'#gracebibleadell' Tagged Posts (Page 11)
THE GOSPEL
In a world full of bad news, this is the best news of all. Hope in a world filled wit hopelessness. Security in a world of uncertainty. Freedom in a world enslaved. Joy and peace in a world that is anything but. This is about your eternity and your present.
NOT JUST AMAZED BUT LIVING BY FAITH
We just finished on Sunday going through Ephesians 2:8-10. And we truly stand amazed at what God has done. We stand amazed at this message – by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for God’s glory alone. I ran across a video today though talking about the difference between amazement and faith. We’re called not to just be amazed at God by to live by faith.
SITUATION, TRANSFORMATION, TESTIMONY
The Equality Act is up for a vote in the House of Representatives tomorrow. I am grieved to see the disregard by our politicians for the effects this will have on our nation across the board. At the same time, I am also grieved to see the struggles of so many who are trying to find their purpose and identity apart from God. As I was thinking on this today, Paul’s words in Romans were on my mind – not…
CREATED IN HIS IMAGE (PURPOSE & IDENTITY)
Genesis 1:26 on the image and likeness of God is a debated verse yet very important to our purpose and identity as those among the other created things of the universe. As we discuss the “image of God,” we find that this is key to separating us from the rest of creation. It gives us meaning and purpose for our lives. It speaks to our uniqueness.
ABOUT MORE THAN CREATION
As I was purposing to continue in the subject of anthropology a bit more today, I kept coming back to the first few chapters of Genesis. Those first three chapters are about more than just creation. Within them we find truth on creation, gender/identity, marriage, sin, salvation, and more. If we cannot take any part of those chapters literally, what authority does the Bible have in any one of those areas or the Bible as a whole in our lives?
TWO VERY DIFFERENT CONCLUSIONS
Anthropology. The study of man. And if you do a quick Google search, it is a vast conglomeration of subjects that fall under this umbrella. What we are concerned about primarily is Christian Anthropology or the study of man as God presents it to use in the Bible. As we begin looking at it, we must go back to the beginning. How one views the beginning has significant ramifications for the present and the rest of what the Bible has…
WHO’S IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT?
The word “Lord” is an important one for our daily Christian walk to remember. It reminds us that we are under the authority of Christ and called to walk in his will. Yet if we’re honest, we often just happy with him being our Savior rather than our Lord. Lord implies that I must submit to his control in my life. As unpleasant as our world makes that sound and deceived us into believe it is, it is in submission…
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
Taking just a moment to reflect back on why we are going through the basics. I think challenging days are on the horizon. Things that may make 2020 look easy. Let’s purpose to know what we believe, why we believe, & how to explain it those around us. Let’s purpose to be people of faith, living out what we believe. And for those that are season, find a disciple that you yourself can invest in to prepare them with what…
TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY
I have been stuck on the phrase “to the praise of His glory” from Ephesians 1 today. As I think about us as believers and as a church, are we living in such a way that could be summarized as that? My prayer for us all, for churches across America this year is that no matter what may face us, that we would be the hands and feet of Christ, imitators of God, salt and light, that we might bring…
THE TRINITY. DOES IT REALLY MATTER?
The doctrine of the Trinity is one that boggles our minds. It has also been a point of contention within the church over the years. And in an effort to understand it completely on a human level, it has lead to a variety of heresies. Understanding the Trinity as the Bible presents it is vital to our lives, vital to our salvation, and very applicable to our lives.
HAS GOD REVEALED HIMSELF?
I am astounded when people believe that there is not God or ask whether God has revealed himself. Paul in Romans 1 as well as David in Psalm 19 makes that abundantly clear. God has spoken, has communicated to us in a variety of ways revealing himself. This is true. We need to go a step further though beyond the knowledge of that truth and perhaps conviction about it to practically implementing it in our lives.
IS THIS RIGHT? DOES THIS APPLY TO ME? (#ASKPD)
What does this passage mean? Is this the right way to understand this passage? How in the world does this apply to me? Those are honest questions that we ask as we study the Word of God. Interpretation and application. That’s the focus of today’s vlog and crucial for our day and age when many are ignoring the truth of Scripture and what God was teaching us through it.
EVERYONE STARTS SOMEWHERE
Everyone starts somewhere. You’re familiar with that phrase I am sure. Usually we use it in regard to progress in life. But it is also an adequate description of what people believe the basic fundamentals that we accept. We call the presuppositions. And we’re exploring that today. Everyone from the Christian to atheist has presuppositions.
WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES AN ERROR MAKE?
The Bible is full of errors! Really? Is it? This is where knowing the doctrine of inerrancy is key. What does is mean that the Bible is inerrant? And most importantly what ramifications does it have on my life if I don’t believe inerrancy? We’ll explore that and more today as we continue to walk through the basics that we need to know to make sure we’re grounded and prepared.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Today President Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States. As with any change of power, these moments are landmarks in our nation’s history. Perhaps you are asking as I have been: “Where do we go from here?” These recent months (and even years) have revealed a flaw in our lives, in who we are ultimately putting our trust in. And even though the faces that make up our national government have changed, we serve the…
BREATH & SAILBOATS
A couple of weeks ago as we began Ephesians on Sunday morning, we talked about knowing the basics of our faith. We’re starting today with some of those basics. If someone asked you today–“How do you know the Bible is true?”–how would you answer them? What texts would you go to? Could you provide an explanation? We need to be able to give a reasonable defense of our faith and that’s part of what we’re doing today. Let’s explore this…
ARE WE BECOMING SPIRITUAL NONES?
There is a growing population of what is now termed the “spiritual nones.” They are individuals who see Christianity in particular as harmful, as helpful but not a part of it, or are unaffiliated believers. I wonder though if there are more spiritual nones than the survey takes into account. We are suffering a “spiritual plight” in America where Christians are more and more identifying with the world than the Lord & Savior who bought them with his precious blood.…
DEFENDING & GROWING IN OUR FAITH
For some time now, I have been thinking about my time at Calvary and the theology classes that I absolutely loved. In them, I gained a greater knowledge of and appreciation for who God is. But it also deepened my relationship with God. Yesterday during our Sunday School time, we discussed knowing the basics at the very least so that we are able to defend our faith and spot falsehood. Those basics (& more) are not just points of knowledge…
WE KNOW HOW THE STORY ENDS (REVELATION 19-22)
We’ve made it to the end of our New Testament reading and what a great place to end the year in the Bible. We conclude with the glorious future that awaits all those who have placed their faith in Christ Jesus for salvation. Thanks for journeying with us through the New Testament this year. We’ll be starting something new in 2021 as we continue to explore the Word of God together. God bless.
BABYLON BROUGHT TO RUIN (REVELATION 17-19)
Chapters 17 & 18 have been confusing to me as it looks at Babylon with two very different descriptions. Here is a general overview of what is going on here as well as some overall reminders we gain from the text. Revelation 17-19 NET