Posts Tagged ‘Spiritual Growth’
God is Concerned about Externals
Don Johnson In a recent article, I wrote about the motivations for change that accompany our conversion. There is little doubt that change is part of conversion. After all, the preachers of the Bible call their hearers (and us) to faith and repentance. Repentance is nothing if nothing changes. Biblical Christianity is not a ‘come…
Read MoreSeeking the Fruit: The Use and Misuse of Paul’s List in Galatians 5
Kevin Schaal Have you ever watched a tree strain and groan to produce fruit? Of course not! A healthy tree connected to proper nourishment naturally produces fruit. The apostle Paul uses this analogy when discussing the fruit of the Spirit-filled life in Galatians 5. The primary error in the interpretation of the “fruit of the…
Read MoreAn Idea Central to What the Bible Teaches about Itself
Steve Hankins Featured from the Jan/Feb 2014 issue of FrontLine Most would agree that, while by no means a complete list of important Christian ideas, the Biblical concepts of love, grace, and wisdom are primary, expansive, and magnificently intertwined ideas in Scripture. They capture in many respects the essence of the Faith, as the believer…
Read MoreWhat Suffering Teaches Others
Wally Morris My wife and I were married in June 1978. Three months later, in September, just before I was to begin my senior year of college, Susan had a “minor” stroke from which she completely recovered. Four years later, in June 1982, she had another, more serious stroke which affected her speech and permanently…
Read MoreReading the Bible Through in One Year
Warren N. Stuber On December 31, I completed my yearly reading through the Bible. The next day I began again for the New Year. Dr. Harry Ironside read the Bible through for each year of his life, which was more than 70 times. I am not near to a record like that, but I have…
Read MoreWhen I am grieved, I long to instruct Him
Don Johnson There is plenty of trouble and heartache to go around in this world. It comes unbidden into every life, one way or another, and when it leaves, it is only to return again in some other form, perhaps more grievous than before. Who can escape trouble? Our trouble in trouble is that in…
Read MoreBasic Books for Believers
Don Harrelson A little while ago, Proclaim & Defend asked our writer’s pool for book recommendations for our readers. In particular, we are interested in books that might fill a single shelf full of basic Bible study resources that are accessible for every Christian. Our first submission comes from Pastor Don Harrelson. Our list isn’t…
Read MorePrayer God Answers
Jim Oesterwind We all have a desire to pray so that we see God working continuously in our lives and answering our prayers. Yet I venture a guess that most of us remain unsatisfied with our prayer lives. There is a plethora of books that teach us how to pray effectively. But a close look…
Read Moreme, the Holy Spirit, and my Bible
Don Johnson The great William Tyndale gave us most of our English Bible. He is credited with a quote about desiring to make the Bible such that the common plowboy could understand it. The quote (as many such) may be a bit off. Wikipedia reports it this way: “John Foxe describes an argument with a…
Read MoreMarks of Maturity
Gene Gurganus Is not the desperate need of the church of Jesus Christ mature men—men who will lead both the church and their families in such a way that God will be glorified and men will be edified? Mature men are characterized by godly living resulting from making right decisions. A mature man can be…
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