Category: Gospel
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The Gospel Saves From Morality
It sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? The Gospel saves you from morality. Can this be true? It is true. And it is an important truth. And understanding what John Piper is saying in this video can free people from the crushing weight of trying to be good. For others it will free them from self-righteousness, which…
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Sola-Bootstrap
Overheard this from Scottie Smith on Facebook: “Too many Christians try to live the Christian life by the equally destructive principles of ‘Sola-bootstrapsa’ (I must keep the law in my own strength and effort) and ‘Ego-nomianism’ (I am able to keep the law).” – Bryan Chapell Both of these contradict the gospel, by minimizing our…
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Pure As the Driven Snow
I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who enjoys “old” snow – you know, the snow that has been around a few day, has blackened from plowing, is choppy from people playing in the yard. I know that’s not the type of snow my duaghter enjoys looking at. After the snowstorm this past Friday night,…
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Prayer Mirrors the Gospel
“Prayer mirrors the gospel. In the gospel, the Father takes us as we are because of Jesus and gives us his gift of salvation. In prayer, the Father receives us as we are because of Jesus and gives us the gift of help. We look at the inadequacy of our praying and give up, thinking…
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Grace Will…
I was blown away as I thought about the paradoxes of the Gospel as it was described by Paul Tripp in his book, Broken-Down House. Don’t just read through quickly. Stop and consider the contrasts: Grace is a story and grace is a gift. It is God’s character and it is your hope. Grace is…
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But You Are Not Invited
There is a scene in the film Field of Dreams where Kevin Costner’s Ray Kinsella gently argues with Ray Liotta’s Shoeless Joe Jackson. Shoeless Joe had just invited the writer, Terrance Mann (played by James Earl Jones), to follow him into the corn, which in the film is the symbol of heaven. Ray (Kinsella,…
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3 Responses to Sin
“When we as Christians sin, we can react in one of three ways: 1) We can become hardened to our sin. 2) We can sink into utter despair and say, ‘Its all over.’ I’ve known Christians who have spent twenty years despairing over one sin…. [T]he only right course of action for us as Christians…
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Crazy Love
I don’t know Francis Chan, but I think I like him. I know I like what I see so far. A friend, who is also an Elder in our church, introduced me to Chan a few months ago. He had just finished reading Chan’s book, Crazy Love, and said that Chan was teaching the same…
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What is the Gospel?
To say that we, as a church, are centered on the gospel, or Gospel-Driven, is realtively easy. It is quite another thing for the typical church member to know what such phrases actually mean. The following post, by C.J. Mahaney, was originally published on the Together for the Gospel blog. I include it here in…
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Real Christians SHOULD Dance
I received this quote from my friends at Graced Again. The author, Bob Flayhart, is minister at Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, AL. A Gospel-centered life is the Christian Waltz. A waltz is a dance made up of three steps. Christians need to consider the Christian three step when it comes to growth. In the…
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When Sinners Say “I Do”
Had I had my way today my wife and I would be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the date of our engagement. My thought then was simple and – in my opinion – romantic: If I proposed on a date that I could easily remember, then we would be more likley to celebrate it in the future.…
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Natural Born Skeptics
To doubt the good will of God is an inborn suspicion of God with all of us. Besides, the devil…goes about seeking to devour us by roaring: ‘God is angry at you and is going to destroy you forever.’ In all these difficulties we have only one support, the Gospel of Christ. To hold on…
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Grace of Repentance
Today is Ash Wednesday. That does not mean much to many in my theological circles. But for many other Christians it is a day that launches the Season leading to Easter – the Season of Lent. This day is designated Ash Wednesday because of an ancient practice of marking believers with ashes as a symbol…
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More Narrow Than Conservative
In the Foreword to CJ Mahaney’s book, Worldliness, John Piper writes: “The gospel makes all the difference between whether you are merely conservative or whether you are conquering worldliness in the power of the Spirit for the glory of Christ.” What an awesome and insightful statement. In my circles I encounter way too many…
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The Jesus Pledge
What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ? What does it mean to be Gospel-driven? I think my friend, Paul Miller, expresses it beautifully in The Jesus Pledge: I pledge my life to Jesus and the Gospel. I want Jesus not to be just part of my life or something that…
