Questions in this episode: – Should we be concerned that sub-congregational ministries become too large? – I struggle believing that God can forgive me for my egregious sin? – Can angels exist in physical form with us on earth? – Do we need a second baptism in the Holy Spirit to gain the greater gifts? …
Questions in this episode: – What is the context of Luke 7 and what Jesus says about true repentance? – Are there ghosts and can you get rid of them? – Is homiletics related to Roman Catholic homilies? – How do we deal with habitual sins that take a long time to conquer? – How …
Questions in this episode: – How do we deal with family members who become aggressive to my gospel discussions with them? – Is it true that people only turn to God when something traumatic happens? – Is Messianic Judaism a true doctrine? – When Adam was naming all the animals, how could he name all …
Questions in this episode: – How do I break free of my past life and truly follow Christ? – How is Jesus in the tomb for 3 days, when it doesn’t look like he spent that much time? – Is the Shroud of Turin real? – Is Christian jewelry considered idolatry? – Jesus says there …
We should seek to find true joy in repentance – our own and others’ – as we celebrate grace and purpose to genuinely love other forgiven brothers and sisters.
We must understand our Christian requirement to forgive, and God’s appeal for us to forgive willingly, sincerely, and fully as we are reconciled with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Given the various and conflicting views of water baptism, we must seek to digest and rightly understand all the related biblical data on this important ordinance.
God graciously works through a variety of means to bring us to repentance, both at the outset of the Christian life and throughout it, so that we might walk in fellowship with him.
When we recognize our sin before a holy, just and loving God, we will feel the pang of sorrow for our offense. But the happiness of knowing we are forgiven through repentance and trust in Jesus, our savior, should bring joy.
Questions in this episode: – Will we recognize our loved ones in Heaven? – In 1 Corinthians 9:27, what does it mean that Paul thinks he could be disqualified? – What is the difference between repentance and faith? – Please explain Psalm 138:2, how God values His word above His name? – What does …
The Bible instructs us to “confess” our sins (1Jn.1:9). While many think that means to say “I’m sorry” to God, the word actually precludes most forms of modern apologies. The word confess in the Greek New Testament is a compound word which is made up of the words “the same” and “to speak”. The idea is that when we
It is our natural, fallen tendency to make excuses. Our human propensity is to try to squirm out from under the weight of all those unpleasant feelings, concerning what we are doing or saying and when we are pondering something unrighteous or unholy. Because sanctification is a process, and because perfect personal holiness will not be achieved until…
We must work to identify the sin of envy, longing with God’s empowerment to experience freedom from this insidious and corrosive problem.
Christ’s death and resurrection solved our most pressing problem – a solution that urgently needs our response of faith.
The Bible says we are all born with a built in double standard – the one we apply to those around us and the other we apply to ourselves. We are innately proficient in detecting the sins and transgressions of others, but we are inept in perceiving our own. Consider the freeway foibles…
God’s effective ambassadors must resolve to definitively call people to respond to Christ and be faithful to respond to their responses.
Pastor Mike answers questions about God, the Bible, and Christianity. Questions in this session: 1. How do you transition from knowing about God to knowing God? 2. What is the best way to help people find the right path to live a life God wants them to live. (My paraphrase) 3. What is the best …
Our theology regarding justification is often revealed by how we embrace God’s forgiveness when we sin. On the one hand, we may say that we heartily affirm the orthodox doctrine of justification by faith (i.e. that we are accepted as perfectly righteous before God by our trust in Christ, without the aid of good works), but on the other hand…
Repentance requires a discernment of and submission to God’s incomparable power.
Clearly not every health crisis or sickness is a result of someone’s specific sin (cf. Jn.9:1-3; Job 1:1; et al.). On the other hand, sometimes they are. According to Hebrews 12, God’s protective and parental love is demonstrated…
As we advance the gospel, we must be ready to faithfully confront and correct those we lead to Christ, knowing that everyone will be tempted to fall into costly and corrupting sins.
Advancing the gospel must include a careful explanation of biblical repentance which calls everyone to a lifelong penitent submission to the King of kings.
Living in submission to the lordship of Christ may cost us now, but the eternal benefits purchased by his life, death, and resurrection far outweigh the value of living for ourselves.
As messengers of the gospel we must fully appreciate and clearly communicate, not only the eternal benefits of salvation, but also the present benefits of being a follower of Christ.
We, like Peter, must proclaim the offer of forgiveness in Christ by calling people to repentance and the hope of a promised future inheritance in God’s coming kingdom.
We have the great privilege of being the agents of God’s powerful saving gospel which convicts hearts, transforms minds, and integrates people into the life of the Church.
One of the most heartfelt Psalms as David cries out to God for forgiveness after he is confronted by Nathan for his sin with Bathsheba. Be encouraged by the forgiveness we have from God when we confess our sin to him and are made white as snow.
We are commissioned to bring the message of salvation to everyone, mindful that God will sovereignly choose to effectually empower our efforts as we are faithful to accurately relay the biblical gospel.
Responding rightly to Christ’s redemptive work should result in a growing love for God that produces good works, love for people, and a desire to obey the Bible’s commands.
We must be careful to consider the high cost of our redemption as Jesus suffered sin’s just penalty on the cross purchasing reconciliation for those who are truly penitent.