Month: February 2018

An Evil and Adulterous Generation

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The Argument Matthew 16:4 [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.”[/perfectpullquote] One of the ways many good Christians have attempted to combat continuationism in the church is … Read more

Preparing My Heart For Another Lord’s Day

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My heart aches for Sunday. If I’m honest, I don’t always have this longing as a Pastor. My old nature is very much active still. There are Saturday nights and Sunday mornings that I feel anxiety, worry, and even, dare I say, less-than-thrilled for our worship service. Those Unreliable Feelings Those feelings. Let me put it … Read more

Paul, Apostle of Christ – Movie Review

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Paul, Apostle of Christ still image

Update (26 March 2018): The review is now out! —GPO Due to a something called a “film embargo,” I have been asked to temporarily remove this review until the film releases March 28. I have never been involved in movie pre-screenings so I wasn’t even aware of this practice! I will say this: A lot of … Read more

How I Became a Reformed Baptist – Part 4

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This is the 4th and final post in a series on my journey to becoming a Reformed Baptist. If you haven’t read posts 1, 2, and 3 do so here, here, and here! 2018 is my 10 year anniversary of being a committed Reformed Southern Baptist. By Reformed Baptist I mean one who holds to … Read more

It Hurts Right Here

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The Problem A few months ago I developed a tightness in my right Achilles tendon when squatting. When I would hit the bottom of a squat, I would feel a burning sensation where the tendon attaches to my heel. Realizing it was not correct, I stopped achieving full range of motion and began to treat … Read more

Dispensing the Gospel to a Graduate

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Introduction

This is the first in a series of posts where I hope to provide training and encouragement to dear Christian brothers and sisters who want to dispense the gospel in various situations.

[bctt tweet=”For many people, giving the gospel to family and friends is especially difficult. The fear of offending the family member” username=”ThingsAboveBlog”]For many people, giving the gospel to family and friends is especially difficult. The fear of offending the family member is rational (that is, it’s likely they will be offended), and often overshadows the fear we have of the Lord’s wrath upon the sinner. Do I really want my cousin’s kid to get offended and then tell my cousin, who I’m not even that close with anymore, that I’m a religious nut? Should I be afraid to be accused of taking a time for celebration and turning it into my own personal, religious issue?

I hope that one’s desire to see the lost person saved and belief in the power of the gospel (Rom 10:17) is sufficient to get all of us to push past these fears and give out the gospel even in tough situations. Having prefaced the following with that, here is a sample letter to a recent graduate you can modify to your own liking. I also suggest a proper gift for the occasion, even if you have to ask someone to help you with that.

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How I Became a Reformed Baptist – Part 3

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If you haven’t read part 1 and 2 yet, you can do so here, and here. When my wife, son, and I moved to Taylorsville, KY, we were ready to conquer the world. The church there loved us well, and we made lasting friendships. My other mission that summer began once I discovered Southern Seminary … Read more

Brady Is Not The GOAT, But Super Bowl LII Was

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I’m old enough to remember a time when the running joke was about people being more excited for the commercials than the game. The games were routinely lopsided and the commercials, in my nostalgic mind, were hysterical. I don’t know how true that is. From 1985 (the year I was born) to 1997, there were … Read more

You Can’t Make Jesus Lord of Your Life

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We have some young men in our congregation whom I’ve started texting a Bible thought each morning, usually from my own time in the Word. The other morning I was reading the 29th Psalm. Verse 10 says: The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever. Of this passage, W.S. … Read more