UPDATES I have posted more about definitions of a Reformed position, and degrees of being a charismatic elsewhere. In January 2008, the following post was identified as the 7th all-time most popular post with readers of this blog. The 8th most-read post was my interview with C. J. Mahaney, who heads up Sovereign Grace Ministries. In this post I endeavor to explain that curious phenomenon—a charismatic Calvinist or "reformed charismatic." There was a time when we were considered an … [Read more...]
Good news for the powerless – How the Spirit helps us change : blogging through Galatians
November 20, 2005 By
Good news for the powerless was the title of my sermon this morning. It was the forth in a series on Galatians. The audio is now up on my Church's website and concludes this series introducing Galatians.Previous sermon notes and audio are also available:Good news when doubts attackGood News When Feeling RejectedGood News - the end of rulesWe have been talking about legalism and grace. The Galatians had sunk back into legalism- something which we must beware of. There is more grace available for … [Read more...]
Good News – the end of rules : blogging through Galatians
October 30, 2005 By
This mornings sermon on legalism and grace also addressed some of the issues on the atonement I have been speaking about. I would be interested to know what Richard and others would make of it. Here are my sermon notes, the audio is also available already-----------------------------------Good News- the end of rulesReligions the world over have one thing in common: rulesIf we are honest rules both attract us with their ability to give us certainty about what we should do and repel us because we … [Read more...]
Get a life, get a friend – a sermon by Tope
October 23, 2005 By
The man I delight to call my pastor and my dear friend is back from his trip to Africa, which has been a great success by all accounts. The audio of the sermon he preached this morning entitled "the importance of friendships" is now available online.We as a church are so priviledged to have him as our leader- I want to spend the rest of my life following him as he follows Christ. I know that many will benefit from hearing his sermons as much as the guy who sent him an email which he began … [Read more...]
Good News When Feeling Rejected – blogging through Galatians
October 16, 2005 By
My next sermon in the series on Galatians is now available to listen to online in MP3 format. The talk was entitled- Good News when feeling rejected. Part One of this series is also available from a few weeks back.Here are the notes I used-Good news when feeling rejectedGal 1:11- 2:16IntroREFER BACK TO LAST GAL TALK AND QUOTE 1:3-4Everyone has experiences in live of rejection and acceptance. Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me is a LIEAreas of the brain which light … [Read more...]
How to defeat sin
October 4, 2005 By
Law says "thou shalt not". The spirit says "thou shalt". The Law tells us what not to do. The Spirit tells us what to do. The Law is detailed and specific. The Spirit shows us great values like "love" and "patience" and tells us this is the way we should live.The bible tells us there is no law against these values. We can never be too loving. We can never be too patient. I am more and more convinced that we need to rely more on the spirits work and less on the work of the law to change … [Read more...]
"God is the gospel" by John Piper : book review
September 25, 2005 By
With this book Piper raises the bar. It is clearly his argument that Joy in God is the goal of the gospel itself. He really did mean it when he said the chief purpose of man is to glorify God BY enjoying him forever. Now, he makes plain that it is God himself who makes the gospel good news. Before we get into the review proper, why not Read the Introduction and Chapter 1Listen to the Audio introduction by John Piper Piper's book opens as follows:From the first sin in the Garden of Eden to the … [Read more...]
Good news when doubts attack: Blogging through Galatians
September 18, 2005 By
The Audio of the sermon I preached this morning is online. My notes follow: Good news when doubts attack (Galatians 1:1-12) Intro Doubts are a feature of life. Does he really love me? Will I ever meet someone? Is this the right job for me? There is not one aspect of the Christians message that isn't under attack from outside and within the church Was Jesus who he said he was? Was he born of a virgin? Who made the world? How can a loving God allow suffering? Why has this happened … [Read more...]
God's Will and the fruit of the Spirit.
August 13, 2005 By
Good morning, I know for some of you it's good afternoon. The blogosphere is a little slow this morning, well, except for politics. One story I want to highlight is at The Christian Mind and is about learning the Will of God for our lives. Jollyblogger also highlights it and has some additional thoughts. Question for discussion: Does anyone ever get concerned with God's Will when it comes to blogging? I'm studying and writing this morning so I will leave you with the passage that I am working … [Read more...]
When is it not "Legalism"?
August 12, 2005 By
I sure hope I'm not going outside my "guest" status but I want to put this out there for discussion.Full disclosure: Adrian's post about legalism sparked something in me and I started working on my input for the discussion. I had spent about 15 seconds glancing over the post before going to work so I picked up only on the things that struck closest to home personally. I had a differing opinion on what I thought I read. As I was writing my rough draft I would refer back to Adrian's to ensure I … [Read more...]
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