Tag: Spirituality
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The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards Categorized
The resolutions of Jonathan Edwards is a treasure trove of thoughtful godliness. The earliest of these Resolutions were penned when Edwards was still a teenager – age 19. The list was completed as Edwards was finishing his formal education and beginning his ministerial life. For the rest of Edwards’ remarkable life, part of his regular…
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The Spirituality I Want
“I want neither a terrorist spirituality that keeps me in a perpetual state of fright about being in a right relationship with my heavenly Father nor a sappy spirituality that portrays God as such a benign teddy bear that there is no aberrant behavior or desire of mine that he will not condone. I want…
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Marks of Revival
I had the privilege last week to meet a man convinced we are headed for revival. He is a gentle man, who thinks often of God, wishing for a return to some semblance of the way things used to be – minus the overt sins of racism and sexism that were so widely tolerated in…
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Balance of Faith
A true, vibrant Christian faith is someting akin to a balancing act. In a post this morning, Tim Keller suggested: If we are going to grow in grace, we must stay aware of being both sinners and also loved children in Christ. Keller’s paradigm reminded me of something Edward Payson – “Praying Payson of Portland”…
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Two Contents, Two Realities
Francis Schaeffer said: “there are four things which are absolutely necessary if we as Christians are going to meet the need of our age and the overwhelming pressure we are increasingly facing.” These four things are two contents and two realities: The First Content: Sound Doctrine The Second Content: Honest Answers to Honest Questions The First…
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Portrait of a Recovering Pharisee
by Nancy Scott When Sally first heard the gospel at age eleven, she understood immediately that God’s grace is what saves us. She already knew her heart was full of evil and that she had nothing to bring to God. It made perfect sense that God would have to do the saving, if any saving…
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Appropriating the Justifying Work of Christ
Only a fraction of the present body of professing Christians are solidly appropriating the justifying work of Christ in their lives. Many have so light an apprehension of God’s holiness and of the extent and guilt of their sin, that consciously they see little need for justification. Below the surface, however, they are deeply guilt-ridden…
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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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Gospel-Centered Lives
From time to time I am asked by some in our church what I mean when I repeatedly declare that we are – and we must be – a Gospel-Centered Church. I think it may be the hyphen that confuses people. To be “something”-centered is simply to focus on the relation an individual or a church…
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Building a Bridge to Puritan Days
In Building a Bridge to the 18th Century, author Neil Postman suggests that in many ways we have not so much advanced, as a culture, as we have drifted over the years. Postman seems to believe we would do well to return to and reconnect with our philosophical roots and rebuild upon them. I might say…
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Idol Factory
John Calvin said: “The human heart is a factory of idols… Every one of us is, from his mother’s womb, expert in inventing idols.” This truth is difficult to convey. Few people think of themselves as idolators. And when I as a pastor, or a friend, suggest to people that they – like me –…
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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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Ecstasy & Delight
Ecstasy and delight are essential to the believer’s soul and they promote sanctification. We were not meant to live without spiritual exhilaration, and the Christian who goes for a long time without the experience of heart-warming will soon find himself tempted to have his emotions satisfied from earthly things and not, as he ought, from…
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Spiritual Pride
The first and worst cause of error that prevails in our day is spiritual pride. This is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christ. It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit to darken the mind and mislead…
