Helping you grow in God's all-sufficient grace and truth
“Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors.” – Psalm 119:24
FOUR SUBJECTIVE MEANS OF GUIDANCE (cont’d) 3. Scripture-informed Conscience – A Scripture-informed conscience is also a means by which the Spirit guides our decision-making, especially in relation to the application of Christian liberty. Paul makes it clear in the book
Continue readingFOUR SUBJECTIVE MEANS OF GUIDANCE (cont’d) 2. Providential Circumstances – Providential circumstances are events which are sovereignly orchestrated by God. The New Testament missionaries referred to these as “open and closed doors” of ministry. Paul asked the Colossian believers to
Continue readingIt was a very busy, but profitable few days in Moscow, Russia this past weekend. A room at the main headquarters of the Baptist Union was reserved for the parenting seminar, which lasted from 2-6 pm. As usual, the Russian
Continue readingPart 1 of this series established the written Word of God as the only trustworthy, objective standard of guidance for the believer. Now let’s explore four other means of divine guidance that function in subordination to the written revelation of
Continue readingA biblical theology of guidance allows for two categories of means by which God directs His children: objective and subjective. There is one objective means of guidance and four subjective. ONE OBJECTIVE MEANS OF GUIDANCE The one objective, unchanging standard
Continue readingIt’s essential to counsel one other with this truth: Now that we are believers in Christ, we need to discipline ourselves to re-orient every part of our lives under 2 Corinthians 5:14–15: “For the love of Christ controls us, having
Continue readingThe posts for the next 10 days are set to publish on their own while I am traveling and teaching in Russia. As my schedule and Internet connection allow I may post occasionally from over the pond to let you
Continue readingWe reject the claims of Open Theism, an aberrant view of God that has been popularized in the past two decades. The chief proponents of this heretical view of God include Clark Pinnock (now deceased), Greg Boyd, John Sanders, and
Continue readingAs a biblical counselor for over 20 years, and author/editor of counseling resources, I have the privilege to attend quite a few counseling conferences. As I reflect on a number of them over the past few years there are some
Continue readingIn the year 844, Pope Gregory IV ordered the celebration of a feast day every year on November 1st. It was to be known as All Saints Day. The purpose of this day was to honor Roman Catholic saints throughout
Continue readingYesterday’s post was based on 1 Peter 5:1-5 and explained two of three duties of church shepherds. Today, we will look at the third duty as well as the reward that awaits those who are faithful. 3. Not lording it
Continue readingTwo previous local-church-related posts have received much attention in recent weeks: 6 Reasons to be a Faithful Member of a Local Church 8 Responsibilities of Church Members to their Leaders Today and tomorrow we will take a brief look at
Continue readingPink ribbons and grocery bags are everywhere because it’s National Breast Cancer Awareness month. But perhaps you don’t know there is an excellent mini-book that addresses this topic from a biblical perspective. HELP! I Have Breast Cancer, written by survivor Brenda
Continue readingFor the past couple weeks I’ve been meditating on the book of 1 Peter during my morning devotional time. One passage in particular that “drew me in” for two days is 1 Peter 3:1-6, a passage that is often turned
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According to the New Testament, the members of a local church have at least eight ongoing responsibilities to their shepherds. We find the first two in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian church. Responsibility #1: To appreciate them (1 Thessalonians
Continue readingIn 8 days, my wife and I leave for Russia. I’ve lost count of how many trips I’ve made, but this one will be extra-special since it will be Karen’s first time in the former Soviet Union. The day after
Continue readingAsking Good Questions – Counseling one another well requires that we learn to ask good, thought-provoking, heart-searching questions. This article gives us some good pointers. The Sin of Insecurity – It may be counterintuitive, but according to the Bible, insecurity
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Cherishing our pet sin is like craving to eat our own, warm vomit. I’m sorry to be so gross, but that is biblical imagery. Proverbs 26:11 says, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats
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By God’s grace, I’m a husband, dad, grandpa, and pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Mayfield Hts, OH. I love Christ because He first loved me.
