God is keenly interested in why we do things. But people can be humbly obedient to Jesus for completely different reasons. Of course, one motivation is superior to all the rest (1 John 4:17-18).
Speaking the Truth in Love
Speaking the Truth in Love
Sermons by David Wright (Page 15)
Ecclesiastes is the strangest book in the Bible. Solomon’s perspective is negative and sometimes even cynical, but his insights are piercing. One of these is that pursuing selfish pleasure is nothing other than chasing the wind.
Mark is usually remembered as the young man who deserted Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey and went home. But in time he redeemed himself. He became an exceptional servant of God. And it’s easy to see why. Mark had an exceptional mother.
In times of distress, we tend to ask ourselves two pressing questions: Why is my world in such a mess, and is anybody paying attention up there? John speaks to these questions in the vision of the open door in heaven (John 4:1-11).
Some Greeks came to Philip and said, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:21). I think the people of our community are looking for the same thing. They have little interest in our attendance or budget numbers, the size of our building or even the quality of our programs. They just want to see…
A person who has a Christian conversion experience can never afterward lose his way and suffer condemnation – or at least that’s what TV and radio evangelists tell us. But the inspired writer Jude says otherwise.
Every saint must be a servant. Every member must be a minister. A ministry is an intentional and regular practice of my God-given gifts. But how do I identify the ministry gifts the Lord has blessed me with?
The number of people going to church or even claiming Christian faith is in sharp decline. Does the church bear any responsibility for this unsettling trend?
We generally think of “ministry” in terms of paid church servants or church programs. But isn’t everyone expected to have a ministry (Eph. 4:12)?
One of the most popular religious beliefs in the U.S. is “once saved, always saved.” Anyone who has had any sort of experience with Christ (no matter how shallow or fleeting) is guaranteed an eternal home in heaven. But the dynamic little book of Jude plainly says otherwise (Jude 1:4-7).