Published on February 3, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed
I happened upon this great article on repentance this morning. It is a must read. It helps the Christian examine his or her own life to see if our repentance is genuine. Additionally, it can serve as a grid for parents as they interpret a response of their child to the gospel.
Here is a sample from the article:
1.Teachability: a humble person is teachable. I’m not really concerned about how “on fire” they are for God. I don’t see that as much an evidence of repentance as much as a person’s personality. In fact sometimes the folks who are “on fire” for God flame out the quickest, because their enthusiasm is not genuine or God-motivated. But if the “on fire” guy and/or the “ain’t got no fire” guy is teachable, then that is a very good sign.
2.Open to correction: this is a huge one as far as I am concerned. When I correct a repenting Christian, and they receive that correction with humility, it is a pretty cool thing and a definite sign of repentance. I don’t enjoy correction, but when I am corrected and receive it, I know that God is working in me. He gives grace to the humble. However, when I bow-up (resist correction), then I have not truly repented.
3.Change happens: each new encounter with a repentant person, especially in a discipleship context, should be a “step up” from the previous encounter. I’ve used the analogy of “walking up steps” as a metaphor regarding what change should look like. True repentance should look like the person is walking up steps, i.e. getting higher, moving forward, progressing, etc. In short, they should be changing from week to week, even if only small ways, e.g. Baby Steps. (I had to say that.)
4.They ask more questions rather than make more statements: the repentant person is an inquiring person. They are anxious to receive from you rather than telling you why they do whatever it is they have done. The proud person talks a lot, makes statements, where the humble person will ask more questions and seek to learn because they want to change and grow.
5.The light has been left on by God: I don’t know how to explain this one except to say that a repentant person is being illuminated by the Spirit of God. They get truth. They understand the Bible. The biblical concepts and truths you communicate to them make sense to them. I’ve counseled folks who seem more like a concrete block in that they don’t get the truths I’m communicating. I’m aware that I can be a poor communicator, but I’m also aware that the Spirit of God speaks clearly to the spiritual and if there is a sinful (lack of repentance) impediment in the way then He will not be effective.
6.They are not resistant: this one is huge. The humble person does not push back from your counsel. Even if you are wrong or don’t say it exactly right. They are open, kind, receptive and willing to learn. They are not sitting there with their “Bible bullets,” waiting to shoot the next words that come from your mouth.
Published on January 28, 2011 in Uncategorized. Closed
Everyone struggles with pride on some level. Sin makes us selfish. Our sin nature leads us to be concerned far too much with ourselves, our wants, and our situation in life and far too little about God and his kingdom. In my own walk with the Lord, I have found pride to be the sin that I often have the most difficult time recognizing in my own life. Pride also is the sin that threatens to undermine my own confidence in the gospel. After all, no one is tempted to trust in their own abilities to be made right before God unless they have high view of themselves and a low view of God’s expectations.
Pride prevents us from seeing ourselves as we really are. As a result, it also prevents us from seeing God as He really is. Such myopia is a dangerous combination.
To help you see where pride may be affecting your walk with Christ and your confidence in the gospel, I recommend this brief article, “The Fifty Fruits of Pride: A Self Diagnostic.” Spend a few moments reading it. Pray through the diagnostic. Focus on the Scripture passages highlighted in the article. Above all, continue to war against the sin in your life by clinging firmly to the good news that Jesus Christ died for you, which is the only basis for your being made right before God. “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” (Col 2:6).
I encourage all of my friends to check out this article. In my opinion it is one of the best I have ever read on women in ministry. The author carefully interprets Scripture and allows Scripture to interpret itself. Tell me what you think after you read. Article
Published on October 8, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed
Many saints often wonder what “God’s will” is for their lives. That, obviously, is a legitimate concern. Unfortunately, for many who ask that question, the search is for wisdom about an issue not specifically addressed by God’s word. “Should I buy this house or that house?” “Should I take this or that job?” Those kinds of questions often preoccupy those who search for God’s will. Both questions are significant. We should not take a new job or buy a new house without giving that action considerable thought and prayer.
If we are not careful, however, those questions can skew the biblical emphasis about God’s primary purpose for our lives: to conform us to the image of Christ so that Jesus Christ might be glorified and preeminent in all things (Rom 8:28-29). This reality forces us to think differently about our lives, especially as we consider discipleship and spiritual growth. Follow the link for a great article from The Counseling Solutions Group on how discipleship is not about changing our circumstances, but changing our heart.
Here’s an excerpt from the application section to get you started…
Gospel Expedition
1.What are the last five things in your life that you have been dissatisfied about?
2.How did you think about them?
3.When negative things come into your life, do you tend to hold tenaciously to your way of thinking, or are you more like a Gospel explorer, looking for God’s strength and wisdom in the negative circumstance?
In prayer meeting Wednesday night, I made reference to the cherished doctrine of the perspicuity (or clarity) of Scripture. As expected, those in attendance for the Bible study portion of our meeting, raised a number of great questions about the implications of this doctrine. Here is an excellent sermon/lecture on that very issue if you are interested in further study. The speaker, Dr. Timothy George, leads the Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham. The address was given at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.
Tim Challies has an excellent post on his blog today discussing the importance of remaining on the offensive as a Christian. His reasoning: when we are actively pursuing Christ, we are much less likely to give in to sin and take our eyes off of Christ. Enjoy the article.
“Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble” – Paul, 1 Corinthians 8:13.
The Christian principle seems simple enough: those with a strong conscience should be willing to sacrifice their liberty in Christ for the sake of the gospel’s advance and the unity of the brethren. A problem occasionally arises, however, when certain brethren use their “weaker” conscience in an effort to curtail others’ freedom in Christ (i.e. control the “stronger” brother’s or sister’s behavior to suit their preferences). How should the Christian respond in that situation? In Beware of “Professional Weaker Brethren” C. Michael Patton provides an excellent (and brief) article to help the reader think through this issue biblically.
Published on February 17, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed
If you have spent any time following the evangelical publishing world in the last four years, you have probably heard the name Brian McLaren. McLaren became (in)famous for his 2006 work A Generous Orthodoxy, which many evangelicals concluded was neither generous nor orthodox because it came close to abandoning many important tenets of the Christian faith. His newest release succeeds where Generous Orthodoxy failed. In A New Kind of Christianity: 10 Questions that Are Transforming the Faith, McLaren’s conclusions represent a clear abandonment of the Christian faith. For a concise and accurate review, please visit the blog of Tim Challies.
Special thanks to Denny Burk for pointing me to this outstanding review.
Published on January 28, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed
In-mid January, our church received a love offering (over $3,500) to assist with disaster relief in Haiti. Follow this link to view a documentary about the current conditions in Haiti produced by a sister church. The video will remind you of the need to give generously and pray frequently for our brothers and sisters in Christ who have been affected by the devastating earthquakes.