The Archives
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07.15.08Greater sinsLet me state for the record before I start, that I'm not trying to postulate an erroneous theology of some sins being more heinous than others. I agree that you will find evidence in Scripture where there are some sins that are more "serious" in the eyes of God than others (those He lists as "abominations"). I don't think there is an unforgivable sin (other than rejecting Christ as Savior and Lord), and I agree that all sin, great and small separates man from God (for the unregenerated) and breaks open fellowship with Him (for the regenerated). Having said all that, ...
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06.25.08The Blessings of DisciplineDisclaimer: At no time in this post am I claiming my children are perfect, or better than other children. I am just stating observed facts, and using my children as an object lesson. If you are offended in any way by this post, you have a problem that is your own to solve, and the application of this post's topic in your own life just may be the solution. We are full swing into Vaction Bible School at our church, and I am being given my yearly opportunity to see dozens upon dozens of children all at one time in one ...
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06.04.08iLife: WorshipWorship, the overall theme of this blog from day one, is next up on our look at the twelve disciplines of a healthy spiritual life. Worship, one of the disciplines church going people probably feel they know the most about. What is worship, really? Let's keep an open mind and take a look at Scripture. Romans 12:1 might just be one of the central verses to the act of woship, if not a key to all the disciplines in this study. "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He ...
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05.22.08iLife: ConfessionLet's consider some basic truths: Truth: all of us have sin in our lives. (Romans 3:23) Truth: the sin in our lives is serious—it needs to be dealt with because God says it deserves the punishment of death. (Romans 6:23) Truth: God has made it possible for you NOT to suffer the punishment of your sin but to be given an escape from that punishment—instead of suffering eternal condemnation you can enjoy eternal and abundant life. (Romans 6:23) Truth: God has made this abundant and eternal life available to you out of His love for you. That life is found in Jesus Christ. (John ...
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05.08.08iLife: ServiceContinuing our study considering the disciplines of a healthy spiritual life we now turn to service. It is common in Scripture to see Christ-followers identified as "bond-servants" such as in Philippians, or "slaves" such as in Ephesians. When God calls us to Himself, He never calls us to idleness. He calls us to service. (Deut. 10:12; Eph. 6:7). The second chapter of Ephesians talks about the progress and process of our salvation experience. A synopsis of verses 1 through 22 give us this basic idea: We are saved from death by grace through faith into the body of Christ FOR good ...
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04.22.08iLife: SubmissionSorry for not posting this last week. With that head/chest thing I (still) had going on, I just didn't feel up to typing out anything of substance. So, here's last week iLife installment, and I'll do another later this week. One of the most avoided and misunderstood disciplines in Scripture is that of Submission. Let's quickly look at a few areas in which the Bible says we are to be living in submission. We are to submit ourselves to God according to James 4:7, Romans 6:13, Romans 12:1, and Hebrews 12:9. We are to submit ourselves to the leaders of our churches according ...
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04.03.08More on Simplicityphoto credit: solangelem In an effort to model simplicity, I hope to keep this post short. Yeah, good luck with that. Simplicity is not about becoming a monk in some monastery or living some kind of ascetic lifestyle. It's not about denying stuff so much as about denying self. Matthew 6:33 is an oft-quoted verse for this, but it's an eternal truth for us to live by. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." What things? Well, if you go back and read the context, you'll find that Jesus is talking about ...
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03.11.08Read this nowHere's a great post from Perry Noble you, yes you, need to read right now. Yes, this very moment. A great reminder for us all, and something I have had brought to mind very often recently by the Spirit. Click this link now: http://www.perrynoble.com/2008/03/11/what-i-wish-someone-would-have-told-me-part-nine/
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03.06.08iLife: FastingA spiritual discipline that often goes hand in hand with prayer is fasting. One thing you will not find in Scripture is a command to fast (previous error corrected here). However, what you will find are multiple examples of fasting, and also an expectation that we will indeed fast from time to time. There are more references in Scripture to fasting than to baptism. Admittedly, baptism is a command and fasting is not, but we should be aware of the weight given to fasting in Scripture. We find there are a variety of reasons why people in the Scripture fasted. First, we see ...
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