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Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
Home Archives for Christian Life

On the pursuit of pleasure

Posted on July 3, 2018 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

Meatloaf

I am not the first to make the point that idolatry can entail taking good things and making them into ultimate things. Or to put it another way, we should not confuse means and ends. I was thinking about this with reference to physical pleasures. Too often, the response of the church to the danger […]

Filed Under: Christian Life

If you are discouraged about church . . .

Posted on October 13, 2016 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

Blocks spelling the word Church

If you are discouraged about church, it may be that your expectations are too high.

Church is not a gathering of the mature. Church is not a gathering of the wise. Church is not a gathering of the beautiful.

Church is a gathering of those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Christian Life Tagged With: Church, discouraged, expectations

A checklist for the church

Posted on September 22, 2015 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

Checklist

In looking at all of these questions, I realize that there is a gap between my behavior and my belief. I believe in God’s love, I know that I am forgiven, I know that God is in control and I know that I have received and am to give grace. Yet, I do not always live according to that knowledge.

Filed Under: Christian Life Tagged With: checklist, Church, Gospel

Root causes of legalism

Posted on July 13, 2015 Written by Mark McIntyre 5 Comments

Legalism

The result of legalism is that those who are in the system cannot become what God intends them to be. Rather than a deepening understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, legalists are satisfied with rule keeping.

Filed Under: Christian Life Tagged With: bondage, freedom, Gospel, legalism

Boldly Broadcasting

Posted on March 3, 2014 Written by Bob Myers 2 Comments

Broadcasting

I believe that everywhere Jesus went He found a way to make an impact on a man, woman, or child. Although the gospel writers make it clear that He preached and taught multitudes, it’s amazing how much of the gospels focuses on one on one encounters with Jesus that you and I can easily identify with and replicate.

Filed Under: Christian Life, Guest Post Tagged With: boldness, broadcasting, impact, witness

Ism’s that replace the Gospel

Posted on August 19, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 5 Comments

The lies that capture us as Christians usually seem to fit well within the borders of our Christianity. Perhaps postmodernism and sexual immorality are not the greatest threats to the church of Christ in our day. Perhaps we are in more danger from the subtle lies that flow from subtle shifts in how we understand the gospel. We have not forsaken the faith, but we may have redefined it in ways that are fundamentally different from the gospel laid out in Scripture.

Filed Under: Christian Life

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The letter I

A difficult transition

I have nearly completed my sixth decade of life, nearly all of it as a believer, yet I find myself trying to earn the approval of both God and the people around me. I need to transition from trying to earn God’s approval to responding to the love and acceptance that I already have. Rather than an initiator, I need to be a responder.

Leaving a healthy legacy

To me, the difference lies in a fundamental desire to teach and live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ without adding to it or subtracting from it. You might think this an oversimplification, but hear me out.

Easter

Easter should blow our minds

But this is exactly what we celebrate at Easter. Jesus came back from being dead and caused a stir in Jerusalem one Sunday morning. This event should cause us to ask all sorts of questions if we are really connecting with what happened.

Initiator

God is the initiator

We are wilfully ignorant of God. We are ignorant because we choose to be. The coming of Jesus confronts us in our rebellion and forces us to make a choice. We can choose to remain as we are or engage in the process of learning to respond to God’s initiative.

Summum Bonum

The Church and Summum bonum

When a visitor comes to your church, what would they perceive is the summum bonum of your group? Does the visitor feel loved? Does the visitor see the work of God in the lives of the congregants?

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