Friends,
Welcome back!
I hope you are challenged by this post.
Please continue to change your world.
Bob
Link to a previous post on my blog.
Bible Study: Are there some things too evil for Jesus to heal?
Is there such a thing as ultimate uncleanness?
Links to things I’ve read recently.
Euthanizing a Toddler Is Not Compassionate
“The 1-year-old Dutch child was determined to have “no prospect of improvement.” My elementary-aged daughter has the same diagnosis.”
Is Jesus REALLY God? Why Three “Chapter Ones” Blew Up My Old View Of Jesus
“As a cold‑case detective, I don’t have the luxury of fuzzy categories. Either a suspect was in the car or not in the car. Either a defendant is the killer or not the killer. When I turned that same approach toward the question of Jesus’ identity, I tried something simple: limit the “case file” to just three New Testament chapters and ask, “What do these actually say?”
Those three chapters are John 1, Colossians 1, and Hebrews 1. I sometimes call them the “three chapter ones” that settle the question. If you lost the rest of the New Testament and only had these three chapters, what conclusion would you reasonably reach about Jesus?”
In the light of eternity: A wife’s faith through her husband’s young-onset dementia
“At 62, Beth got her first tattoo to remind herself that dementia will not have the final word.
The tattoo says “Quid hoc ad aeternitatem,” which means “What is this in the light of eternity?” or “What does this matter to eternity”?
The precise origin of the phrase is uncertain, but it is widely associated with St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a French Cistercian monk and theologian who died in 1153.
Bernard used this question to put life’s troubles into perspective.
Or as Beth said: “It’s an introspective reflection to weigh temporary, earthly troubles against the vastness of eternal life.”
Unclear Evangelism Leads to Unclear (and False) Conversions
“Abstract: John Lee explains how bad evangelistic methods and approaches can lead to false conversions. When we are unclear about the urgency of conversion, the cost of conversion, or the accountability that should accompany conversion, we risk leaving people deceived about their eternal state. Ultimately, our job is simply to proclaim the gospel clearly, trust God to open people’s hearts to the truth, and provide ongoing discipleship to those who respond in repentance and faith.”
Learning from King David’s Midlife Failure
“David’s lack of attention to his calling put him in a situation in which he was vulnerable to temptation, which resulted in his wicked liaison with Bathsheba.
The fall of David reminds us that no one is immune to the dangers of spiritualcomplacency, regardless of past faithfulness, accomplishments, or years of service toGod. The question is not whether we have been faithful in the past, but whether we areremaining faithful today.”
How to Deliver a Difficult Message by Speaking Truth in Love
“God has placed us in the body of Christ (a.k.a. the Church) so we can help one another mature and grow in Christlikeness (Eph 4:14–15). Often growth involves hearing hard truths.
Sometimes we need to have difficult conversations, such as when a spouse does or says hurtful things, a close friend makes harmful decisions, or an employee isn’t performing to standards.”
“We only grow as we remain connected to Christ and draw our nourishment from Him. It is this connection that enables us to live lives of eternal value for the Kingdom. Only our union with Jesus, accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit and received through saving faith, allows us to share in the benefits of our Savior’s finished work.
Central to this is the gift of unrestricted access we have to the Father, with an Advocate who lives forever to make intercession for His people. Communion with God is made possible by our union with Christ. And prayer is the privilege of God’s children that enables us to enjoy this fellowship and lay hold of the blessings we have been given in Him.
The longer I am a follower of Christ, the more I realize how far I have to go in understanding the magnitude of this privilege.”
Is Every Believer a Missionary?
“I’ve often heard the assertion that every believer is a missionary. In fact, a church I know and love posts a sign for all to see as they leave the property, stating, “You are now entering the mission field.” I love the heart behind these words. The truth is that Christ calls all of his followers to make disciples. But does that mean that every believer should bear the title of missionary? I would argue that the answer is no, for the following four reasons:”
Where Does the Gospel Still Need to Go?
“At the end of the 1700s, the search for the missions frontier focused on geographic places and geopolitical nations that had little to no access to the gospel. Nearly two hundred years later, Ralph Winter pressed the global church’s thinking further than mere geography when he coined the term “hidden peoples.”1 This term recognized more barriers — linguistic, sociocultural, ethnic, and tribal — to gospel access than mere geography or nationality. Such an approach prompted global research and the production of various lists of apparently distinct people groups.2 Following Winter’s “hidden peoples” approach, the frontiers of missions came to be defined as those people groups with the least access to the gospel.”
Where the Story of Jesus Begins
“We might think that the story of Jesus begins when we get to the Gospels. But the Gospel writers work from Genesis to introduce us to Jesus, the Christ.”
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