Edwin Ediger I. INTRODUCTION As Craig Blomberg notes, the content of John’s Gospel is distinctive, was likely written after the Synoptic Gospels, and has been used and misused through the centuries.1 Blomberg provides a helpful list of distinctives of John’s Gospel under five headings: 1) selection of material; 2) theological material, particularly the affirmation of
Randy Rheaume1 Senior Pastor Stony Creek Church Utica, MI I. INTRODUCTION “Your father Abraham was overjoyed to see my day, and he saw it and was glad” (NET). Jesus’ intriguing words in John 8:56 have puzzled church fathers, scholars, and Bible readers of all kinds for centuries. Indeed, the crowd of Jesus’ original hearers was
By Bud Brown It has been my privilege to mentor pastors who want to see their churches become more effective at winning people to faith in Jesus. I’ve read countless volumes, journal articles, and academic papers on this topic. At one point, over twenty feet of my library shelves bulged with these materials. I have
1. FGT ignores the seriousness of sin, and therefore promotes casual Christianity One of the most common misconceptions of Free Grace Theology (FGT) is that it downplays sin and leads to lawlessness. The argument goes that if someone is not fearful of losing his salvation—if his works don’t matter—he will pursue sin with reckless abandon.
By Lucas Kitchen Chapter 11, Eternal Rewards: It Will Pay to Obey. Available in the bookstore. I was speaking at a small church in South Texas one summer. The church had been flooded recently and was getting a much needed update. This meant that while I was preaching, some workers, who were not church attendees,
Bob and Shawn have started co-hosting a radio show and podcast called…Grace in Focus! We are so excited about this next step in GES’s ministry. We want to reach people wherever they are. We’re hoping that by producing a radio show and a podcast, we will get the grace message to a new audience and
By Marcia Hornok A 46-year-old believer, whose husband died after a debilitating illness, felt like she could not go on. She said, “I don’t know if it was self-pity, if I was seeking negative attention, or if grief made me feel like I would self-destruct. My gut-wrenching sadness at times seemed unpreventable and untreatable. Often
By Bud Brown Is there a distinctively Free Grace way to motivate Christians to talk about Jesus and eternal life with those who don’t believe? Many are urging pastors to exhort church members to evangelistic effort. A wealth of books, blogs, electronic resources, videos, and ministries have been devoted to creating evangelistic momentum in churches.