Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

New Testament

Living for What We Don’t See

ISAIAH 40:5: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” I don’t need to say it, but I will – “Our world is upside-down. It is all out of order. The God who made everything to reflect His glory and to receive glory is ignored, refused,…

The Thessalonian Church: A Reputation to Have

In this most personal of letters from the Apostle Paul, he bears his heart of love to these Thessalonians. In doing so, he affirms these believers as being a community of faith, love and hope. As such they developed a worthy reputation as a Christ-centered and Gospel-influencing church. Lord willing, we will look at three aspects of their reputation – its characteristics, its impact, and its development.

Tolerated Sins

ROMANS 6:12-14-Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are…

The Power of Believing Prayer

MATTHEW 21:22: And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” In today’s scripture, Jesus gives us one of the most staggering, encouraging, and challenging privileges in the Christian life; prayer, but more importantly, believing prayer. Let’s look at believing prayer along the three words found in the previous sentence – staggering, encouraging, and challenging. First the staggering truth in…

Slaying Our Selfishness

ROMANS 11:36: For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” I love the way Paul David Tripp describes the sin of selfishness. He calls it “our DNA” and he is right. We were born in sin, and as believers we will daily, even constantly, fight against the sin of selfishness. And to…

A Praying Church

MARK 11:15-17: And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying…