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In: Bible and Theology, Gospel, Prayer and Devotions

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17) This comes in the middle of the Lord’s prayer . . . in the garden of Gethsemane. The part most of my pastors have focused on is where he prays for unity. I’ve seen plenty of churches’ pastoral staff water down the truth and ignore doctrinal disunity in the name of unity. We seem to think being one means ‘the more the merrier!” Uh, no, it means those who are in your pews being of one mind and in one accord. We can’t have that unless everyone in the local body is functioning together,Read More →

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In: Bible and Theology, Gospel, Post-Modernism, Sin and Holiness

“for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:24-25) An internet meme asserts that Jesus said Christians will be known by their love, not by their doctrine. Even pastoral sermons can fall into this trap. Yes, trap. The problem with this meme is two fold. One, it presents a false dichotomy, pitting love and truth against each other. The scriptures on Christian love are a vital part of soundRead More →

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In: Bible and Theology, Gospel, Grace, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14) It is so easy to read this verse and think about all of “those people” who don’t understand the things of God, or rather who call our own doctrinal beliefs, personal convictions, and religious practices silly or flat out wrong. But I believe the Holy Spirit today is redirecting us from “those people” to “us people.” We each have a body. We live in sinful, broken, corrupt flesh, in anRead More →

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In: God's love, Gospel, Idols, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17) The most famous passage in the bible, John 3:15-18,  tells us Christ was lifted up on the cross so all who believe in him would have eternal life, that God loved us so much, he gave us his only son so that no one who believes in Christ should perish. Today’s verse asserts at this point that God’s goal was not to condemn everyone else, but to save the world.  Verse eighteen adds sadly, however, that those whoRead More →

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In: Bible and Theology, Gospel, Prayer and Devotions

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22) In context, Paul is responding to a heresy going around in his day, which is still plaguing some corners of the world today, that there is no resurrection from the dead. He first expresses amazement that anyone in the church would say this, pointing out our entire faith hangs upon Christ’s resurrection and theRead More →