Spiritual Growth / Spiritual Fruit

  • The Heresy of Self-Centeredness by John MacArthur

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2012

    Self-centeredness has no place in the church. That ought to go without saying. But from the dawn of the Apostolic era until today, self-love in all its forms has plagued the fellowship of the saints. A classic early example of …Read More

  • Self-Centeredness in the Family by Richard Phillips

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2012

    How can we be so self-centered if we are a Christian family?” This lament has been uttered in virtually every Christian home, and with good reason. Every family, non- Christian and believing, is afflicted with the corruption of sin. Just …Read More

  • Pray the Scriptures by Scotty Smith

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2012

    I am a recovering self-centered pragmatic pray-er — a believer who spent many of my first years in Christ thinking of God more as a sugar daddy than the sovereign Father. Prayer, for me, had more in common with programming a …Read More

  • Soft Hearts, Solid Spines by Joe Holland

    FROM TABLETALK | February 2012

    The Internet allows unprecedented opportunity for communication between Christians from different theological traditions. The results have not been pretty. Comment threads are the Devil’s playground and blogs his amusement park. And even if we exclude online media, theological bickering …Read More

  • Love That Is Patient and Kind by R.C. Sproul

    FROM TABLETALK | September 2012

    First Corinthians 13 is one of the most famous passages in all of Scripture, for in it the Apostle Paul gives us a marvelous exposition of the character of godly love. He starts by showing the importance of love, writing …Read More

  • Love’s Shroud by Ray Ortlund

    If, as Jonathan Edwards proposed, heaven is “a world of love,” then love is pure, intense, and uncommon. But even here in this world, God wants us to display something of His heavenly love: “Above all, keep loving one another …Read More

  • Christianity, Unplugged by K. Scott Oliphint

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2012

    When was the last time you withdrew? Not the last time you were the only person in the room or in the house — when was the last time you withdrew from contact with anyone else? Jesus “would withdraw” from the …Read More

  • The Egocentric Predicament by Kelly Kapic

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2012

    Who is the center of your life? Is your answer Jesus, or is it your children, your friends, or your spouse? What if I told you that the answer to that question is you? And what if I said that …Read More

  • Salt of the Earth by Phil Johnson

    FROM TABLETALK | January 2012

    “You are the salt of the earth… . You are the light of the world… . Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5 …
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  • We Shall Be Changed by Michael Beates

    FROM TABLETALK | April 2001

    I am a forty-something adult. I have arrived at that place in life where I am losing weight in my legs while my midsection seems to gain every bit of that lost weight and more. I upgraded (or downgraded) to …Read More

  • Cultural Narcissism and a Titanic Lesson by Harry Reeder

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2012

    In the inky darkness of April 15, 1912, the Titanic, billed as “the ship that even God could not sink,” plunged into the icy waters of the North Atlantic, its hull split in two. Amazingly, the lost consisted of men …Read More

  • Every Conflict Is a Test by Alexander Strauch

    FROM TABLETALK | August 2012

    The New Testament does not hide the fact that nearly every church in the Apostolic age experienced conflict. As the New Testament writers addressed these matters, they provided invaluable instruction on how believers are to think, act, and treat one …Read More