Bible and Theology on Convictions

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Lord, may the gospel be to us more than

Keywords

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 1:5, Romans 1:16, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Acts 1:8, Romans 15:13

Lord, may the gospel be to us more than mere words. May the Holy Spirit produce in us strong conviction.

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A Conscience Held Captive by the Word of God

Author

R. C. Sproul

Keywords

Scripture

Jeremiah 20:7–11 , 1 Kings 22:13–28 , Exodus 32:19–26 , Acts 5:27–29, 2 Timothy 3:14–17, Psalm 119:89–93

When asked to recant of his writings, Luther replied, “Unless I am convinced by sacred Scripture or by evident reason, I cannot recant. For my conscience is held captive by the word of God and to act ...

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The Cost of Confession and Repentance

Author

Charles Colson

Keywords

Genuine confession and repentance can be costly, as I have discovered in dealing with offenders. Take the case of the young man in the Washington area, deeply involved with his church and solidly conv...

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Lord God, we acknowledge that your Word

Author

Paul Engle

Keywords

Lord God, we acknowledge that your Word is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. Your Word exposes us for what we really ar...

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Convicting God, your word tells us that

Author

Chip Hardwick

Keywords

Convicting God, your word tells us that the tongue is a fire, and we admit that it’s true. We say things that we should not say: words that tear down instead of building up; phrases that divide rather...

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Can you Grasp the Word of God?

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Jeremiah 20:9 , Deuteronomy 6:4–9, Isaiah 55:10–11, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16–17, Psalm 119:105

There’s a story that used to make the rounds about the German theologian Paul Tillich. Tillich’s theology was considered dangerous by many Christians in the U.S. Supposedly one time after delivering a...

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God's Word...

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 119:89, Isaiah 40:8, Matthew 5:18; 24:35, Hebrews 12:25- 28, 1 Peter 1:25

Addressing the clergy gathered at the Diet of Augsburg in 1530 was a pivotal moment in the Protestant Reformation. Luther wrote, “God’s Word is more ancient than you and will also be newer and more...

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Adapted from 1 John 2:1-17

Author

Austin D. Hill

Keywords

Scripture

John 2:1-17

Holy God, we have not lived in the light. We have not walked as Jesus did. We compromise all too often, living both for you and for ourselves. Your word calls us to account and your Holy Spirit convic...

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Adapted from Hebrews 4:12-13

Author

Charles Teixeira

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 4:12-13

Leader: The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the hea...

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Gracious Spirit, you are at work all

Author

Austin D. Hill

Keywords

Gracious Spirit, you are at work all around us. You prompt us to follow you, and you convict us when we have missed your leading. Please forgive us for the times that we miss your presence. Please hum...

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Lord–You speak, and things happen. At

Author

Richard Herman

Keywords

Lord–You speak, and things happen. At the beginning—you spoke and creation happened; and you keep on speaking, giving us promises we can count on, and admonitions to heed. When we need comfort—you spe...

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Author

Isabel Best

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 4:12

As Christians, we must read the Bible not only “for” ourselves, for nourishment and encouragement, but also “against” ourselves at times, to hear what God in Christ is really saying.

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The Courage of the First Disciples

Author

Charles Martin

Keywords

These disciples turned the world upside down because they saw a dead man come back to life by the power of God. And whatever that “knowing” and “seeing” did in them, it did it at a deep level because ...

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Disregarding God’s Prohibitions

Author

Mark D. Roberts

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 6:1-2, 1 John 1:9, 1 Corinthians 6:18, James 1:14-15, Matthew 5:27-28, Hebrews 13:4, Proverbs 6:32

Some years ago I had a pastoral relationship with a couple of people who were deeply in love with each other. They believed that God wanted them to get married so they could consummate their love. The...

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They Came for Me

Author

Martin Niemoeller

Keywords

Scripture

James 2:15-16, Hebrews 13:3, Matthew 25:35-36, Micah 6:8, Jeremiah 22:3

In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the...

