At Redeemed South Bay each Sunday the Teaching Elder ascends to the pulpit, adjusts his notes, looks out on the congregation and says, "Open your Bibles..." Why? At our church like many gospel-centered churches today we are committed to preaching, but not just any kind of preaching. We are committed to expository preaching. Expository preaching is a kind of preaching that expounds upon the meaning of a particular text or passage of Scripture.
Read MoreWhen peace like a river attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
“It is well, it is well with my soul.”
Have you ever wondered what the story was behind these deeply powerful words? Listen to find out.
Read MoreChristmas is behind us. What a wonderful celebration of God's greatest gift --His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ. As we move forward in the year it is appropriate to also move from the birth of Christ to his life and his death. Last Easter as I was preparing my sermons for that season I came across an excellent book on Christ' Sacrifice --"Passion" by Mike McKinley. Easter is about 11 weeks away, why not begin meditating early on the ultimate purpose for Jesus coming to the earth. This review of the book is from The Shepherds' Conference website. -- Kevin
Read MoreLike many Christians I started a new Bible reading program with my family in the new year. I found this article by Matt Smethurst associate editor for The Gospel Coalition to be helpful as I embark on that project. -Kevin
Read MoreThere are few things in the Christian life that seem more difficult to attain then the command to pray unceasingly. Many of us think we will never learn to pray unceasingly.
But I don’t think it’s as unreachable as it appears to be. So I thought that I would offer a way to draw nearer to the goal of praying without ceasing:
Read MoreIt is that time of year again... The beloved gorgefest that is the thanksgiving holiday. This is a time when families are coming together, a time when the football season is getting exciting, a time when festive memories are being made, and a time when many people are recounting what they are thankful for. I can recount many things that I have been thankful for over the years, my wife, my daughter, my family, my apartment, my car, and so on, yet in all these things I only have one person to whom I am thankful to. As a Christian I always think about James 1:17 during the thanksgiving season which reads, " Every good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." As I ponder this verse I am again reminded that I am most thankful for Jesus Christ and that I am also most thankful to Jesus Christ! So, this year as we are all mindful of what we are thankful for, let us be encouraged by ten truths from the book of Romans and give thanks to The LORD!
Read MoreLife typically doesn't come with a cruise control option. There are many obstacles that arise in this short time that we are given here on this earth and if we were to merely just "cruise along" the outcome would undoubtedly be unsatisfactory. As life's situations do come up there are various options and choices that surface along the way as well. When life does throw all it has at us there tends to be a series of questions that come across our minds: What am I to do? Who am I to turn to? Where am I to go? I submit to you that we should take a cue from Simon Peter as I believe he virtually answers this series of questions in John 6.
Read MoreI was reading today in Timothy Keller’s excellent book Center Church-- Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City and I was greatly helped by this section. There is a tendency in evangelism to want a cookie cutter one-size-fits-all formula for sharing the gospel. Keller simplifies an article that he read by theologian and scholar D. A. Carson. I have included it here. “Carson argues that the biblical authors use a range of motivations what appealing to their readers to believe and obey the truth. They do not seek to persuade in just one way.”
Read MoreSundays are awesome. Sundays are special. And there's a lot that goes into them. Plus, as believers we're committed to being with each other to worship God and encourage each other in the faith. So, since we are committed to gathering together on Sundays, what are some things we can do to make the most of Sundays before Sunday?
Read MoreBeautiful video based on a portion of Tim Keller's sermon.
Read MoreVERSE 1
Come behold the wondrous mystery
In the dawning of the King
He the theme of heaven’s praises
Robed in frail humanity
In our longing, in our darkness
Now the light of life has come
Look to Christ, who condescended
Took on flesh to ransom us
"And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly." -Mark 8:23-25
I remember when I first thoroughly read the story of Jesus healing a blind man in Mark 8. Out of all the accounts of Jesus' miracles this was the most peculiar to me. At first glance, it is almost as if Jesus made a mistake in His healing of the blind man.
Read MoreWhy do I love hymns? The best hymns whether they are ancient or modern are a coming together of theological truth and artistic beauty. They also are meant for congregational singing. I want to leave church with the truths that I just proclaimed in song to still be ringing in my heart and spilling over my lips throughout the week. That is sometimes hard to do with some modern praise songs that are more performance driven. The hymns also connect me to our rich Christian heritage and help to fight what C. S. Lewis called "chronological snobbery" (believing that whatever is newest is best). "A Mighty Fortress" was written in 1527 by Martin Luther. The Church has been singing this hymn for almost 500 years and unless Christ returns will sing it for 500 more at least!
One of the most exciting developments in recent years is the movement of not only reviving these classic hymns but of Christian artist writing new ones.
Read MoreI am right in the middle of reading What’s Best Next – How The Gospel Transforms The Way You Get Things Done by Matt Perman. I couldn’t wait to finish the book before I blogged about it. It’s that good. If you are like me you may struggle with productivity and getting things done. I’ve read many books on the subject, listened to lectures and even attended a seminar.
Read MoreIf you have ever wondered why, after mustering up the humility to confess your sin to someone and ask for their forgiveness, it was not well received and they didn’t forgive you, consider the following 7 mistakes and see if you made any of them.
Read More3 Ugly Truths All Christians Have In Common...And Why You Should Be Gracious To Them
3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. - Titus 3:3
1. All Christians were once foolish and disobedient.
Read MoreRecently I was talking to a friend of mine who started attending a new church, and I asked him what had impacted him the most in regard to his new church. His response was that the lead pastor invited him out for a cup of coffee. This was not at all what I had expected his answer to be, but nonetheless this was his answer. The more I thought about it, I became convinced that this was quite a remarkable answer. I actually believe that coffee and the gospel are more correlated than most might think. Let me explain.
Read MoreOne day in his old age Moses was tending his father-in-law’s sheep and came across a burning bush. God called out to Moses from the bush and said “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors and I know about their sufferings. I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…Therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 2:7)
Read More"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25
We have all encountered people who "love" Jesus but just don't love His church. Perhaps they view the church to be a bunch of hypocrites, who exist to judge others and accept only their own kind or maybe the were hurt by or had a terrible experience at church in the past. Regardless of the line of reasoning, the outcome of this logic turns into the notion of, "Jesus and I against all!"
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