"When cleansing is mentioned in the Bible in connection with the blood, it is always cleansing from guilt. Cleansing from the power of sin and the presence of sin is by the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and the living, in-dwelling Christ. Christ on the cross saves from the guilt of sin; Christ on … Continue reading Quote of Note #39: The Guilt of Sin, the Power of Sin, and the Presence of Sin
A few days ago, I received a message on Facebook from an acquaintance of mine. He had sent the message to a bunch of people. In my opinion, it was quite a politically inflammatory message. Accompanying the statement was the challenge, “If you don’t share this message on Facebook, you aren’t a true America.” This … Continue reading Pastor Note #80: Conversation with an Angry World
"God has provided a way of escape by the Holy Spirit's power. When we give up the hopeless struggle of trying to overcome 'the law of sin and death' [Romans 7] with our own strength and in utter helplessness surrender to the Holy Spirit to do everything for us -- when we walk in his … Continue reading Quote of Note #38: Power to Set Us Free
"What men call 'salvation' is simply the first stage of God's plan for our lives, which is to conform us in character and power to the image of Jesus Christ. If we fail to see our relationship to God as such, we will allow too many areas within us to remain unchanged. Pulling down strongholds … Continue reading Quote of Note #37: Salvation as Transformation
Families are paradoxes. On the one hand, family relationships can be the source of the greatest comfort, strength, and stability in our lives. On the other hand, -- who doesn’t know what’s coming next – family relationships can be the source of the greatest heartbreak, sadness, and anxiety of anything in our lives. No other … Continue reading Pastor Note #79: Families in the Holiday Crucible
"If you are one who just cannot seem to forgive, let me ask you a few questions which might give you another perspective. Have you received the forgiveness that God offers through a relationship with Jesus? Have you personally experienced God's forgiveness of your sins? If you haven't, then there is some credibility to the … Continue reading Quote of Note #36: Being Forgiven and Being Forgiving
"Whatever the temptations may be for the dominant nation at any point in world history to identify its mission with the mission of God, such temptations must be resisted at all costs; God's providential dealings with people (the Church, not any particular nation) are too mysterious to be reducible to simplistic nationalism; and the gospel … Continue reading Quote of Note #35: Nationalism and the Mission of God in the World
"At the height of the [Roman] persecution, a plague broke out. Fearing contagion, pagans dumped members of their own families in the street when they got sick. But Christians, Eusebius said, 'heedless of the danger, took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them. . . drawing on themselves the … Continue reading Quote of Note #34: Self-Sacrificial Service
"Fear was a profound motivator for evangelicals. We carried a vestigial memory of being the little ramshackle clapboard church from across the tracks whose congregation couldn't pay its minister. We collectively carried a chip on our shoulders for being marginalized. Fear and revenge were far from the teachings of Christ, but we had practiced them … Continue reading Quote of Note #33: Evangelical Fear
After the experience of having Jesus walk up to them in the middle of the Sea of Galilee as they were struggling to row their boat across to the other side, Mark says this about the disciples, “They were completely astonished, because they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened” … Continue reading Bible Note #31: Expecting to Be Astonished by Jesus (Mark 6:45-52)
