Category: Uncategorized

After turning away from the more obvious sins in our lives, we may begin to think that we are fairly godly. But now we face the real battle against sin. Sinful thoughts and attitudes remained buried deep within our hearts and control us in ways we don’t realize. If we saw all our sin at once, it would overwhelm us and drive some of us mad…which is a warning against over-examining ourselves. Yet we still desire to grow in godliness. We want to share God’s nature and reflect it to others, and to do that we must continually give him permission to uncover deeper areas of our lives. Better yet, we should eagerly ask him to do so. Then our hearts will have an attitude of continual openness to his promptings. We will be more willing to open the door when we begin to hear the faint knocking of his Continue Reading →

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., we present a quote from Tod Bolsinger’s book Tempered Resilience which includes King’s ten commandments for his nonviolent movement, which are very much in accord with the teachings of Jesus. Maybe every member of our congregations should agree to these guidelines for every part of their lives? “For Martin Luther King Jr. the demands of a nonviolent public protest movement for racial equality and reconciliation led to the development of a commitment or rule of life that was very specific for furthering those ends. Every volunteer was required to sign a commitment card that read: I HEREBY PLEDGE MYSELF—MY PERSON AND BODY—TO THE NONVIOLENT MOVEMENT. THEREFORE I WILL KEEP THE FOLLOWING TEN COMMANDMENTS: 1. MEDITATE daily on the teachings and life of Jesus. 2. REMEMBER always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice and reconciliation—not victory. 3. WALK and TALK in the Continue Reading →

After inaugurating the kingdom with Jesus’ first coming he would allow sufficient time for us to spread the good news of the kingdom throughout the earth (Acts 1:8). If Jesus had returned in the first century, then his message would not have reached the whole earth. Therefore, God would guide history according to his hidden plan until the time when the Son would come to earth a second time to complete the establishment of God’s kingdom. We describe our present time as the time when the kingdom is already here but not yet fulfilled. We are in the “already/not yet”. Since it is here, we seek the kingdom of God first in all things. Even though the kingdom is not yet fulfilled, we do not wait passively for Jesus’ return. He promoted and equipped his people to spread the lifestyle of the kingdom of God. We can do this because Continue Reading →

Last week we described the new self. Your new self wants healthy, loving relationships, especially a union of love with God. Your new self has an aversion to corruption and is open to conviction of sin. I believe this was John’s point when he said: “no one who is born of God will continue to sin” (1 John 3:9, ESV). Your new self wants to know God better and is disappointed when you sin. If you continually embrace these new desires and reject opposing desires, then your new self will mature and dominate.   You can enlarge the influence of your new self by taking a few moments, especially in solitude, to “put on” your new self. Following is a guide for this. You might also use this for challenging situations. Exercise – Living From the New Self Find a place of solitude and silence. Let the concerns of the Continue Reading →