorting you “to go to church.” “Going to church” is in any case good. But what I am exhorting you to do is go to your own church – to give your presence and active religious participation to every stated meeting for worship of the institution as…
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How to Disarm an Angry Person
It is the most difficult of maneuvers. There are no guarantees of success. And the stakes are high. But we have no choice: we must learn how to do it. How do you disarm an angry person? The angry person could be a child, parent, spouse, friend, neighbor or counselee. And, of course, we could…
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Revival: The Restoration of the Holy Spirit to This Place
To understand aright what this teaching of the Spirit is, there are three things we must specially remember: The first, that it is all from within. It is by influencing, by renewing, by purifying the life, that the Spirit gives the experimental knowledge of God’s truth. Out of the light of life, wrought within our…
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Elect or Elite?
A few years ago, soon after coming to Bristol, I was asked by a godly woman in our church: “What does it mean to be Reformed?” She had been talking with someone from another church who had snidely claimed that their church did not associate with our church because we were not Reformed enough. What…
