Why do most discipleship plans that people come up with have a light does of actually reading the Bible? In fact, why have I been guilty of putting a book, article before individuals rather than simply helping people get to a place in their lives where they can read the Bible for themselves…not completely independent…
At one point in the Gospel of John, the people directly asked Jesus what they must do to please God: “’What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus Answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent’” (6:28-29). True belief is not a probationary test drive;…
Proverbs 18:1 reads, “whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.” Bruce Waltke in his commentary on Proverbs says this, “the fool alienates himself from society by his self-indulgent pursuit and bares his teeth against the sage’s proficient thinking.” The person who isolates himself can also be translated antisocial…
Paul Tripp reminds us in Sex and Money of an unshakable and hope-giving promise that God gives us His presence in the midst of difficulties. When God called Moses to confront Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler on earth, and Moses was afraid to go, God said, “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12) When God called Joshua…
II Chronicles 16 caught my eye and I wanted to share a little bit of what I learned in my quiet time. In this chapter you have Asa, the King of Judah decide to make a treaty with Ben-Hadad, the King of Syria. In fact, Asa brings silver and gold from the house of the Lord and…
One reason we don’t experience more holiness in our daily lives is that we don’t take some sin seriously. We’ve mentally categorized sins into that which is unacceptable and that which may be tolerated a bit. In commenting on some of the more minute Old Testament dietary laws God gave to the children of Israel,…
DeYoung in his book Taking God At His Word walks through several doctrines of Scripture that if rightly understood should foster confidence in a Christian concerning the Bible. One doctrine is the clarity of Scripture. Here’s several things that the clarity of Scripture means: Some portions of Scripture are clearer than others. Not every passage has a simple…
What are the attributes of Scripture? DeYoung shares that Christians have traditionally highlighted four characteristics: Sufficiency: The Scriptures contain everything we need for knowledge of salvation and godly living. We don’t need any new revelation from heaven. Clarity: The saving message of Jesus Christ is plainly taught in the Scriptures and can be understood by all…
Christians are individuals who have been born again by God’s great mercy (1 Peter 1:3). This new life will conclude in an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading (1 Peter 1:4). This inheritance is kept, protected and preserved by the power of God (1 Peter 1:5). How else does Peter describe what Christians have? Here…
Here are Five Categories of How we Parent our Children: Management – sometimes children just need to be told what to do Nurturing – sometimes children simply need hope that there is a God who loves them and has provided everything they need Training – children need to learn how the gospel applies to the…
