Individual and Community Discipleship
We often assume that discipleship requires an arrangement between a disciple maker and a disciple. But is this the only way discipleship happens?...
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Christ Is the Gift of the Gospel
As evangelists, we often struggle to merge the free grace of the gospel with the demands of discipleship. This is because we don't always understand that Christ is the primary gift of the gospel, and everything else flows from him. In this post, I will demonstrate the primacy of Christ and how every other gift of the gospel stems from him....
Individual and Community Discipleship
We often assume that discipleship requires an arrangement between a disciple maker and a disciple. But is this the only way discipleship happens?...
The Name of God and the Movies
We would all agree that taking God’s name in vain is a sin (Ex 20:7). But is it a sin to watch movies in which His name is misused? How should we think through this issue, and what should be the heart behind our decisions?...
Bible Rules vs. Family Rules
How do you respond when your children rub up agains the differing convictions of other Christian families? It's important that we respond well in these moments and use them to prepare our kids to be discerning and to relate well to fellow believers. ...
Pray in the Spirit
Ephesians 6:18 tells us to “pray in the Spirit.” But what does that mean? It’s a command, so we better figure out!...
My Yearly Bible Reading Journey
Three years ago, I began an epic journey. I started reading through the Bible every year....
Parenting Resources
This spring, I taught a class on parenting at our church. In preparation for the class, I interacted with a number of different parenting resources. Here are five of the resources I found most helpful....
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"Sorrowful yet Always Rejoicing"
I don’t like sorrow. You might respond, “Of course, who does?” But I really don’t like sorrow. My natural instinct is to flush it out as quickly and aggressively as possible. I don’t want to think about what is wrong, and I especially don’t want to talk about what is wrong. I want to smash my pain into a tiny ball and launch it into outer space. But the longer I did pastoral ministry, the harder it became to flush sorrow. The weight of my responsibilities became heavier as did the spiritual battles I watched people fight and sometimes lose. Every time I grieved, I tried to drive out my sorrow and experience what I thought was joy. But my understanding of joy and sorrow began to change when I studied biblical joy for a sermon series, and it has continued to grow as I have meditated on the subject....
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Why Do We Have a Sunday Night Service?
Coming back to church for a Sunday evening service is often difficult for people to manage. This post reflects on what Life Point is trying to accomplish through our Sunday evening service and on the benefits of making it part of your weekly routine....
Six Reasons to Attend Sunday School
I think it is true of most churches that the Sunday morning worship service is the best attended service they offer. And yet most churches offer other services to meet a variety of needs. Our church is no exception. Although we don’t take attendance during Sunday school, I would venture to say that Sunday school attendance is about half that of the main service. In light of these things, I thought it might be profitable for me to encourage you to consider making Sunday school attendance a new habit....
Isn't Sunday Morning Enough?
Many Christians have always assumed that attending Sunday morning worship is enough church for the week. This post offers five reasons why Christians should consider being with the church as much as possible. ...
Introspection That Edifies: Part 2
Part 2 of this post continues to explore the role of introspection in the life of a Christian. I will offer warnings and encouragement to the perfectionist who always worries about his standing with God and give 4 conclusions for all Christians regarding more edifying introspection....
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Introspection That Edifies: Part 1
The role of introspection in the Christian life has always been fascinating to me because of the role it has played in my Christian experience. There have been countless times where I have read the Word or listened to it preached, and I have been challenged to look deeply at the patterns of my own heart and life. But there have been other times that improper introspection has wreaked havoc on my walk....
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Is It Really Okay Not to Be Okay?
We must cultivate a church culture in which it's okay not to be okay, as long as you're seeking grace....
Unity vs. Uniformity
When people ask me what it is like to pastor Life Point Baptist Church, I typically respond by saying something like this: “Pastoring Life Point is incredibly hard but incredibly exciting.” Both the difficulty and the excitement are tied in part to the theological and philosophical diversity of our church....
Ruminations on the "Righteousness of God"
Luther had always assumed that this righteousness was something he was responsible to achieve in order to earn salvation. But the more he gave himself to achieving God’s righteousness, the more he realized how far he fell short and the more he grew to hate the God who would demand such an impossible standard. He believed that he must be missing something, but for years, he couldn’t find a solution. Finally, he had a breakthrough.......
Does the Bible Really Teach Two Types of Forgiveness?
I’d like to make a case for two distinct types of forgiveness. When a person gets saved, God forgives all of his sin—past, present, and future. This is often referred to as “positional forgiveness.” Although some people may not like that term, I don’t think anyone even close to orthodoxy really disputes the idea. However, the Bible is clear that even after salvation, believers will continue to sin; therefore, they must continue to confess their sins, and God will be faithful to forgive them. We call this, “relational forgiveness.” Sadly, there are those who deny this doctrine....
Three Great Books on Prayer
In preparation for our recent study on prayer, I read several books on the subject. Here are my three favorites....
A Hidden Enemy of Sound Judgment
During one of my first staff meetings at Inter-City, Pastor Doran challenged us that if we were truly going to help each other grow and lead the church well, we had to be able to debate ideas without taking things personally or letting emotion cloud our judgment. It was fairly simple advice, but in the years since I have thought back to his admonition many times as I have fought my own mental battles and watched others miserably fail similar ones....
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My Favorite Podcasts
Do you listen to podcasts? About one in five Americans do, according to a recent survey; and that number is increasing rapidly. I discovered podcasting last fall, when I set up a podcast for our church. Since then, listening to podcasts has become a regular part of my week. I like to listen while I get ready in the morning, drive, or work in the yard. I listen primarily for personal growth, not for entertainment (though there’s nothing wrong with listening for fun). Here’s what I currently subscribe to and why....
On Singleness, Dating, and Marriage
This past Sunday, I briefly touched on the tricky subject of dating and marriage. It’s no secret that we live in a day with many conflicting ideas about these subjects. Secular culture has always been obsessed with romance; but sadly, I've heard a lot of Christians express bad ideas also. Several years ago, I came across an interview by 9Marks, and it really challenged my thinking on these issues. I think you would benefit from what the participants have to say....
The Nuts and Bolts of a Godly Legacy
My sermon last Sunday was entitled, “How to Leave a Godly Legacy.” If you were not present you can listen to the sermon here. We looked at several characteristics of a life worth honoring from 1 Timothy 5:5...
Humility
Are you a humble person? What is humility and what is it not? Let's find out based on Philippians 2:3-4....