“The Kingdom of God is like”….
What is it that makes a good movie or novel?
No doubt we could all identify several key aspects or ingredients that we look for, but there are a couple of things that are probably essential.
The first, I would say, is where the story takes us. When we get to that [...]
Filed under: Assurance, Realization | 3 Comments »
Addendum to post: While driving back from San Diego this morning ( I took my wife to the airport) I was listening to a very well known preacher on the radio who used the phrase, “If only…”, quite often in his sermon.
So I’m adding it to my list of words to watch out for. Example: ” [...]
Filed under: Assurance, Doing | 25 Comments »
My last post was probably a bit convoluted. The examples maybe were not the best.
What I was trying to get across is that so much of today’s preaching and teaching regarding the Christian faith is nothing more than ‘law’ . St. Paul tells us that there in no life in the law…only death.
So when a [...]
Filed under: Assurance, Doing, Dying to Self, Law and Gospel, Sacraments | 8 Comments »
As I read on many Christian blogs around the net, this Christian faith stuff is way too complicated for the average Joe and Mary on the street. How in the world would we ever figure it out if it weren’t for the plethora of books telling us everything that we need to do, think, or feel?
Are some [...]
Filed under: Assurance, The Gospel | 9 Comments »
Have you ever fallen in love with someone, but they didn’t love you?
You tried everything possible to get that person to fall in love with you. You told funny jokes, you gave them gifts, you complimented them, you adorned yourself as much as possible. All to no avail. The love you were seeking from the [...]
Filed under: Assurance, Motivation | 6 Comments »
Yes!
And again…and again…and again…and again…and again…and again…and again…
Until that day when I finally run out of ink(life). Then I will be born again for the last time and live in eternity with my heavenly Father and my Lord.
Thank you Lord, for your graciousness. Thank you for coming to me in water and in Word, [...]
Filed under: Assurance, Baptism, The Sovereignty of God | 5 Comments »
Yesterday was an awesome day at the Lutheran Church of the Master congregation in Corona del Mar, CA. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 68-70 people accepted the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Savior. That was about the number of people in worship. Pretty good, huh?
Well, it really is exciting. This ‘born again’ experience happens all [...]
Filed under: Assurance, Sacraments, Theology of the Cross | No Comments »
Martin Luther said of the Anabaptists of his day:
“They view baptism the way a cow looks at a new gate.”
They cannot imagine anything that is beyond their own nose. (I threw that last part in)
Martin Luther didn’t think too highly of those that would deny us the assurance that the good Lord Himself [...]
Filed under: Assurance, Sacraments | 2 Comments »
It ’s Easter Monday.
So now that we have been totally freed from sin by the Son of the Living God, who’s been raised for our justification, let’s start forging new chains that we may once again be enslaved by “what we do”.
One day of freedom is enough!
The first thing we’ll need are some well [...]
Filed under: Assurance, Doing | 2 Comments »
A friend of mine recently told me that he was doing a lot better now at not sinning than he was doing before he became a Christian.
This struck me as an odd thing to say. What would possess a Christian, who’s been freed from sin by the blood of Christ, to say something along those [...]
Filed under: Assurance, Doing, Dying to Self, Motivation | 3 Comments »
