Thoughts on Scripture and life
for the glory of Jesus Christ
Ephesians 2:6 — New Life and True Life
It wouldn't take much to prove Christianity wrong.
Any atheist, any evolutionist, any Jew, any religionist knows it. If I were them, and I were to set out to prove that Jesus, the Bible, Christianity, etc. were all a lie, I would go for the jugular. I would go for the one thing upon which all of Christianity stands, the one thing which validates all other hopes, the one claim of the Bible, about which all other truths orbit.
For if I could show that this one thing, that one doctrine, were not true, it would prove definitively, once and for all, that Jesus Christ and everything associated with Him, was a sham, a myth, a lie.
What is that doctrine? It's not the literal six-day creation. It's not the coming judgment of the world. It's not the existence of miracles. It's not the existence of Satan. It's not hell.
It's the resurrection - the real, literal, bodily, physical resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Throwback: Good Friday
And with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last, bowed His head, and yielded up His spirit.
Words are Always Necessary
"Preach the Gospel at all times; use words if necessary" is a stupid quote. Preach the Gospel at all times; it requires words.
Pleading Evangelism: A Definition From Key Examples
Evangelism needs pleading — words spoken in such a way as to affect the will through the heart. In this post, I want to give a few key examples from the Scriptures of pleading, that we would understand what pleading evangelism is. This post has two sections: an example of pleading with God, and examples of pleading with sinners.
How To: Find a Church Home
Recognize that this is, for now, your home away from Heaven, your spiritual family in Christ.
Pleading Evangelism: The Need
I am afraid that what passes for evangelism today is really, at best, a bleached evangelism, void of the rich colors and hues of full-orbed biblical evangelism. It is cheap, mass-produced, and ineffective. And this bleached evangelism has crept into the church.
Ephesians 2:5 — The Gospel of Life
There is nothing more important than the gospel. People have been killed for believing it. And people are still being killed for it. And yes, people will continue to be killed for it. But why? ...Simple: without the message of the gospel, there is no salvation.
HeartCry Prayer Guide
Born to Die
When Christ came into the world He says, "I did not come to make sacrifices for sin. I came to take on a body, to do God's will. I came to be the sacrifice." Jesus came to be the sacrifice for sin. The once-for-all sacrifice, the sacrifice that all of the animal sacrifices pointed to. Why did He come into the world? Why did He take on a human body? Why do we celebrate Christmas? Because Jesus came to die as the sacrifice for sin.
The Three Offices of Jesus Christ
Echo of Glory?
Ephesians 2:4 — The Love of God
We're not good. We're not cute. We're not lovable. Rather, God is good. God is glorious. And God is love. That is why He loves us.
Ephesians 2:4 — The God-Centered Gospel
God is unrelentingly God-centered. He does all things to the praise of His glory. All things — including the salvation of sinners. It is within this God-centeredness that we find assurance of the gospel of mercy and love.
For the Sake of the Kingdom of Heaven
Ephesians 2:3b The Wrath of God
There is hardly a more uncomfortable doctrine than this: the wrath of God. And yet, it must be taught — and heeded.
Ephesians 2:2b-3a — The Spirit of Disobedience
This time, we're going to learn a little bit more about Satan. There are five basic questions and five basic answers:
- What is the spirit? Satan, the enemy of God.
- What does God think of Satan? He will crush Him.
- How does Satan work? By inciting disobedience.
- What do the lusts of disobedience look like? Rebellion against God
- What does disobedience deserve? The wrath of God.
Ephesians 2:2a — Walking in the Ways of the Dead
Now, I want to remind you again, we learn about sin because if we fail to understand our guilt, grace means nothing to us. If we want to understand the love of God, we must understand just how much we don't deserve it. The glorious truths of grace are coming (verse 4!), but we must first see our plight.
Ephesians 2:1 — Dead in Our Sin
This blog series will be the fuller versions of the lessons I give there, yet I do want to maintain the simplicity of the lessons, so I won't endeavor to expand them too much. If you do happen to read, please pray for the students; high schoolers are in dire need of the gospel. This is the first full lesson of the year, in which I endeavor to explain a full understanding of hamartiology and total depravity (point one of five-point Calvinism) — in twenty minutes. Difficult? No. Impossible. But, the Lord is good, and by His grace, I think I helped more than I confused.
Ephesians 2:1-10 — An Introduction
We are comfortable with words like salvation, Savior, thanksgiving, good news, gospel. This is typical Christian-ese. But these words should cause us to ask questions, and seek their answers. We need to be saved, but saved from what? We need a Savior, but why? We are thankful, but for what? And thankful to whom? The good news is that Jesus Christ died, but how is a crucified Son of God good?