Ray Ortlund observes that adding a qualifier to describe what sort of Christian you think you are can lead to a form of legalism that actually makes the qualifier more important than the Christian. Whenever we put a qualifier in front of the noun “Christian,” we might be inserting legalism. But we might not be. …
An interesting post by Tim Keller in which he unpacks why Christians can live for long periods of time with serious character flaws being ignored and unacknowledged. Our natural virtues, which come from inborn temperament and family nurture—such as our talents, aptitudes, and strengths—are good things. But they each have a dark side. People with …
At Thom Rainer’s blog, Chuck Lawless offers these ten characteristics of churches that experienced turnarounds after periods of decline. Their presence should be a cause of hope in churches who aspire for fruitful growth. The leader is preaching the Bible. Numerical growth can occur without preaching the Word, but genuine personal and congregational transformation doesn’t …
Preachers should take more satisfaction from their sermons being a means of change in people’s lives rather than people simply being able to remember their detail. Now this shouldn’t be seen as an either/or situation. Hopefully we’re striving for a both/and. But pastors should be more encouraged about the steady growth of a local church …
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