What it Means to Be Reformed Part 1: The Solas of Salvation
The Five Solas: Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), and soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone).
A return to the centrality of Scripture and right soteriology is only the first step in letting Scripture shape every aspect of life and doctrine. Just as individuals are progressively sanctified by the Holy Spirit, we should expect the Church as a whole to be progressively sanctified. Semper reformanda means that even today the Church is in... Continue Reading
We Are Resident Aliens
Peter gives us categories for political identity and action.
The spiritual house of God, full of living stones (us) who serve the cornerstone (Christ), live their lives as a holy nation among the nations. We are like resident aliens—long-term residents of a city or world that is not our own. For we are seeking a better city “that has foundations, whose designer and builder... Continue Reading
Even When You Don’t Know the Steps, You Still Know the Way
Jesus didn’t tell you the specific steps to take, but He did both tell and show you the manner in which those steps should be taken.
The “way” is the posture you should take as you take these steps; it’s the attitude and manner of what you do. In the scenario above, the steps involve all kinds of things, but the manner in which you take those steps is much simpler. It’s the way of lowering. The way of service. The... Continue Reading
Devoted … Apostles’ Teaching (Acts 2:42)
One of the key themes of this book is that the word of God spreads with an unstoppable force.
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he declares that the church is God’s household built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ himself as the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). Take away Christ crucified and you are undermining the very foundation of the church. Everything is likely to collapse! I remember reading about the... Continue Reading
The Snag in Stupid Questions
Finding our worth in God's story.
It’s the same old lie. And it leads to the same old deathful dead end. Leave the good, time-tested way, and there’s a better path just over there. But there is no life, there is no story, apart from our Creator. So is it worth it? To get married? To follow Jesus? The answer is yes... Continue Reading
I AM: Eternity
All moments are present for God.
Every moment in the past, present and future is known, seen and experienced fully by God. No moment in time becomes remote for God. No moment in time is only probable or possible. No moment in time is anticipated or hoped for. For God, past, present, future have full and equal existence. All of time... Continue Reading
16 Lessons from 16 Years of Ministry
Worship, not influence, is the goal of ministry.
An encourager will never lack ministry opportunities. Impulsiveness is deadly. Even though it often masquerades itself as zeal for Christ, impulsiveness is a destructive force that can cause deep hurts in the body of Christ. What the Lord is doing in us is far more important that what it appears He is doing through us.... Continue Reading
The War for the Soul of the World
From the Gospels, we will see how this Kingdom that put down its enemies in the first century will build and grow throughout all centuries until there is nothing left for it to conquer.
The torch now passes to us, the revived company of Christ’s End Times army. Having been lavished with incomparable blessings and equipped with Heaven’s full authority, it is our charge to carry His unstoppable advance into every sphere of society. Through the weapons of the Church, the means of grace, faithful evangelism, and multiplying discipleship,... Continue Reading
In Search of the Baptism of the Imagination
How can Christians be about the business of the transformation of our present cultural milieu?
C.S. Lewis described his own conversion to Christianity, from a fashionable and rather mindless form of atheism heavily tinged with late Romanticism; and he depicts that transformation as beginning with the unexpected effects of a chance reading of George MacDonald’s book Phantastes on a train ride. Lewis says very clearly that, even in the wake of this... Continue Reading
“No Creed but Christ”
Creeds and confessions are systematic doctrinal statements that provide clarity rather than ambiguity.
While the Bible reigns as King in the library of human history and is all sufficient and authoritative, we must reject the shallow and deceitful little creed, “No creed, but Christ” that denies the importance of historic creeds and confessions and opens the door for false teachers to pervert the truths of God’s holy Word.... Continue Reading
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