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Transforming Power of the Gospel
“The good news of the Kingdom is that our King has won a marvelous victory for us. Through his sinless life, sacrificial death as our substitute, resurrection, and ascension, he has not only conquered death for us, removing its penalty, but he has also conquered sin’s power over us… Now through repentance faith, God means…
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Confession of a Recovering Legalist
The guy seemed somewhat indignant. “There are no legalists in this room”, he insisted in response to an indirect, and unintentional, indictment made by another member of the presbytery. Little did he know. “Absolutely there are legalists in the room”, I thought outloud. I cannot say with certainty that this man, who felt compelled to defend…
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Contextual Asessment Starter Questions
One of the greater frustrations I have experienced in the church I serve has not come from the people within the church as much as it has from well intended (I presume) outsiders and fringe folks who espouse a missional approach. This is surprising because I want to embrace a missional approach. But much of…
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Christians & Politics: Faith-filled or Faith Fooled?
In case you have been sleeping like Rip Van Winkle, this is a Presidential Election year in the USA. Faith will be declared, inspected, invoked, and provoked from all sides over these next few months. Some will offer opinions from positions of knowledge, while others will offer authoritative sounding opinions from positions of functional ignorance. …
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The Need for Silence
Wise words from Paul Tripp about… not speaking words. I have learned this lesson well over the years. My words, both spoken and written, are far more tempered than they were even just a few years ago. But as almost anyone who knows me can attest, my natural deficit in this area is so great…
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Diving Deep Into Gospel-Centered Living
Last week I confessed my envy of a book written by J.D. Greear, Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary. I admitted that I wish I had written the book. Here, in J.D.’s words, is a synopsis of Gospel-centered Christianity that expresses exactly what I would want to communicate to everyone in my church,…
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Practical Prayer Ideas from D.A. Carson
Here are some ideas for prayer practices adapted from D. A. Carson’s A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Apart from any printed guides I may use, I keep a manila folder in my study, where I pray, and usually I take it with me when I am traveling. The first sheet in that folder is a…
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Gospel-Driven Sanctification
by Jerry Bridges Early in my Christian life I heard someone say, “The Bible was not given to increase your knowledge but to guide your conduct.” Later I came to realize that this statement was simplistic at best and erroneous at worst. The Bible is far more than a rulebook to follow. It is primarily…
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Cherokee People, God’s People
For these next few days I get to spend some time at the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina, preparing for a mission trip a team from our church will be again taking this Summer. I have come to love our work in Cherokee and look forward both to opportunities to go over the mountain…
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I Wish I Had Said That
OK. I’ll admit it. After reading J.D. Greear‘s book, Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary, I found myself subtly frustrated… Disappointed… Why? Not because of anything in the book J.D. wrote. But because it was a book that I wish I had written! So I am jealous… envious… and greatly appreciative. This is…
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No One Without the Other
There’s a lot of talk about “Cross-centeredness”…as if the death of Christ is more important than the life of Christ. Christ’s death is not the center of the gospel any more than his life is the center of the gospel. One without the other fails to bring about redemption. ~Tullian Tchividjian, from Jesus + Nothing…
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Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics – An Interview
I am not a fan of Diane Rehm, by any measure. Not only do I find her views unpalatable, her voice grates my ears. But as I was driving to an appointment today I clicked the NPR preset on my JEEP radio and in the matter of seconds had my attention arrested by the discussion…
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5 Causes of the Decline of the American Church
Previewing Ross Douthat’s new book, Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics, which hit bookstore shelves yesterday, Tim Keller draws five observations about the causes of decline in the American Church. As Keller notes: In his second chapter, Douthat attributes the change to five major social catalysts that have gained steam since the…
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Pay Attention!
In his book, Joy Unspeakable, Martyn Lloyd-Jones notes: Pay attention! I am certain that the world outside is not going to pay much attention to all the organized efforts of the Christian church. The one thing she will pay attention to is a body of people filled with the spirit of rejoicing. That is how…
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