Good leaders are good listeners. If you want to be effective in ministry, you’ll need to be a good listener first. Probably the greatest reason people fail in ministry is not immorality, a lack of intelligence, or poor planning. It’s insensitivity. Most of us simply talk too much. James 1:19 (NIV) says, “Everyone should be […]
Matthew 6 – The Lord’s Prayer (pt4 of 4)
Quick Recap 1) The first litmus test–Christianity is not a show. It’s not a performance. Don’t live before men. 2) Related to this, the second litmus test–a Christian knows how to cultivate a secret faith before God. 3) The third litmus test–a Christian is one who lives out his faith publicly in the world. As […]
Matthew 6 – The Lord’s Prayer (pt3 of 4)
The fifth litmus test–a Christian is someone who is concerned about God’s name and His kingdom. Verse 9. We start with acknowledging who we are talking to. Our Father in heaven. He is the Creator, we are the creature. We start by acknowledging the immense gap between us and God. God is not our buddy. […]
Matthew 6 – The Lord’s Prayer (pt2 of 4)
Christianity is not a show, it’s not a performance lived out before men. If the way of the Pharisee is pompous, trumpet sounding ostentation, then what is the way of a Christian? It’s the way of secrecy. This is the second litmus test. A Christian knows how to cultivate a secret faith before God. 3 […]
Matthew 6 – The Lord’s Prayer (pt1 of 4)
Today, we are going to cover the Lord’s Prayer. Read Matt 6:9-15. This chapter is packed. If you’ve been to church for a while, chances are, you’ve probably listened to sermons about the Lord’s Prayer, or storing up treasures in heaven, or seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness first. But what you may or may not […]
The Episcopal Church: a case study of the link between liberalism and decline
NY Times article by Ross Douthat IN 1998, John Shelby Spong, then the reliably controversial Episcopal bishop of Newark, published a book entitled “Why Christianity Must Change or Die.” Spong was a uniquely radical figure — during his career, he dismissed almost every element of traditional Christian faith as so much superstition — but most […]