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Let’s celebrate the diversity in our congregations and do whatever we can to promote it. Many local churches now have a mix of backgrounds. As populations continue to move choice of new church is often not about the denomination or family of churches. In your church family you may well have people from all kinds of backgrounds now enjoying fellowship with you. One reason for this is an Anglican Church in one town may be more similar to a Pentecostal... Read more
Does your church truly rely on the Holy Spirit? Or is your trust on human effort, planning, and committees? How important is the divine presence in your life together? Francis Schaeffer once asked his wife: “Edith, I wonder what would happen to most churches and Christian work if we awakened tomorrow, and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer, were removed from the Bible. I don’t mean just ignored, but actually cut out—disappeared.... Read more
To some he is the gentle humble one. To others he the mighty King who will ride on a horse to war as he returns to rule. Does your mental image of Jesus lean only one way or the other? What kind of Jesus are you praying to? Sometimes we remake Jesus in our own image. But if we want Jesus to save us, we must make sure we are coming to the REAL Jesus, not someone we... Read more
How attached are you to what your church teaches you? Many Christians are committed to doctrinal statements, the teachings of their denomination, and even the practices that they have inherited from the past. What can sometimes be forgotten is that most of those traditions if you are in an evangelical church were forged out of a desire to be Biblical and reformed. But Reformation is not a once for all thing. Stott explains: “The hallmark of authentic evangelicalism is not... Read more
Have we seen enough of our Christian heroes fall spectacularly yet to stop putting our trust in humans? Christians will never be perfect in this life and we must stop encouraging the delusion that any of us have our lives all together. As we journey through lent, its a great time to remind ourselves of our vulnerability to sin. It’s time we stopped putting certain Christians on a pedestal. I understand the desire to grow in Christ and become more... Read more
In Edward’s work on Revival he argues in a slightly odd way to to our ears about the move of the Holy Spirit. He uses a double negative. He says that it is NOT a sign that a work is NOT a work of God if there are great impressions made on people’s minds, imaginations or “frames“. He seems to be arguing something close to what the modern charismatics call a flawed non-perfect form of prophecy or other gifts of... Read more
We are saved By Grace THROUGH Faith Have you turned faith itself into a work? Keller turns to the word “frame” to explain a crucial point about how we must not trust in our own faith but rather in the object and producer of that faith: Jesus. It’s tremendously dangerous for you to mistake these prepositions. When it says it’s by grace but through faith, the grace of God, the power of God, that’s what makes you a Christian. The... Read more
In God alone there truly is a sweet frame of mind to be found. Whilst such an experience is not always with us and we should not rely on it, it ought to be precious to deeply realise that God himself is your haven, your refuge, your saviour! And even being reminded of our own sin ought only to drive us deeper into our appreciation of what Jesus has done for us! Bunyan explains, using the old meaning of the... Read more
I have been enjoying finding references to our frame of mind or heart from older writers and I will share a few with you here I think. Today’s one shows us that whilst we must not trust our frame it is important to pursue as much as we can a true emotional and psychological grasp on the gospel. If we do not we ourselves suffer but so will those we share Jesus with, whether that is informally or via preaching:... Read more
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