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Hearing the Confessions of the Poor

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

John 13:14-15, James 2:13, Isaiah 58:7, Matthew 5:3, Psalm 34:18, Luke 7:47-48

Angela’s Ashes took the publishing world by storm when it was released in September 1996. It won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize in the category of Biography/Autobiography. It was also a...

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Lord of families, tribes, peoples,

Author

Richard Herman

Keywords

Scripture

Galatians 5:1

Lord of families, tribes, peoples, nations and all the world: it’s for freedom You’ve set us free from sin, guilt, and judgment; free to do what is right and just, what is compassionate, gracious and ...

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Lord—you not only know all things...

Author

Richard Herman

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 28:19-20, Isaiah 41:10, John 11:25-26, James 5:14-15, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Lord—you not only know all things... You notice all things. You notice when we are joyful—and You laugh, too. You notice when we are in grief or despair—and you cry with us. When we are alone or confu...

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What About Weddings? A Practical Guide for Ministry Leaders

Author

Richard Herman

Keywords

Weddings

Would You Rather Do a Funeral? A wedding or a funeral? Most seasoned pastors will say, “Hands down, I’d rather do a funeral.” When you ask “Why?” you will most likely hear things like: Everybody...

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How to Celebrate World Communion Sunday

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

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The first Sunday in October is World Communion Sunday. It is a day to use the Lord's Supper, our common meal, to remember that the Church is one body. But it's not always clear how to cele...

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Author

Darrell W. Johnson

Keywords

First, the quality Jesus blesses in the third Beatitude has nothing to do with all the negative images triggered by the English word “meek.” Although it is a challenge to pin down the exact meaning of...

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Author

Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice

Keywords

Diversity and Inclusion

Too often “diversity” becomes a cheap form of coalition building by essentially silencing difference, as in interreligious efforts that presume all religions are basically the same. An authentic way t...

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Gentleness: The Indespensable Trait of True Christians

Author

Ray Ortlund

Keywords

Gentleness

Scripture

Matthew 11:29

One of Christianity’s most brilliant theologians, Jonathan Edwards, taught us that gentleness—he called it “a lamblike, dovelike spirit”—is not an optional extra but instead is “the true and distingui...

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Traversing a Timeless Biblical Demand & Our Particular Place and Time

Author

Tim Muehlhoff and Richard Langer

Keywords

During the 1992 presidential election, I (Rick) was directing the small group ministry at our church. Bill Clinton was running against George H. W. Bush, and given that many evangelicals found Bill Cl...

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Searching for Meaning

Author

Richard J. Foster

Keywords

In the wake of the violence of the Bolshevik Revolution, a member of the Russian Imperial Diplomatic Corps emigrated with his family to Paris. His teenage son found himself adrift in the sudden shift ...

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Smoke Machines in Worship?

Author

Manuel Luz

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My teenage son, Justin, had been invited to an area church by a friend. Since he had grown up as a PK (pastor’s kid) and had never been to a megachurch like this before, I wondered what impression it ...

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Sex is Not Just About Sex

Author

Christopher West

Keywords

…the body is not only biological. Since we’re made in the image of God as male and female, the body…is also theological. It tells an astounding divine story. And it does so precisely through the myste...

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A Firm Conviction

Author

Ben Patterson

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 40:28-31, Ephesians 3:20-21, Psalm 147:5, James 1:5, Proverbs 3:5-6

The foundation of faith is a firm conviction regarding three things about God—his perfect love, wisdom and power. Like a three-legged stool, no combination of two will do. There must be all three for ...

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Author

James C. Howell

Keywords

Scripture

1 Corinthians 15:4

The Creed was the focused, worshipful expression of people whose lives had been totally transformed by the Bible and by the risen Jesus Christ. The Creed’s words are not windows with the shutters pull...

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Author

C. S. Lewis

Keywords

Fine feelings, new insights, greater interest in 'religion' mean nothing unless they make our actual behavior better.... When we Christians behave badly, or fail to behave well, we are making ...

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