Summary: In the character chains from Peter and James, we learn how God strengthens our faith with adversity, like weights on our muscles. They challenge us to grow in the pains of trials and struggles of this life. Introduction In my last post, I talked about the first two character…
Summary: No one likes to go through trials, suffering, and pain. But God can use these trials to strengthen the faith and character of Jesus’s disciples, and make us more like Jesus. Introduction In my last post, I talked about God’s goals in our spiritual formation. In this post, I…
Summary: I look at some of God’s goals and making us spiritually formed to look like Christ. Every disciple of Jesus learns God's goals through a lifetime how to grow closer to the image and example of Jesus. Introduction In my last post, I concluded my teaching on the Sermon…
Summary: Jesus concludes His Sermon on the Mount with three illustrations of two ways. One way leads to eternal destruction while the other way leads to eternal life. Jesus describes the disciples who have an eternal destiny with Him, the ones He knows by name. Introduction In my last post,…
Summary: Jesus teaches the golden rule in a different way than anyone before Him. It sounds like it appeals to our selfishness, but it spurs us on to treat one another better, to consider another person’s needs before our own and fulfill them. Introduction In my last post, I finished…
Summary: We have already looked at Jesus’s open invitation to increase our faith and pray for anything. But in this second part of Jesus’s teaching, we learn that there are criterion for how to pray for any request and see God answer that prayer. Introduction In my last post, I…
Summary: Jesus’s teaching on asking, seeking, and knocking for our prayer requests challenges our faith, and gives us an open door to ask for more than we can imagine. Introduction In my last post, I talked about what Jesus really means when he says we shouldn’t judge others. In this…
Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay Summary: We don’t always know how to go about conforming to Christ or being spiritually formed. Here are some action steps to implement along the path to healthy spiritual formation. Introduction In my last post, I discussed what Jesus does in our salvation. But…
Image by skalekar1992 from Pixabay Summary: We begin our new series on spiritual formation by defining it and talking about how to be spiritually formed in Christ. Introduction I honor parents because they have the incredibly hard job of bringing their children into adult maturity. These children must grow and…
Would there Biblically be strings attached to free grace? Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a book called “The Cost of Discipleship” where he talked about the idea that free grace is not free. Jesus died on the cross to bring us grace. When we treat it like free grace, we belittle his…