Search Results

The Way, the Truth, and the Life Musicians Stuart Townend and Keith Getty wrote the powerful worship song, “In Christ Alone.” The final verse proclaims: “No guilt in life, no fear in death This is the power of Christ in me. From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck...

The Good Shepherd In his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller describes the peril of a “cast sheep,” that is, a sheep that’s fallen flat on its back and cannot get back up on its own. In this position, it’s an easy target for predators such as buzzards and wolves. And, if not rescued within a short time, it will die. Gas spreads...

The Model for Servanthood How soon we forget the lessons we are taught! During the Last Supper, Jesus’ disciples argued about which of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24–27). Like many, they anticipated a Messiah who would liberate them from Roman rule and establish a kingdom, and they wanted powerful positions. They each considered themselves...

Our Great High Priest In Tell It Slant, Eugene Peterson advised reading Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17 with a calm and attentive heart: “Jesus is no longer talking to us. Jesus is talking to the Father. Jesus is praying. He prays a long time. This is holy ground. We find ourselves embraced in a holy listening. We are in a place...

The Church’s Big Task In recent years the “gig economy” or “sharing economy” has become so prevalent that, according to Pew research, 72 percent of American adults have used one of its sharing or on-demand services. Every day, companies like Uber, Thumbtack, and TaskRabbit match available workers with jobs. As an apostle, Paul had been given...

We Have the Words of Life The famous nineteenth-century preacher Charles Spurgeon was once asked how he would defend the Bible against its critics. He responded, “Open the door and let the lion out; he will take care of himself.” As we begin the work of evangelism, we often find ourselves already discouraged. We recognize our own shortcomings,...

Repent and Believe When a friend, family member, or coworker announces, “I’m expecting a baby!” or “I’m going to be married!” we cannot ignore their joyful news. Instead, we break into a smile of delight and offer a heartfelt, “Congratulations!” Sharing the news of God’s love doesn’t simply end with announcing the glorious truth of Christ’s...

An Evangelist’s Heart: Humility “Secure your own oxygen mask before assisting other passengers.” These instructions are familiar to anyone who has traveled on a commercial airplane in recent years. In order to be useful to other people, travelers should first make sure they have what they need to breathe. In order to effectively evangelize...

An Evangelist’s Heart: Joy In an 1850 letter to her publisher, George Smith, English novelist Charlotte Brontë wrote: “Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.” As we will see in today’s passage too, our happiness in our salvation should necessarily overflow into sharing—and this makes our joyful experience...

An Evangelist’s Heart: Sorrow In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively legalized abortion until the third trimester of pregnancy with its ruling in Roe v. Wade. Cardinal Terence Cooke spoke for many when he lamented the decision to The New York Times as “an unspeakable tragedy.” In days to come, groups opposed to abortion would begin to...