Sermon on John 7:14-31 The Theme I usedSpiritual judment depends on trusting the right spiritual authority. Other Possible ThemesKnowledge makes you rebel against Jesus’ authorityMoral attitudes determine the rightness of your Spiritual judgmentWhat we love will determine the authoritySpiritual Authority must arouse the conscious not the curiosity. Transition to the sermon complements:8 ways spiritual judgement relys on the right spiritual authority. Complements – I used in my sermonSpiritual judgement relys on reveation not education – 14-15.Spiritual judgmeent relys on pure or right motives to God’s will – 16-17.Spiritual judgment relys on another glory – 18.Spiritual judgment relys on understanding covenant

Matthew 18:10-14 Luke 15:3-7 The amazing thing that I just discovered in reflection on thses verses is that these parables about the lost sheep have different meanings in each of these contexts. When I saw this I said “whoohaaa!” It was a revelation I had not thought about before. The Matthew passage was designed to show the care God takes for the preservation of the saints, as a reason why we should offend them. The Luke passage on the other had is designed to show the pleasure that God takes in the conversion of sinners, as well as to give

What is the life of Christianity? What does it involve? What is the objective of Christian Spirituality? Is it Holiness? I have been reflecting on this issue in the life of the church since the late 1980s. Currently, I have been reading through Choose the Life by Bill Hull as he tries to answer: “what is the life that Christ calls us to live?” I appreciate his proclamation that “a faith that separates salvation from discipleship is not the faith of the New Testament. Faith without obedience is not real; it is nothing more that intellectual exercise. The faith taught

Dr. Albert Mohler has written 2 very thoughtful and short pieces on the issue of evil in our lives. It is a timely article in light of the distruction caused by Huricane Katrina. You can read them at: The Goodness of God and the Reality of Evil Behind a Frowning Providence — The Christian’s Confidence in the Face of Sorrow see also www.disciplemaking.net

As I reflect on my convictions and also my role as a pastor, I see the issue of baptism as an important issue to decide on. I have asked my self “Is Paedobaptism (Infant Baptism) so clear in Scripture that it would be sinful not to baptize one’s babies?” First let me say that I reflect on this as a Baptist pastor, and see this as important to ones ministry because it will affect one’s philosophy of ministry as well as one’s ecclesiology. To help me reflect on this I am also reading through “Baptism of Disciples Alone” by Fred

A Review of Your Best Life Now, by Joel OsteenReviewed by Daryl Wingerd see also www.disciplemaking.net

As I was having a conversation about how people develop passion for Glory, I thought about what I heard the other day by John Piper on his prayer life. He uses an acronym for praying that I am using to help my passion for God to increase and my obedience to be a delight to my heart. The acronym is I.O.U.S. I: Incline my heart to your word.O: Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things.U: Unite my heart to fear your name.S: Satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love. I desire to teach people to pray

The only way we develop ministry convictions is by bringing God’s Word to bear on specific situations that arise in our lives and determining God’s will in that situation from the Word. Many issues of life are clearly addressed in the Bible, and we would do well to memorize verses that speak to those issues. But there are always issues in life that are not specifically spelled out in the Scriptures. Many people have never considered that God does give us guidance in the gray areas of life. Even though something may not be wrong in and of it self

It always encourages me to heart John MacArthur defending Biblical Christianity because he never cowers nor tries to please the audience.You can see a few key quotes that John MacArthur gave on last nights Larry King show, as well as a link to the full transcript of the entire dialogue with Dr. John MacArthur, Barbara Forrest, Ph.D. (professor of philosophy, Southeastern Louisiana University), Deepak Chopra (the best selling author of “How to Know God”), Senator Sam Brownback (Republican of Kansas), Congressman Chris Shays (Republican of Connecticut, who disagrees with the president on the teaching of intelligent design), and Dr. Jay

Recently I am looking over what the Gospel actually is and how to relate to others on the basis on a common Gospel. Here is a statement that I am reviewing currently that may be helpful to you if you are relating to people that are in disagreement with your views. THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST: AN EVANGELICAL CELEBRATION A Call to Evangelical UnityAn introduction to “The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration.” The Gospel Statement Revisited – an interview with Timothy George A Theology to Die ForTheologians are not freelance scholars of religion, but trustees of the deposit