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In: Bible and Theology, Grace, Legalism, Sin and Holiness

“ Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1) Many of us today are afflicted with one of two syndromes,  the Nice Christian Conflict Avoidance Syndrome or Bash Evildoers’  Heads  In Syndrome.  Some of us even manage to be afflicted with both. The shamefulness of Bash Evil Doers’ Heads In Syndrome is notorious.  However, Nice Christian Conflict Avoidance is often mistaken for a virtue, while in reality it is harmful to the entire Body of Christ. Because of it, we grow weakRead More →

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In: Bible and Theology, Gospel

Today I’ve been searching the scriptures to unravel which passage labeled in my bible as “the calling of the first disciples” is actually their first meeting of the Lord. Trivia perhaps, geeky of me almost certainly, but it has me most curious since, in my lifetime, I have heard each of the accounts of the first disciples’ early meetings with the Lord preached on as if it was the first time Peter, Andrew, James, and John had met the Lord and got up to follow him without hesitancy, and even bible scholars expressing amazement at such recklessness of following some Rabbi they’d never heard of before. However,  three ofRead More →

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In: Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8) This is a rather chilling verse if we have been wont to think grace means we can deliberately sin without consequence. Here we are warned we cannot even inadvertently do so without reaping what we’ve sowed in this life. Yes, we have grace, yes God’s blood cleanses from all sin when we repent and turn to him. ButRead More →

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In: Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions

“ Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” (James 1:2-3) The bible likes to turn our expectations upside down. Trials equal pain and pain equals avoid and even loathe. Not joy. Right? Trials often mean sorrow and suffering and other things we’d much rather not go through and even would not wish on our worst enemy. But James gives a really good reason we should see joy in trials. To put it another way, the saying is “growing pains”, not “growing pleasures.” It’s in the seasons of trial thatRead More →

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In: Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) We often get this one backwards. We want to lash back in kind, or worse, do to them before they do to us. Instead we need to ask, if we were in that person’s position, how would we want treated? And do likewise unto them. In other words, we need to use a little empathy. Forgive us, Lord, for we have often followed the world’s golden rules rather than yours. We pray we would be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgivingRead More →