Savedthroughfaith.com

Several years back I experienced one of those “ah-ha” moments. My wife and I were hanging out together and seemed to be quite enjoying some time of conversation. Then she lovingly hit me with this forearm shiver: “Did you ever notice that you are always the hero of your stories?” It knocked me off of my feet. My wife was saying that I routinely made myself out to be the hero in all of our talking about life, family, and ev...

At the doorpost of the 15th Psalm the songwriter asks a couple of questions. These questions deal with how someone might safely dwell in the presence of God. That is, how may someone have access to God and his covenant blessings? What follows in the Psalm are descriptions or perhaps better, the qualifications of this one who may ascend to this holy hill. One thing you will notice in this passage is that the various descriptions of this godly one ...

At the doorpost of the 15th Psalm the songwriter asks a couple of questions. These questions deal with how someone might safely dwell in the presence of God. That is, how may someone have access to God and his covenant blessings? What follows in the Psalm are descriptions or perhaps better, the qualifications of this one who may ascend to this holy hill. One thing you will notice in this passage is that the various descriptions of this godly one ...

Do you find yourself apologizing for God? You may not articulate it in the words, “I’m sorry that my God is like this.” However, there is some indication that the sharp edges of the character of God are better ignored, diluted, or otherwise recast so as to make his actions more acceptable. Don’t misunderstand, I am not talking primarily to liberals here but rather to evangelicals. Mr. or Mrs. card carrying evangelical, ar...

Christians have a responsibility to strike an admittedly difficult balance in this world. We are called to be faithful missionaries without being repulsive and obnoxious. This is a tough note to hit because the message itself is offensive, people (by in large) don’t want to hear it, and frankly– we are sinners. This is why I take notice when I see a guy being faithful, compelling, and attractive. Here in Nebraska, football is king. T...

The story of Judas’ betrayal of the Lord Jesus is as familiar as it is troubling. There is nothing worse that he could have done in his life than to betray Jesus. When Jesus says that it would have been better for him not to even be born (Mark 14) we begin to see the significance of the action. It is the ultimate evil act to betray or attack the ultimate good one. The consideration of the whole series of events is flat-out disturbing. One ...

In addition to leading and teaching, pastors are called to protect or guard the flock (Titus 1.5, 9; 2.15; John 21.15-19). Therefore, it logically follows that it is important for pastors to know who is in attendance and membership within the congregation. There are obviously many practical reasons for this, but one is certainly to protect the flock from potential harm. So I ask you, “Who is the most dangerous guy at your church?” He...

“but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” (Mark 14.21) What Judas does with his life is the worst thing he could do with it. It cancels out all of the joy, happiness, blessing, and other experiences. His betrayal of Christ is the ultimate evil. Why is this? It is because Jesus is the ultimate good. By virtue of who he is (good) and what he does (good) he, as P...

A short time ago I was at my son’s baseball game. In between innings I would pick up my book and continue reading. People would walk by and I caught them looking at my book. I usually really like this as it has been a convienent opportunity to talk about the gospel. In this case however, I was embarrassed. As I sat there reading “You Can Change” I was certain that the people thought I was reading some sort of self-help book. ...

In the opening lines of Michael Horton’s latest book he wonderfully articulates the context and setting for the Great Commission. The book itself is a fascinating and convicting read. As this introductory paragraph notes, the gospel is not something to neatly fit into lives but to come and deliver us from this present age. In this sense it is quite disturbing. A gracious disturbance is at work in the world today. With the resurrection of Je...