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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 Gospel of Matthew

Stumbling blocks: how we live matters more than our words

Posted on June 27, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

Parents and church leaders, the best thing we can do for the next generation is to renounce our selfishness and come to meet Jesus at the Cross in humility and submission. We need to confess where we have compromised and seek to recover the ground that was lost. We want to hear the words of Matthew 25:21, “well done good and faithful slave.” We need to live lives that point to the reality of the Gospel.

Filed Under: Bible Reflection Tagged With: C. S. Lewis, Christian, Christianity, God, Gospel of Matthew, Jesus

Thoughts on Pharisaism inspired by Wendell Berry

Posted on May 15, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

Add or Subtract

Wendell Berry’s essay entitled “Damage” inspired thoughts about how church leaders can without intention cause damage by falling into the errors of Pharisaism.

Filed Under: Church Leadership Tagged With: God, Gospel of Matthew, Jesus, Moses, pharisee

Commission and commands – Priorities for the Church

Posted on April 12, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

The Great Commission is the foundational text on which the mission of the church should be based. Or is it? Is there something else that needs to take priority? I think there is.

Filed Under: Bible Reflection Tagged With: Christ, Evangelism, God, Gospel of Matthew, Great Commission, Jesus

Quality vs. quantity – thoughts on building the church

Posted on April 10, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 4 Comments

Gold Bars

Churches can be so enamored with numerical growth that the focus is on quantity and quality suffers. Heed the warning of Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.

Filed Under: Bible Reflection Tagged With: Bible, Church, God, Gospel of Matthew, Great Commission, Jesu, Jesus Christ

The God of new beginnings and second chances

Posted on March 1, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

Second Chance

Failure is a normal part of life. How does God respond to our failures? He gives a second chance and gives us the power to do better.

Filed Under: Bible Reflection Tagged With: Abraham, Christ, forgiveness, God, Gospel of Matthew, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Peter

Beware the leaven . . . thoughts on contemplative prayer

Posted on February 22, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

Philospher

Contemplative prayer has become a hot topic. My concern is that by applying labels and generalities we miss an opportunity to learn and grow. The danger is that we throw out the wheat along with the chaff.

Filed Under: Prayer Tagged With: Bible, Christianity, God, Gospel of Matthew, Jesus, pharisee, psalm

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Honesty in your Inbox

No wax fruit

I have a pear tree, an apple tree, and a cherry tree in my yard. If they were not producing fruit, I could go out and buy a bunch of wax apples, cherries and pears and hang them on the trees. This would make the trees look productive to those passing by, but wouldn’t fool anyone who took the time to take a closer look.

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An open letter to NBC – No more “America’s Got Talent” for me, thank-you

“America’s Got Talent” pushed me closer to disconnecting my cable service. NBC has proved that they cannot be trusted to determine what is appropriate for me or my family.

25

How does Christ fill the office of a priest?

Question 25 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, How does Christ fill the office of a priest?

Enemies of Faithfulness

There are many things that can be listed as potential enemies to faithfulness. For the purpose of this post I have chosen three that I think are significant. These three are: Lack of a prophetic voice Lack of discipline Lack of understanding Lack of a prophetic voice Ravi Zacharias has pointed out that one of […]

Not Yet

Living in the Not Yet

There are many places in Scripture where the phrase “how long, oh Lord” is expressed. This phrase exhibits a longing for change and protection. As I listen to news of the day I connect with this sentiment. There is much in our world that appears out of control and evil seems to win the day […]

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