Blog – Page 155 – Grace Evangelical Society

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

November 20, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - argumentation, Paul

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

Arguments for Salvation by Dying to Self and Walking in His Ways

November 19, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Matthew 7:13-14, Matthew 7:21-23, Repentance and Salvation, Salvation and self-denial

A reader of our website has a problem with our stand that salvation from eternal condemnation is by faith alone, apart from works. She wrote: I enjoyed reading your article on Acts 13:48 since I’m aware of Calvinism and did consider this verse very strong for their support.  As is life in Jesus, we read

Where Did the Early Christians Meet?

November 18, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - church buildings, sacred spaces

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

When to Keep Your Mouth Shut (Amos 5:13)

November 15, 2019 by Ken Yates in Blog

Recently I was reading the OT Book of Amos. I ran across an interesting verse. The prophet says, “Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, For it is an evil time” (Amos 5:13). Amos is saying that there are times when those who are wise do not speak. This occurs when it is “an evil time.” Amos

Lordship Salvation Is Poor Comfort for a Dying Relative

November 14, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Death, hospice, Lordship Salvation

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

Why Not Start a Church Bookstore?

November 13, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - ministry, mission, vocation

“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”

The Last Words in Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

November 12, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 2 Corinthians 5:10, Bema, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, Judgment of Bad Deeds, Judgment of Deeds Done in Secret, The Judgment Seat of Christ

Ecclesiastes is a difficult book. The reason is probably because Solomon was seeking pleasure and wisdom from a humanistic perspective. But by the time he gets to the end of the book, Solomon has clearly shown that from a humanistic perspective, life has no meaning or purpose. It is all vain. Solomon concludes in this

Bizarro Grace in the Emerging Church Movement

November 11, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - emerging church

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

Turning the Other Cheek (Matt 5:38-42)

November 8, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Matthew 5:38-42, the Sermon on the Mount, Turning the other cheek

Questions about the Sermon on the Mount are always challenging. Here is one I just received: How would you exegete this passage (Matt 5:38-40)? I have read that in Jewish culture, a slap to the face is considered an insult. Jesus isn’t saying let your face be a punching bag, but if someone insults you,

Believer, Which Way Are You Going? (Mark 10:52)

November 7, 2019 by Ken Yates in Blog

I have a confession to make. Bartimaeus is one of my heroes. I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves. I have written about him in the GES journal. See here. One of the things I point out in that article is that Bartimaeus is used by Mark to give a believer in Jesus