(affiliate links contained in this article). A Forsaken Cry on the Cross: And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Mar 15:34 (See also Matt 27:46) This verse causes problems for people. Atheists and … [Read more...]
How’s Your Spiritual Warfare Going?
As Christians we acknowledge the fact of spiritual warfare. We understand that this is the world we live in. Yet I wonder if we're always aware just how close and personal it is. We're often tired of running our races and we tend to lose our focus. However, the enemy never relaxes. He is always up close and … [Read more...]
Prayer and the Saint’s Spiritual Condition
Prayer and the Saint's Spiritual Condition - According to J. C. Ryle, private diligent prayer is a gauge which will affect the Christian one way or another. The following snippets and thoughts aren't mine; they are taken from Ryle's little book A Call to Prayer. You can download an eBook copy from Monergism … [Read more...]
Prayer Changes Things
Yes, prayer changes things. There are many reasons for prayer and we are told to pray unceasingly (1 Thess 5:17). John MacArthur notes: The early church was marked by this kind of continual, passionate, unceasing prayer from the very start. Even before the day of Pentecost in Acts 1:14, all the believers were … [Read more...]
What Does It Mean To Be Holy?
What Does It Mean To Be Holy? Is it sitting in an ashram meditating all day and eating vegetarian foods? I once knew a Buddhist who wanted to save up enough money so that he could spend all his time meditating. It was his idea of attaining holiness and enlightenment. I also spent quite a few years exploring … [Read more...]
The ‘Defeated’ Christian
This is a wonderful article written by mentor and friend Jack Kinsella, founder of the Omega Letter: You’ve all seen him. The defeated Christian. The guy who tries and tries, but after being saved for thirty years, he still hasn’t quit smoking. Instead, he hides his cigarettes before coming to church and … [Read more...]
The Weight of the World and Christ’s Coming
A few years ago I worked in a corporate environment. I was surrounded by account managers, salespeople and technical engineers who were constantly in and out of the office. They could be anywhere at any time, so I hardly ever paid much attention to what they were doing. I didn't report to them and we had our own tasks … [Read more...]
Do Not Conform
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be … [Read more...]
Drifting to a Shipwreck
Drifting to a Shipwreck—or I could have simply titled this post: Beware of so-called Christian agnostics and progressive Christians! Drifting from Christ In his Commentary on Hebrews, R. Kent Hughes notes that one of the ancient symbols for the Church is a ship. He says the idea originated from the gospel … [Read more...]
Confession and Contrition of Past Saints
The confession and contrition of past saints can be helpful to Christians today. Our generation has become too self-obsessed. The sentiments of our secular culture have bled into the church - instead of the church influencing the culture. We're seeing this in certain creeping movements into the church. Some churches … [Read more...]
