When God connects saints and sinners, it is often the saint he is moving. Philip. Ananias. Peter. Sometimes he connects the seeker. The Ethiopian. Saul. Cornelius. Sometimes the person who at least on the surface has no God-interest.
All tagged gospel
The Apostolic Preaching (Acts 1-7)
What can we learn in these chapters? On the one hand, that people today need to hear the simple truth of the gospel. On the other hand, the church of the 21st century must overcome the temptation to preach a message tailored to what the majority wants to hear or to what is “politically correct”—in spite of the consequences.
The Church as the Suffering Servant
The church of our time, as the spiritual Israel of God, is called to embrace the figure of the suffering servant and renounce claims to political or economic power in a society that collectively can be seen as Babylon. As an alternative culture, we are to proclaim God’s justice to the world instead of conforming to it.
The End of the Story that Never Ends
One of the struggles for many new Christians is that everything is not immediately different. In fact, they soon realize that there are still many struggles and battles to be fought. Temptation, sickness, poverty, and difficult relationships are not always instantly better just because we are born again. We spend time reminding our new brothers and sisters that this world is not our true home.
Let Us Not Give Up Praying
Is God really hearing? Is he aware of our pain? Does he care? Yes, he does. He hears and is aware and cares. He will respond. He will do justice. He will do justice for us, and quickly. Let us “always pray and not give up.”
Justified by What? Luke 18:9-14
This is the lesson we must learn. The gospel is good news for those who recognize themselves as sinners, not for those who trust in their own righteousness.
The Prayer That Will Change the World
Pray for workers. Pray for those who will talk about the Jesus journey. Pray for those who will invite others to hear the good news. Pray for those who will teach the good news of Jesus. Pray for those who will walk beside the new Christians.
Outsiders Brought In
As ministers of the Gospel, may we always remember that no one is too far from God’s love and forgiveness! He is not far from each one of us, and he is at work through his Spirit, drawing all sorts of people towards Godself.
The Way, The Truth and The Life
In the face of much trouble, we must stand firm as a people who have been given the Way, Truth and Life that sets us free and grants us peace. It is getting more and more tempting for us to be swept into believing that the way to more freedom, more truth or a better life is a way that politics or culture try to prepare. This is not the truth we believe in, and it will not settle the fear or confusion we may have in our present circumstance.
Gospel: God’s Power for Life
In these days, the gospel matters. And it matters when churches listen for the gospel and choose to repent. Churches that declare the truth of the gospel to the world matter. Such work is the work of Christian leaders today. The challenge in our world is not that the world has gone crazy; the challenge in our world is whether leaders will truly embrace the powerful word of gospel news for themselves, for their congregations, and for the world.
Getting Well
When you are sick, you have an excuse. When you are not well, people tend to make exceptions for you. When you are hurt, you aren’t held to the same standards as you normally would be.
I Am the One Whom Jesus Loves
The starting place for every good and faithful interpretation of Scripture must be the conviction that God is good. And if there is anything about how I am reading a particular text that makes it sound like that isn’t true – well, then I can be certain that I do not understand that passage yet.
Good News and Why It Matters for Leadership
The arriving and present Jesus is the good news of God. That is why Paul will claim that it is the very power of God to save and deliver people (Rom 1:16). I will say more about good news as it is offered in Acts on another occasion. However, for the moment here, I want to make some clear and important claims about the good news that inform the life of the church and the practice of ministerial leadership.
It is a Matter of the Heart, Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23
Jesus not only explains in the parables of the kingdom the causes of this rejection, but also instills in his disciples hope and optimism. Not all the effort of preaching will be in vain! In the end, there will be a bountiful harvest, the weeds will be burned, the mustard seed will become a huge tree, and the yeast will make the flour grow.
The Fullest Possible Joy
The road to the fullest possible joy is a path of obedience containing opportunities to follow that are contrary to human nature and turns opposite of which people often imagine themselves taking.
The McDonalds Gospel
We never really grow the Kingdom of God. God does that. However, burying the Kingdom not only hides it from others, but from ourselves. Consequently, we stunt our own spiritual formation out of fear of not growing the Kingdom, but when we boldly go into our world with the good news of a Kingdom built on love and grace with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone, growth will take place.
Can Old News Be Good News?
Add this to the list of reasons preaching is such an impossible task. Can you tell the old, old story in a new way? Can you be both faithful and fresh? I think we must try.
Trouble
When trouble comes—and it will come!—faith in the God who is at work in the world must be at the center of our attention.
Rest Assured
Rest found in God transcends all areas of life. It brings restoration and renewal to our whole self, as God created us.
The Faces of Compassion
Seeing what compassion looks like on Jesus shows us what compassion looks like on God. But what does compassion look like on you and me?