Posts Tagged ‘Gospel’
The Gospel in the Gardens
I recently gave a challenge in which I was asked to give the gospel. I was working in my garden as I thought about how I would present it, and I thought about the connections between the gardens in the Bible and the gospel. The Garden of Eden and an off-limit tree In the beginning,…
Read MoreHow Uncle Johnny Got Rich
As I was meditating on Philippians 4:19 (“my God shall supply all of your need”) my thoughts shifted to Dad’s uncle Johnny. Let me explain. Like most promises in the Bible, this one comes with strings. As the whole of the book and especially the preceding context demonstrates, this promise belongs to generous people. Philippians…
Read MoreIt’s A Mad, Mad, Mad World!
That’ s my impression from my stroll down the main drag of Gatlinburg, TN, recently. Few people smiling or laughing. Harsh words being spoken to others, especially to children and other family members. One woman hollering out foul language because she has pulled into a blocked street and folks would not “ part the Red…
Read MoreTogether for the Gospel? Thoughts on Baptism and Christian Unity
Recently Joe Rigney, president of Bethlehem Baptist Seminary, argued that infant baptism need not be an absolute bar for membership in a Baptist church. If Christians of various persuasions can get “together for the Gospel,” why can’t they get together in the church? By Rigney’s thinking and in the spirit of catholicity they can if…
Read MoreAnother Gospel That Is Not Another
Paul’s epistle to the churches of Galatia (Galatians 1:2) is one of (if not his most) passionate letters. The believers there were being wooed to another gospel that was not the gospel of Christ that Paul had delivered unto them. The purity and simplicity of the true gospel was being jettisoned for a gospel not…
Read MoreOn Funerals, Cremation, and the Gospel
I am often asked what I think about cremation as opposed to burial. A generation ago fewer than one-in-twenty were cremated at death. Many older folks still prefer traditional burial, but today the cost of cremation is two-thirds less. Primarily because of that, fully half of all Americans who die this year will be cremated…
Read MoreWhat Camp Meeting Choruses Teach Us About the Gospel
“Let’s sing that chorus one more time!” the worship leader calls out. You sing it again, this time louder and with more energy, “amening” the truth of the song with your voice along with everyone around you. In today’s music world, the best part of a song is often imbedded in the chorus or refrain.…
Read MoreReview — American Gospel: Christ Crucified
If you’ve got some extra time at home due to quarantine measures, consider turning off Netflix and watching a Christian documentary instead. American Gospel: Christ Crucified would be a great use of your time! Note: American Gospel: Christ Crucified (hereafter referred to as “AG2”) is follow-up to American Gospel: Christ Alone (or, “AG1”), released in…
Read MoreBlind to the Gospel
You may easily lose heart in reaching out to unbelievers with the gospel (2 Cor 4:1). Sometimes this happens because unbelievers respond to you in disappointing ways, rejecting your heartfelt overtures, or responding to your biblical input in an aggressive manner. When this happens, believers may choose to shift towards shrewd or clever methods, adjusting…
Read MoreThe Gentile Gospel
One of the themes of the book of Acts involves the struggle the early Christians had in defining the Church. Was the Church a new sect in Judaism? (The “Messiah-Is-Here” sect?) Or, was the Church something new entirely, a separate and distinct new body of people? If the latter, what place did Judaism now occupy…
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