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The Gospel is Saying
“The gospel is saying that, what man cannot do in order to be accepted with God, this God Himself has done for us in the person of Jesus Christ. To be acceptable to God we must present to God a life of perfect and unceasing obedience to his will. The gospel declares that Jesus has…
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The Hallmark of Authentic Evanglicalism
“The hallmark of authentic evangelicalism is not that we maintain the traditions of the evangelical elders. It is rather that we are prepared to re-examine even the most long-standing evangelical traditions in the light of Scripture, in order to allow Scripture, if necessary, to judge and reform our traditions. Evangelical traditions are not infallible; they…
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Failing Forward
The character Wit, from Brandon Sanderson‘s novel, Oathbringer, makes this keen observation about success, failure, and life: “Failure is the mark of a life well lived. In turn, the only way to live without failure is to be of no use to anyone. Trust me, I’ve practiced.”
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Worship: The Center of Our Existence
“We worship God because God created us to worship him. Worship is at the center of our existence, at the heart of our reason for being. God created us to be his image – an image that would reflect his glory. In fact the whole creation was brought into existence to reflect divine glory. The…
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5 Reasons Why the Doctrine of Justification is Vital to the Church
The Great Apostle, Paul, wrote these profound words in his masterful treatise we know as the Book of Romans: But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it – the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all…
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Leaky Buckets: On Church Attrition
Thom Rainer, Founder and CEO of Church Answers, recently noted: I’m still not sure what to make of this analysis. I am in no way doubting the veracity. I also realize that these stats represent a national average, and that there will be some varaince from community to community. For instance, where I live, in…
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The Responsibility of the Church
Lesslie Newbigin, in his book The Reunion of the Church, challenged the Church to be on mission: “The responsibility of the church is to declare to each generation what is the faith… This is always a fresh task in every generation… No verbal statement can be produced which relieves the Church of the responsibility continually…
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Finding My Place in the Story
The Bible comes to us in various forms of literature: history, poetry, and letters, just to name a few. But essentially, the Bible tells one epic story from beginning to end, using all the various genres. Eugene Peterson, writing the introduction to Matthew in The Message, said: “Every day we wake up in the middle…
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Pascal on the Book of Ecclesiastes
Famed philosopher Blaise Pascal noted: “Ecclesiastes shows that man without God is in total ignorance and inevitable misery.” Elaborating on the message of Ecclesiastes, Pascal summarazied it in these words:
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Jonah Resources
Preparing for an upcoming sermon series in the Book of Jonah, I have been enjoying a variety of resources, some of which are pictured above.
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The Ultimate Good of the Gospel
“The ultimate good of the gospel is seeing and savoring the beauty and value of God. God’s wrath and our sin obstruct that vision and that pleasure. You can’t see and savor God as supremely satisfying while you are full of rebellion against Him and He is full of wrath against you. The removal of…
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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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What is Now True Because of Jesus
The Apostle Paul notably quipped: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1.16) The “gospel” is the message – the “Good News” – about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and of the Kingdom in and over which he reigns.. Paul…
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Are We Singing the Same Song?
I cannot recall who said this, nor where I first read it, but the following statement resonates with me: Jesus’ life and teaching always attracted a crowd; he was loved by the irreligious and was outcast and hated by the moralistic, legalistic, religious types. If our lives and proclamations of the gospel are not having…
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