OUTLINE: Passive Learning & Lazy ThinkersA person who doesn’t see the need to be challenged by the Truth is a person who thinks they already know everything. (Ref. Ro 12:3; 1Co 3:18; Gal 6:3) Say What You Mean, Mean What You SayFor words to have meaning, they must be true. Vapid words of love mean absolutely […]
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OUTLINE: Grace, Works, and Indifference – Blog 8/9/19[A] convicted person is forced to exert themselves (the Gospel demands it). This work is in the struggle either to cast aside the sinful pride of life and pursue salvation or to reject the Gospel (or even remain indifferent to it). Striving [ala Lk 13:24] in one direction or
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OUTLINE: “This is a difficult statement”Jesus had no reservations challenging His disciples. A good under-shepherd ought to confidently follow His example. An unchallenged sheep is one who doesn’t grow. When Jesus said, “My yoke is easy” (Mt 11:30), it was a relativestatement. Grace, Works, and Indifference – Blog 8/9/19[A] convicted person is forced to exert themselves (the Gospel
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Suppose you are picnicking with your family in a park. It is the last conceivable time you’ll be able to splurge on a day off from work and enjoy a little cheese and wine because you just lost everything you own to a natural disaster. You are broke. Suddenly, a man arrives at your site
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OUTLINE: “This is a difficult statement”Jesus had no reservations challenging His disciples. A good under-shepherd ought to confidently follow His example. An unchallenged sheep is one who doesn’t grow. When Jesus said, “My yoke is easy” (Mt 11:30), it was a relativestatement. Difficult messages force us to face our convictions, stimulating growth in us.Love Takes RisksA
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OUTLINE: Ac 17:11 ASVNow these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.Ac 17:11 AMPNow these [Jews] were better disposed and more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they were entirely ready and accepted and
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OUTLINE: “equipping the saints”It’s not a pastor’s job to spoon feed his sheep. It’s his job to push them to “work out their own salvation with fear and trembling” (Php 2:12b), often challenging them with “difficult” messages. The true test lies with the disciple, not the teacher. <— Learn this! “Give a man a fish and he eats
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There are two kinds of obedience: that which is done in love and that which is not. The litmus test is how we treat others. If our obedience forms an impenetrable outer crust, we have failed. If our obedience is a light that guides the way for the lost and the weak, then we have
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OUTLINE: Faith comes from persistent, humble seeking.The Value of WisdomDo you value wisdom enough to seek for it diligently? (Mt 13:44-46; Lk 11:5-10) Ps 23:4 [Amplified Classice]Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff
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OUTLINE: The Source of ConfidenceWe have confidence in the things we fear the most. Ask yourself, why would we have confidence in them in the absence of fear? We have confidence that there’s something to fear/respect, something real and powerful (e.g., God). Fear Is a Learned BehaviorInjury is an experience, something we learn about. Once
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