Grace in Focus – March/April 2019
Jesus Said It First (Romans 3:8)
By Ken Yates Years ago, there was a popular country song called “I Loved Her First.” It was about a young woman getting married. The song is from the perspective of the woman’s father. He reminds the groom that the father loved the girl first. I also remember years ago, in a Bible study, someone
Life Appraisal
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,
Listen to Grace in Focus Radio!
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
An Interview with David Zahl
By Shawn Lazar As a preacher and as a writer, I am always trying to find new and better ways to communicate the gospel of grace to the people who need it most. That brought me into contact with a ministry named Mockingbird (mbird.com). I came across them because they publish books by Paul F.
Chuck Swindoll Says That People Will Miss Eternity with Christ If They Make Salvation Too Difficult
By Bob Wilkin A reader told me about a January 7 Insight for Living broadcast in which Chuck Swindoll talks about the time when Moses lifted up the bronze serpent, and those who looked on it were healed of the plague (Numbers 21). I just listened to the section in question, and it is fantastic.
Justification by Faith and Salvation by Works? — The Key to Understanding Romans 10:9-10
By Bob Wilkin …that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10 is found in most gospel tracts.
“We May Have Confidence” (1 John 2:28)
By Bill Fiess and Ken Yates At the end of 1 John 2, the Apostle writes about the day when Jesus Christ returns (“He appears.”). John writes: And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming (1 John 2:28). This
Recommended Reading for Pastors Who Want to Lead Change
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
Top 5 Misconceptions About Free Grace Theology
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.
Grace Is Approachable
By Shawn Lazar I was listening to a podcast by Paul Zahl entitled “A Disease I Do Not Have the Courage to Name.” The title comes from a now out-of-print book entitled My Son Is a Splendid Driver, set during the Great Depression. In it, the protagonist’s mother is given a deadly STD by her