Obstacle to the Gospel

“I believe that human morality, rather than flagrant sin, is the greatest obstacle to the gospel today. If you ask the average law-abiding person why he expects to go to heaven, the answer will be some form of 'because I’ve been good.'" Jerry Bridges The Gospel for Real Life

Church Impossible or "To See Ourselves as Others See Us"

A helpful post from a former pastor of our church:

How do others see our church?

Read his short post here.

The Cost of our Union with Christ

“The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death—we give our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

D. Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

The Man in Black at 80

Russell D. Moore

This Sunday would be Johnny Cash’s eightieth birthday. Unlike many celebrities whose name dies out with the obituaries of their fan base, Cash continues to matter. And I think it matters that we understand why.

Read more here.

Luther on Jesus becoming a curse for us

Commenting on Galatians 3:13

The doctrine of the gospel (which of all others is most sweet and full of most singular consolation) speaks nothing of our works or of the works of the law, but of the inscrutable mercy and love of God towards most wretched and miserable sinners. Our most merciful Father, seeing us to be oppressed and overwhelmed with the curse of the law, and that we could never be delivered from it of our own power, sent His only Son into the world and laid upon Him all the sins of all men, saying, be Thou Peter that denier; Paul that persecutor and cruel oppressor; David that adulterer; that sinner who did eat the fruit in Eden; that thief who hanged upon the cross; and be Thou that person who has committed the sins of all men: see therefore that Thou pay and satisfy for them.

–Martin Luther

Every Pilgrim's Story, by John Bunyan

February 18, 1678

The most popular book of the Christian world, next to the Bible itself saw publication on this day, February 18, 1678. It is a story of fantastic creatures and deadly dangers. In his many adventures, the hero battles with a raging dragon, flounders in a bog from which he is unable to extricate himself, and is chained in a castle, hostage to despair. The story is Pilgrim's Progress, authored by John Bunyan while he lay in prison for preaching... (Read more)

Read the full article here.

The Call to Radical, World-Changing Discipleship: A Question for Preachers

The Call to Radical, World-Changing Discipleship: A Question for Preachers

Read it here.

By Michael Horton

I found it very helpful for myself as an ordinary means of grace pastor at a small church in a small town full of lots of delightful and busy people.

Historic Germantown Protest Against Slavery

February 18, 1688

The consciences of individual Christians have often placed them at odds with the behavior of their neighbors. The trail to civil rights was blazed by Christians, especially those who belonged to minority sects. In the Americas, Quakers frequently took the lead. That was true on this day, February 18, 1688, when four Quakers in Germantown, Pennsylvania wrote a protest against enslavement of blacks. This is known as the Germantown Protest. The four men were... (Read more)

Read the full article here.

Things That Matter

Some things are more important than worldly reputation, prosperity, and personal ease. Fearing God and living faithfully, keeping a clear conscience before God and man, cannot be replaced by worldly fame or riches. It is a lesson that all men need to learn.

J. Steven Wilkins, Call of Duty: The Sterling Nobility of Robert E. Lee

Bonhoeffer Transferred to Buchenwald Concentration Camp

February 7, 1945

Where does a Christian fit in a nation which makes itself god? Deitrich Bonhoeffer answered that the Christian's duty is to resist such a regime. This landed him in a concentration camp and cost him his life. (Read more.)

Read the full article here.