For the longest time I didn’t understand the new-car industry. I had always thought it worked like this. When a guy wanted a car, he dropped by the local dealership, kicked a few tires, slammed some doors, and fiddled around with radios, hoods, and trunk lids. Then he would rap with the salesman, dicker over […]
Read MoreTag Archives: Galatians
Helping Men Who Are Addicted to Internet Sex: For Pastors
Scripture to reference: Galatians 6:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5; 2 Timothy 2:2; 1 John 1:9 “Pastor, I need to speak with you.” “Of course,” you reply to the man on the phone and set a time to meet that afternoon. It’s one of your leaders at the church, Sam. Later, when he arrives at your office, […]
Read MoreWhat Did Jesus Say about Divorce?
Lately, the Western world has zoomed in on the topic of same-sex marriage, leaving the issue of divorce virtually ignored. Yet, Christians and non-Christians alike continue to struggle through both considering divorce and the decision to divorce. We need clear guidance on this topic. The Bible’s teaching on divorce is expansive; however, in this short […]
Read MoreThe Dark Side of Greatness
“There lies the most perfect ruler of men the world has ever seen . . . [and] now he belongs to the ages.” Of whom was this said? One of the Caesars? No. Napoleon? No. Alexander the Great? No. Eisenhower? Patton? MacArthur . . . or some earlier military strategist like Grant or Lee or […]
Read MoreHow to Handle Straying Saints
Have you ever rescued someone from drowning? If so, you know how victims often fight their rescuers in the hysteria of that terrifying moment. The same is often true when an attempt is made to rescue those who are floundering spiritually because their faith has suffered shipwreck. Author and teacher Howard Hendricks tells the story […]
Read MorePharisaism
Jesus opened a five-gallon can of worms the day He preached His Sermon on the Mount. There wasn’t a Pharisee within gunshot range who wouldn’t have given his last denarius to see Him strung up by sundown. Did they hate Him! They hated Him because He refused to let them get away with their phony […]
Read MoreFour Antilegalistic Strategies
Galatians 5:1 NLT Grace killers cannot be mildly ignored or kindly tolerated. You can no more allow legalism to continue than you could permit a rattlesnake to slip into your house and hide. Before long, somebody is going to get hurt. So then, since liberty is worth fighting for, how do we do it? Where […]
Read MoreSeeing the World through God’s Eyes
Standing ankle-deep in snow, I copied the following inscription from the main wall near the old, iron gate that leads to the campus of Harvard University: After God had carried us safe to New England, and we had builded [sic] our houses, provided necessaries for our livelihood, reared convenient places for God’s worship and settled […]
Read MoreThe Joy of Painful Growth
In our backyard in California, Cynthia and I had a couple of fruit trees that supplied our table with luscious, homegrown grapefruits and oranges. Some years, the trees bore more fruit than others. And every year, the growth of those trees reminded me about what it means to become more like Christ. The secret to […]
Read MoreJudgment Day
The “Book of Life” is a New Testament concept with deep roots in the Old Testament (Exodus 32:32-33; Daniel 12:12; Malachi 3:16). Believers during Old Testament times were saved by grace, through faith, as they honored the old covenant. When Jesus initiated the new covenant He told His disciples, “rejoice that your names are recorded […]
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