Gospel Living

hat might it be like for those indwelling Hell to visit Heaven’s glories for a day? C. S. Lewis helps us envision this bizarre scenario in The Great Divorce .  There, we meet a woman seeking her son who happened to trust in Christ, and thus avoided the torments she endures.  Even though she's presented with a rare, post-mortem opportunity to convert (Scripture gives no indication that such an offer would ever take place), she not only rejects Christ again, but states that she would rather her son spend eternity with her in the pit rather than for her to continue to endure their separation. Though she called her emotional attachment to her son love , we recognize it as being twisted and deformed by her controlling nature.  We notice it because we can think of real-life examples of false love.  As our society continues to pollute love with things like lust, power, and control, the genuine emotion seems to slip further from our cultural conscience.  ...

The title says it all.  Enjoy:

A bonus Funny Friday... happy birthday to me! And then I thought, God is bigger and gluttony is a sin.  NOOO!!!!

It enough to make your heart ache.  "Pastor" Dayna Muldoon  has been pitching her tent in Florida, and like Todd Bentley before , false claims to miracles, healing, and prophecies litter her campsites. This video of a Calvary Chapel pastor exposing her as a false prophet has been appearing in various places, and its been uploaded to YouTube multiple times.  Even Todd Friel got animated about this , and nothing gets him hyper. Here's the deal: Muldoon set up her tent-meetings right down the road from Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg , peeking the interests of many attending the church.  When they listened to the message she presented, however, they found it not to be the Gospel, but instead the typical narcissistic message of health and blessings from God. This is coming from a Calvary Chapel crew, folks that are typically non-cessationists themselves.  Many churches, including this particular Calvary Chapel , host after-glow services where one ex...

I'd like to add this thought to those who reject Scripture, those who sneer at the phrase, "The Bible tells me so."  This advice that you give to love oneself already dwells deep within us all.  We all fall prey to the thinking that says, " My intellect, my rational capacity, validates my desires and my morality, so don't force your moral code upon me. " Consider the sad fact that this love of self pervades the bullies who likewise reject Scripture (or who use it in a self-justifying way).  They too say, " My  intellect,  my  rational capacity, validates  my  desire to not allow a homosexual near me , so don't force  your  moral code upon  me by forcing me to see you daily in the hallway."   Self love meets one's sin nature, justifying one's desire to do wrong.  Option one is in the same error as option two. While Scripture condemns us all equally, it offers hope to all, as well.  Whether the sinner is the G...

We think enough about sex in our minds, our culture, and even in our churches, but do we think enough of sex? Voddie Bauchman and Todd Friel explain:

File this under "Every Christian Must Know:" Excerpt from the Psalm 119 conference. Milton Vincent explores the impact the doctrine of justification ought to have on a believer's life.

What's sad is that I know each of these.  I'm about to scream.  Let's correct this, shall we? Much better.  There is hope for tomorrow.

Pastors (and dads): do you pray for your flock? It is of little use to be devoted to labour for our people, if we are not equally devoted to prayer on their behalf. God make us Ministers of much prayer! For without this devotional spirit, we possess only that negative existence, which will eventually cut us off from the Church, as an useless 'incumbrance, instead of an instrument of good. A Ministry of power must be a Ministry of prayer. Thus Moses, Aaron, and Samuel,  stood in the gap. Jeremiah's intercession seemed as if it could restrain the execution of the Divine purposes. This was the Apostle's chief mode of expressing his " longing after'' his people, " in the bowels of Jesus Christ." He seems as if he never bowed his knee before his God without expressing his interest on their behalf. Could such a spirit fail of " having power with God, and prevailing? " Without this prevalency with God, we can never hope to prevail with men. ...

For your mom's day edification, give this a read . (HT: Challies )

If you've read The Peacemaker and The Peacemaking Pastor , or are familiar with Peacemaker Ministries , you know the treasures Ken Sande give to the Christian world.  This month, Christian Audio is providing another one of his books for free download: Resolving Everyday Conflict . This free download is available in MP3, M4B, and One-Click Zip formats . Here is the description from their emailer: Everyone desires peace and harmony in their relationships. Yet, whether it is with a co-worker, family member, friend, or even a complete stranger, everyone encounters conflict some of the time. Resolving Everyday Conflict , our free audiobook for May is a practical, biblical, and concise guide to peacemaking in everyday life that can turn your troubled relationships into peaceful ones.   The warm and engaging narration of this audiobook by Maurice England earned this title a finalist nod in the Inspirational Non-Fiction category of the 2012 Audies, and it has received numerou...