So, what is it that moves us from sound doctrine to godly living? It’s the one thing Satan lacks—a desire for faithfulness. We must desire to act rightly from our orthodoxy, and that desire comes from a Spirit-given love.

If you think about it, the Gospel always places our immediate needs and wants into perspective and ensures we can say, no matter what happens, “It is well with my soul.” May we declare with our whole heart that Jesus is enough, I need nothing else.

What do you demand of Christ? If we were honest with ourselves, I’m sure we’d all have a long list of things we begged Jesus for over the years.

In case you haven’t noticed, I (and most of the other teachers) will end their teaching by speaking a blessing over the people. The most common blessing comes from Numbers 6:

“Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num. 6:23b–26 ESV).

If there were ever two doctrines that have divided evangelical Christians throughout our history they would be our biblical understandings of baptism and the Holy Spirit.  So, how ought we reconcile these two ideas?

Just like a loud, clear musical note played into the strings of a piano, the correlating strings begin to vibrate showing the note played is in tune. The melody ringing in my soul has transformed into this thought of "being present" so that when another note is played nearby in tune with that, it resonates within me.

Let’s start with the question, “What is worship?” I like the definition John Piper gives: “True worship is a valuing or a treasuring of God above all things.” Deuteronomy 6:5 states “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

On the one hand, what Scripture tells us about God’s sovereignty is comforting. As a believer I rest in passages like Romans 8:28 that promise that all of life’s circumstances providentially work together for my good because all things that occur, occur because they were within God’s Will. But on the other hand, in my flesh, I’m troubled by that same thought.

The task of spiritual formation in today’s world is arguably more difficult than ever. Thanks to the advent of the smartphone, disciples have never been more distracted. These devices provide us with instant access to more information than our brains could ever dream of processing. Social media, in particular, is in constant competition for our attention. The never-ending feed of status updates, tweets, and pictures can draw us in for hours of wasted time we can never recapture. The implications for our growth as disciples are massive and virtually impossible to overlook.

We left our 1st Community Group (and may leave our new one soon).

Has the church misunderstood Matthew 18 in light of church discipline?  How do we desire holiness in the church while also pursuing the unbeliever?

Christmas Family Devotion.

As I look upon the slain lamb it brings understanding of what has been done. What I could not do, Christ did for me. Where I was without hope, Christ gave me hope. Where there was darkness, Christ gave me light.