Some Strong Language About Sanctification and Sin

by in - ,
What does it mean to be sanctified? What’s supposed to happen to the sin in your life? As I’ve been meditating on that subject—wondering to what extent Scripture describes sanctification as a process, or as an event, or as both—I noticed some of the verbs that Paul uses to describe what has happened, or what should happen, to the sin in your life. You should “put off” the old man (Eph
read more

Jesus on How Not to Pray (Matthew 6:5-7)

by in - ,
The Lord’s Prayer may be one of the most famous prayers in the world. The vast majority of Christians—from Catholic to Charismatic—say it regularly. It’s something we can all agree on, isn’t it?  But what if the vast majority have managed to get it wrong?  Right before Jesus gave us that model prayer, He emphasized how not to pray:  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.
read more

Be Refreshing (Philemon 1:5-7)

by in - ,
I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers,  hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints  that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because
read more

So Blessed You Forget? (Luke 17:11-19)

by in - , ,
Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go,
read more

Healed on the Way (Luke 17:11-14)

by in - ,
Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said
read more

Let’s Have an Argument: The Emerging Church vs Paul

by in - ,
I’m tired of having conversations and dialogues. Let’s have an argument!  Gerardo Marti and Gladys Ganiel have written an excellent overview of the emerging church movement (ECM), The Deconstructed Church: Understanding Emerging Christianity. As sociologists, they give an overview of the data they collected about the movement, without offering their own opinions about its theological correctness.  The fourth
read more

Where Did the Early Christians Meet?

by in - ,
Where did the early Christians meet?  Not in “church” buildings. (I put “church” in italics, because believers are the church, not the building.) The early believers were flexible. They met and ministered wherever they could.  1.They met in the Temple (until it was destroyed): So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they
read more

Lordship Salvation Is Poor Comfort for a Dying Relative

by in - , ,
This past Sunday, our minivan wouldn’t start, so the kids and I walked to a local church, about a mile away. They protested, feeling it was an exceedingly far distance to travel—“Why is this taking so long? Is this Canada?”  Once we got settled in, I found the preacher was teaching through Job. Unfortunately, having recently taught through Job myself,
read more

Why Not Start a Church Bookstore?

by in - , ,
“Churches need to operate their own bookstores to provide sound material to the people,” David Cloud, a Fundamentalist Baptist, argued. “The typical Christian bookstores are not going to carry the type of information that God’s people need today, because they are in the business of making money and do not want to offend potential customers”
read more

Bizarro Grace in the Emerging Church Movement

by in -
If you’re familiar with Superman, you might be familiar with one of his enemies, Bizarro.  Bizarro is a doppelgänger of Superman—a broken, inverted, mirror image. For example, Bizarro comes from a square planet called Htrae, where it is a crime to do good. He’s pale and zombie-like. He’s very dumb, speaking a primitive version of English. But he’s powerfully strong.  You get
read more