Category: Level: Beginner

racism and Jesus

Jesus, Racism and President Trump – Issues From Charlottesville – Part 1

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When the great pioneer of church renewal, John Wesley, visited the American colonies in the 1730’s he observed that slavery in the colonial south (and other places in the world) was barbaric and cruel and later wrote a tract “Thoughts Upon Slavery” condemning slavery and declaring it should be abolished. It took many years for America to outlaw slavery and so it was guilty of a great moral crime. Hundreds of thousands died in the Civil War in the struggle to rid America of slavery and Christians were pioneers in the drive for abolition. But once freed America succumbed to another great crime — the Jim Crow laws, which allowed legal discrimination against blacks. African-Americans have been trying to recover from this ever since. This is why it is so discouraging for an American President, President Trump, to respond to the white supremacists in Charlottesville with comments about the protests Continue Reading →

Are We Fully Accepted By God Regardless Of Our Good Works?

Are We Fully Accepted By God Regardless Of Our Good Works?

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Boy do I feel some fear and trepidation writing this post! I wonder if Martin Luther would pick a fight with me if he read this. And I’m concerned that some hard-core Calvinists will consider this heresy. But I trust that readers believe in the supremacy of scripture, so here goes. It is very popular with some to talk only about how important it is to rest in God’s love and grace for us. It is said that there is nothing more we need to do to be accepted by God. Certainly these things are true in the sense that salvation is by faith only, not works. But if these ideas are the whole message or sermon then are they truly biblical? Colossians 1:9-10 states: “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that Continue Reading →

exercise

Activating Our New Will

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Do you find that you lack willpower to make the godly choices you want to make? Do you find yourself repeating the same fault over and over? Perhaps your willpower needs some exercise. When God gave us a new birth this included a new will. Just as our new mind and new affections should grow spiritually stronger so too should our new will. Every part of us should grow more Christlike. If we sharpen our resolve to overcome the Enemy and to control our destructive desires, then we will soon find victory over temptations to our flesh. In this battle it is helpful to avoid wasteful activities and instead make good use of our time by pursuing activities that edify ourselves or others. Also, spiritual disciplines will produce solid growth of our new will. But we must remember to depend on the Spirit as we exercise our new will (Rom. Continue Reading →

orchestra

Everyone Gets To Play

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If we ask ourselves the question “what does scripture say should happen when believers gather together” (i.e. the weekly service) we might be surprised. One thing that dominates the various passages (Rom. 12:6-10; I Cor. 11:17-24;I Cor. 14:26-33; Gal. 6:2; Eph. 5:19-21; Col. 3:16; Heb. 10:24-25; James 5:14-16) is that there should be the mutual exercise of gifts to edify one another. This may not seem radical at first but it is. How many Sunday services have you been to where many different people exercise gifts to edify others in a mutual way? Usually the preacher does nearly all the ministry. The worship time is a time when people other than the pastor exercise their gifts. But where are the different people exercising the various gifts in Romans 12 (e.g., exhorting, teaching, leading, mercy, service, prophecy)? Where are all the different contributors mentioned in I Cor. 14? In Eph. 5:19 Continue Reading →

help

What Is Our Motive For Serving?

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Serving requires sacrifices. Sometimes we have to postpone something good we want to do in order to help someone in need. But we should remember that we are doing something better than the work we left behind. But even so, good deeds done with the wrong attitude profit us nothing. A small deed done with love profits us more than a great deed done without love. And if all we can do is small deeds, God highly values that, for he takes into account what we are able to do more than how great the deed is. If you love much you will do much. And if you are unselfish then you will accomplish much. Service and ministry should be for the benefit of others, not ourselves. Often service or ministry is motivated by desire for personal gain or glory, powered by our own will, and dependant on our own Continue Reading →