At The Gathering on Sunday, I talked about how easy it is for us to become complacent in our journey with Jesus. Complacency can sneak up on us as we become so familiar with grace and become so comfortable in our salvation that the whole thing can become somewhat blasé (That’s French for, “meh”). That…
Tag: Salvation
But God: The Foundational Truth
Last week, I wrote about the amazing chapter 2 of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, where he reminds them of God’s amazing power to change the course of life through His everlasting mercy. I mentioned that the recent experience of my Dad’s very serious illness from which he is currently recovering reminded me of his…
Aliens in a Strange Land
In Galatians 1:3-4, Paul writes that Jesus “gave himself to rescue us from this present evil age.” It seems like every day we’re confronted in new and more blatant terms just how evil this present age is. On the one hand, it can be heart-breaking to see a culture in constant decline and that reality…
A Morning Meditation
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 This is an amazing passage, especially in light of the fact that Paul has just concluded chapter 7 by talking of the war that wages within us; of the struggle, as Christ-followers, to do what we want to do, all…
Who’s Choice is it Anyway?
It is an understatement to say that the topic of Divine Election is a hotly debated one. People are often very passionate and sometimes downright uncivil in their expressions of those passions. People are cast with (what are intended as) disparaging labels, looked down upon with expressed disappointment, and dismissed as marginal when they admit…
Portrait of a Savior, Part 11 video
Portrait of a Savior, Part 11 from The Gathering on Vimeo. According to John, Jesus has the authority to both give life to whomever He pleases and to judge the living and the dead. What does it mean to truly live the life given by Christ? Is it possible to have eternal life and yet…
Children and Salvation: Is It Ever Too Early?
My six-year old was saved Monday. Well, at least that’s what he told me when he came home from school. As it turns out, a children’s ministry from a local church holds a voluntary Bible club with the kids after school every so often and so, during that time, the salvation bracelet was given to…
A Reasonable Response
In the opening of Isaiah, God says something that, to me, is astounding. He calls the readers to do something that sounds, well, unreasonable. He says, “Come now, let us reason together.” Crazy, right? No, think about it: The sovereign Lord of all that is, who created by the power of His Word, who controls…
Can I Get A Witness? – 1 John 4:13-17
I had the opportunity to talk with a young lady after worship yesterday who is dealing with a lot of spiritual issues. In tears, she said to me that she felt lost. I asked in what sense she meant that and she told me that it seemed she was adrift at sea without any direction. …
The Door – 1 John 2:22-25
In John 14:6, John reported Jesus as having said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.” With those words, there was no room left for any other way to salvation. Now, we can either believe it or not…that option is left to us, but…
