by Pastor Curt on November 30, 2009
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Christ's person and work, discouragement, faith, holiness, spiritual warfare, weariness
And make no mistake about it. The Christian life is a struggle, a battle, a war. Paul made clear to the church of Ephesus that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in [...]
by Pastor Curt on November 30, 2009
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Evangelism, gospel, Missions, persecution
Oh, my, the gospel is indeed the power of God unto salvation for those who believe! I read this report today in Voice of the Martyrs’ Newsletter, December, 2009 issue about the current spiritual climate in Iran, third on the world watch list of countries most likely to persecute Christians: There is a revolution going on [...]
by Pastor Curt on November 28, 2009
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Advent, Christmas, Handel, incarnation, Messiah, worship
Tomorrow marks the first Sunday of Advent, 2009. The Advent season in the church year covers the four Sundays before Christmas, as well as Christmas Eve. Throughout the season we prepare our hearts for the worship of Christ for the gift of His incarnation. We begin this journey of faith tomorrow morning at 9:30 with what I [...]
by Pastor Curt on November 27, 2009
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discipleship, Missions, persecuted church, suffering
It’s Friday. Last week I called it “Freeloader Friday.” It’s my day off so I am borrowing from the work of others to post today. But after watching this piece on Timmy Brister’s blog, I couldn’t bear to make light of things at all in the subject line. As we enter another Advent season [...]
by Pastor Curt on November 26, 2009
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When the apostle Paul finally leaves behind his personal remarks and begins to give instruction to Timothy with respect to right conduct in the church of the living God he starts with the priority of prayer. First Timothy 2:1 says, First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all [...]
by Pastor Curt on November 25, 2009
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God's love, humility, pride, Puritans, sin, thanksgiving
The day before Thanksgiving seems to make such a question advisable. The Puritan Thomas Watson contended in his book, The Godly Man’s Picture, that, among other things, the goldy man is indeed a thankful man. Toward the close of his chapter on that notion, he raises the practical question as to what shall godly men, and [...]
by Pastor Curt on November 25, 2009
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Twice today I heard the dreaded “C” word. Someone I talked to lost his relatively young brother to pancreatic cancer a few days ago. Someone else recently got a diagnosis of a rare form of the disease. Her tumors inside are growing like crazy. I always say the same thing. Stupid disease. How excited can you [...]
by Pastor Curt on November 24, 2009
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addiction, grace, heresy, knowledge of God, peace, sanctification, sin, thanksgiving
Among the things I give thanks to God for this Thanksgiving week is the grace He has given in delivering me over the years from enslaving sin. How does that happen? We find a significant key in Peter’s second epistle. Second Peter addresses a threat to the church of Jesus Christ in Peter’s day in [...]
by Pastor Curt on November 23, 2009
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powe, promises of God, Puritans, spiritual warfare, strength, suffering, waiting on God
For some reason I’ve made it a habit to turn to the Puritans first thing each morning this year in my abiding in Christ time. Moody Press published a collection of daily readings in spiritual warfare from the writings of William Gurnall called The Christian in Complete Armour (1994). Numerous times the meditations within its pages [...]
by Pastor Curt on November 22, 2009
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adoption, God's love, inheritance, Trinity
Earlier this week I made a post quoting from J. I. Packer regarding the doctrine of adoption and the way we are loved by God as sons because of being in Christ through faith. God receives us as sons, and loves us with the same steadfast affection with which he eternally loves his beloved only-begotten. [...]
