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Seeking Forgiveness
One humorous privilege dog owners enjoy is watching their pet respond to unfamiliar sounds. It’s almost impossible not to laugh when you see a dog cock its head to the side and stare with confused curiosity. These foreign sounds have a way of arresting a dog and captivating its attention. When I read through the gospel narratives, I can’t help but imagine a number of captivated and curious hearers when Jesus explained God’s Word to them. In the familiar section of Scripture called the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus walks through a number a Bible verses that His hearers knew … View Resource
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The Soft Prosperity Gospel
What do you think of when you read the words prosperity gospel? Odds are that your stomach turns a bit as you think about the preachers on television who speak to very large crowds and appeal to even more people in their books. Queasiness is the reaction one should have to the brand of Christianity trumpeted by prosperity preachers. This is because the prosperity gospel is not a gospel at all but rather a damnable perversion of the true gospel. Its preachers herald a message of self-improvement that runs painfully contrary to several key biblical realities. They minimize the … View Resource
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Hidden from the Wise
If we sit back in our chair and honestly contemplate the scope of the church, we find ourselves somewhat bewildered. It is clear that God’s agenda in and through the church is to showcase His manifold wisdom: “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10). At the same time, there are many people with tremendous influence and ability who are not believers. Do you ever wonder why God has chosen to pass by some with so much “promise” only to give new … View Resource
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The Ordinary Christian Pastor
When you read the word ordinary, what do you think of? Common synonyms include unimpressive, typical, normal, and common. As soon as you attach these synonyms to a noun, you will draw conclusions: My day was typical. The movie was unimpressive. The show was average. When we think about pastoral ministry we are tempted to do the same thing: My pastor is unimpressive; rather average actually, nothing special—he does not speak at conferences and has not written any books. He is just—well, ordinary. Here is the reality: an ordinary pastor is not likely to be esteemed … View Resource
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Gospel Footprints
One of the cultural plagues of the twenty-first century is our historical illiteracy. The comedian Jay Leno capitalizes on this when he asks random questions to people. Leno’s “Jaywalking” skits demonstrate that regular Americans are not up to speed with the basics of U.S. and world history. In one memorable scene, Leno asked someone to name one of the Ten Commandments. The reply: “Freedom of speech.” Enough said. I wonder how well church members would do if someone asked them questions about church history. Would they know the key players, dates, and issues? Does it even matter? Church history does … View Resource
Erik Raymond
Rev. Erik Raymond is senior pastor of Redeemer Fellowship Church in Boston, Mass. He is author of Chasing Contentment and blogs at Ordinary Pastor on The Gospel Coalition.
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