This series was first published during September 2014. –ed. Exercising our freedom must never come at the cost of offending another brother or sister in Christ. The principle of love demands that, whenever necessary, we willingly sacrifice our liberty for the sake of protecting each other. That is Paul’s theme in 1 Corinthians 8. In chapter… Continue reading Setting Aside Your Liberty
An Amazing Transformation
Jesus freely offers eternal life, but people don’t always respond in faith. Indeed, Christ castigated the religious leaders of first-century Israel for their refusal to believe: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me… Continue reading An Amazing Transformation
Sexual Fidelity
This post was first published in January, 2015. —ed. “The NFL’s doing a better job at it. CBS is doing a better job at it. Kmart is doing a better job at it. Virtually every institution on earth is demonstrating that they are doing a better job at restoring people than the Church.” [1] These are the… Continue reading Sexual Fidelity
Face to Face with the Holy One
This post was first published in July, 2020. —ed. No human eyes have ever seen the full manifestation of God’s holiness and glory. But some biblical authors caught a glimpse and lived to tell the tale. In Isaiah 6, the Old Testament prophet brings us along with him into the throne room of heaven. Verse 1… Continue reading Face to Face with the Holy One
False Gods and Fake Images
How can we know if our worship is pleasing to God? One sure way is to carefully avoid what the Bible deems false worship. Scripture suggests at least four categories of deviant worship. Today, we will look at two of those categories. Worshiping the Wrong God One form of false worship is the worship of… Continue reading False Gods and Fake Images
Observing God’s Care
With the fear and uncertainty generated by the current COVID-19 pandemic, we consider this series by John MacArthur to be even more timely now than when it was first run eight years ago. The following blog post was originally published on November 8, 2012. —ed.Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes, is one of… Continue reading Observing God’s Care
Praying with Authority
Scripture: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11… Continue reading Praying with Authority
Praying Scripture— Aging
Scripture “Even when you are old, I will take care of you; even when you have gray hair, I will carry you. I made you, and I will support you; I will carry you and rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4— NIV And “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my… Continue reading Praying Scripture— Aging
Praying the Psalms
Claude MariottiniEmeritus Professorof Old TestamentNorthern Baptist Seminary The book of Psalms has played an important role in the spiritual development of an untold number of people throughout the centuries. Devout people who set a regular time aside for prayer and meditation can easily use and adapt the songs and prayers from the Book of Psalms to… Continue reading Praying the Psalms
Praying Scripture— Safety
Scripture “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1— NIV And “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings.His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” Psalm 91:4— NIV And… Continue reading Praying Scripture— Safety