There will indeed be a day when Jesus will rule all the nations. But it will not come about by placing Christians in positions of power. The first blog in this series addressed the “upside-down” nature of the Gospel—namely, that the kingdom of God comes through the faithful, sacrificial, and loving witness of God’s people. I, also, addressed matters of church discipline. And thirdly, I referred to a documentary that focused on a movement among some Christians to influence the… Read more
August 28, 2019
The Gospel and Power (part 2)
August 28, 2019 By Rob Dalrymple
Christian leaders need to be held to a higher ethical standard than others The first post in this series addressed the “upside-down” nature of the Gospel—namely, that the kingdom of God comes through faithful, sacrificial, and loving witness; and matters of church discipline; and a documentary that focused on a movement among some Christians to influence the world by placing godly men in positions of power around the world. The third point—putting godly men in positions of power—seems like a… Read more
August 27, 2019
The Gospel and Power (part 1)
August 27, 2019 By Rob Dalrymple
The Gospel has often been referred to as the “upside-down Gospel.” Jesus’ way of doing things doesn’t fit with the world’s way. The Gospel is that Jesus is Lord and that through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, He has become the world’s true Lord. Jesus presently reigns as king through His people, who are called to proclaim His kingdom to the world. We proclaim the kingdom by imitating Jesus. The overriding ethic of Jesus’ kingdom is love! Thus, just… Read more
July 8, 2019
Worship is a matter of the heart!
July 8, 2019 By Rob Dalrymple
For those in the church who are having the debate “contemporary v traditional” I simply ask: where is your heart? Can you worship in a van? Can you worship with a fan? Can you worship in a house? Can you worship with a mouse? Can you worship in the dark? Can you worship in a park? Can you worship in a tree? Can you worship . . . (ok you get the point)? The answer to all of these should… Read more
July 1, 2019
What is Discipleship? pt 2
July 1, 2019 By Rob Dalrymple
There is a danger in viewing Christianity as a relationship Christianity as a Relationship In order to understand the nature of discipleship it is also important to recognize that Christianity is about a relationship. Many are familiar with the notion that in becoming a Christian one becomes a child of God. We receive God, our Father, who cares for and attends to His children—even more than a loving earthly father.[1] All of this is certainly true. But, there is… Read more
June 24, 2019
What is discipleship? pt 1
June 24, 2019 By Rob Dalrymple
Most churches have replaced discipleship with conversion “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:34-35). What is discipleship? Let me state it from the outset of this post: discipleship is the goal of the Christian life and the essence of discipleship is cross-bearing…. Read more
June 20, 2019
What is the Gospel pt 5
June 20, 2019 By Rob Dalrymple
Most Christians have little sense that there is much beyond accepting Jesus as their savior. I would like to take our discussion of what is the Gospel further. In doing so, we need to ask two questions: What is the goal of the Christian life? What is the purpose of the Christian life? The first question pertains to the topic of personal discipleship. The second question to the mission of God’s people. It is essential, however, to note that the… Read more
June 16, 2019
What is the Gospel? pt 4
June 16, 2019 By Rob Dalrymple
One cannot separate the proclamation of the Kingdom of God from the acts of the kingdom. The Gospel and the Kingdom To this point we have established that the gospel in its simplest expression is “Jesus is Lord” and that it is to be believed because it is the truth. In order to further our understanding of the Gospel, it is, also, necessary to observe the relationship between the gospel and the kingdom of God! The gospel and the Kingdom… Read more
June 13, 2019
What is the Gospel? pt 3
June 13, 2019 By Rob Dalrymple
To proclaim that “Jesus is Lord” begins with the acknowledgement that no one or nothing else is! What is the Gospel? A look into the NT shows that the word “gospel” is used in a basic sense to announce the “good news.” The “gospel” is a proclamation of good news! Now, this is a good start, but we still need to declare what the “good news” is about. In its simplest expression the gospel, or the “good news” is… Read more
June 10, 2019
What is the Gospel? pt 2
June 10, 2019 By Rob Dalrymple
A “me” centered definition of the Gospel often leaves out the mission of God’s people! It doesn’t get more basic to Christianity than to ask: “What is the gospel?” The question is pretty simple. Unfortunately, as I mentioned in part 1, I suspect that many Christians would have a hard time coming up with an answer. In addition to the alarming reality that many Christians cannot define the Gospel with any clarity, comes the realization that for many the definition… Read more
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