It’s Not Our Righteousness But Christ’s

I came across John Piper’s summary of the first five chapters of Paul’s letter to the church at Rome – and found it to be excellent and worth passing on… There is none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10). All are guilty before God because of union with Adam in his first sin (5:12-14). And [...]

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The Fruit of Repentance

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.  –Matthew 3:8 …They should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. –Acts 26:20 Repentance is a decisive reorientation of one’s life away from self and toward God. Commenting on Matthew 3:8 John Calvin writes, “Repentance is an inward matter, which has its seat in [...]

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Lifestyle Repentance

This is an outline for a sermon to be delivered on 10/10/10.  This outline is way too long for the time allotted, so I am placing it here for reference. I. INTRO A.   Brennan Manning has said, “The temptation of the age is to look good without being good.” B.    Before we get any further [...]

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Principles of Church Revitalization

Excellent… From Embers To A Flame: Principles of Church Revitalization by Harry L. Reeder III 1. God’s glory is revealed in our weaknesses. 2. Guard your reputation in the eyes of the community. 3. Uphold the centrality of God’s grace. 4. Leave the 99 to seek the 1 (church revitalization is seeking to save the [...]

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The Discomforting Comfort of Turning to God

In his book The Wounded Heart, Dan Allender records some penetrating yet refreshing definitions: “Repentance is an about-face movement from denial and rebellion to truth and surrender…repentance involves the response of humble hunger, bold movement, and wild celebration when faced with the reality of our fallen state and the grace of God…It is a shift in perspective as to where life is found…It is melting into the warm arms of God, received when it would be so understandable to be spurned.”

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Random Thoughts From My Stickies

God’s perfection doesn’t merely reject or punish evil: it overwhelms it with good.

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Thoughts on Love

Lewis compares love with a garden, charity with the gardening utensils, the lover as the gardener, and God as the elements of nature. God’s love and guidance act on our natural love (that cannot remain what it is by itself) as the sun and rain act on a garden: without either, the object (metaphorically the garden; realistically love itself) would cease to be beautiful or worthy.

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