The Doctrines of Grace: By His Grace and for His Glory
Compromising any one of the five points dilutes and diminishes the grace of God
“There is really only one point to the doctrines of grace, namely, that God saves sinners by His grace and for His glory. These two realities—God’s grace and glory—are inseparably bound together. Whatever most magnifies God’s grace most magnifies His glory. And that which most exalts God’s grace is the truth expressed in the doctrines... Continue Reading
Good Shepherd Decides to Give Up Current Church Property
The church will give up the property and move into a new building
In response to the question, “Why are you giving up the property that you have been defending up until now?” Ko said, “Unlike the misunderstandings of many people, we weren’t trying to keep the property. We wanted to converse as fellow Christians, and wanted to find a way that the minority group that wants to... Continue Reading
Do You Know That You’re Weak?
We see weakness everywhere in the New Testament in several different forms
“Weakness means we don’t have what it takes. It means we are not sovereign, omniscient, or invincible. We are not in control, we don’t know everything, and we can be stopped. Weakness means that we desperately need God.” What Should We Be Like? We were all huddled around a circle of tables. Thursday noon... Continue Reading
The Coming Train Wreck: Progressive UMC Plans For General Conference 2016
Some demand immediate changes to doctrine and “full inclusion” in the United Methodist Church
Bishop Minerva Carcaño declared it was time for the church to catch up with society, our sister mainline churches, and God. One presenter defined inclusion as “all who are NOT white, NOT straight, and NOT over 45,” which indicates that exclusivity is the basis for their understanding of “inclusivity.” Disclose, Divest, Disrupt. This slogan,... Continue Reading
Group That Split From First Presbyterian Holds First Service at New Home
The move comes in the wake of separating from the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Park said his church left PC (USA) because the denomination has strayed from the authority of the Bible when it comes to issues like abortion, the concept of marriage and the divinity of Christ. Both Grace and Rock Presbyterian are now fully-recognized churches within the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, a new denomination formed out... Continue Reading
Christian Colleges That Permit Professors in Same-Sex Marriages Resign Membership
The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) has again lost two member schools.
The CCCU board of directors predicted that most of its 120 North American members would agree that EMU and Goshen’s new positions on homosexuality “placed them outside the bounds of the CCCU’s membership.” But it also believed that a demotion to affiliate status would be a permissible level of partnership. The Council for Christian... Continue Reading
My Post on Complementarianism
All good churches, all good movements, and all sound doctrines eventually attract a few outliers now and then
So, some of us complementarians are wondering if complementarianism is morphing into patriarchy. If so, then a lot of us will need to come up with a different way to identify ourselves. If being a complementarian means believing there are genuine problems with a woman offering a man directions then we will need a new... Continue Reading
The Practical Benefits of Peace
Horatius Bonar answers the question: “What are the benefits of this ‘peace-with-God-through-Jesus’?”
It cheers us in trial. The peace of God within us is our chiefest consolation when sorrows crowd in upon us. Lighted up with this true lamp, we are not greatly moved because of the darkness without. Peace with God is our anchor in the storm, our strong tower in adverse times, the soother of... Continue Reading
Private Sin, Public Fallout
When you settle into unrepentant sin, it affects us all. How?
How do these sins affect other believers? So called hidden sins lead to a deterioration of character reducing the ring of truth and the reality of what we do and say. …God does not bless the life in which there is hidden sin.” Second, the presence of sin, when it is discovered tarnishes the reputation... Continue Reading
6 Principles for Small Group Facilitating
Facilitating a church small group is sometimes far more challenging than one might imagine.
There are many other principles and techniques that can help facilitators lead well in a small group or Sunday School setting which open discussion is encouraged. These are a few that I have benefited from seeking to follow over the years. At the end of the day, a good facilitator will seek to lead with... Continue Reading