Matthew 5:1-12, Kingdom NT When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the hillside and sat down. His disciples came to him. He took a deep breath, and began his teaching: “Blessings on the poor in spirit! The kingdom of heaven is yours. “Blessings on the mourners! You’re going to be comforted. “Blessings on theContinue reading “Breviary on the Beatitudes”
Category Archives: The Gospel
Sermon: It’s hard to live in a world where life isn’t fair
SERMON: Matthew 20:1-16 ‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in theContinue reading “Sermon: It’s hard to live in a world where life isn’t fair”
Scott Lencke: The Problem with Being “Gospel-Centered”
Note from CM: Thanks to Scott Lencke for today’s post. Scott blogs at The Prodigal Thought. • • • The Problem with Being “Gospel-Centered” By Scott Lencke Over the past decade or so, many churches in America have been espousing that they are “gospel-centered.” Just as in culture, there are many buzzwords within the church:Continue reading “Scott Lencke: The Problem with Being “Gospel-Centered””
Another Look: It’s a Wonderful Gospel
What do you need when you have spent your whole life giving to others, sacrificing your dreams to do the responsible thing, being the person others count on when the chips are down; when you are tired of being “that guy” that everyone looks to but no one appreciates? What do you need when youContinue reading “Another Look: It’s a Wonderful Gospel”
NT Wright: The Problem = Abandoning Our Vocation
Set forth the goal accurately and diagnose the problem correctly, and you have a much better chance of finding the right solution. I’m currently reading the first part of N.T. Wright’s new book, The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’s Crucifixion, and I find his diagnosing skills and his ability to communicate his findingsContinue reading “NT Wright: The Problem = Abandoning Our Vocation”
We’ve Missed the Gospel
Another week, another period of racial tension and outrage in the United States. As I write these words, this report appears at CBS News: In cities across the country, protesters pounded the pavement to express their heartbreak, fury and frustration over the murders of two unarmed black men, Alton Sterling and Philander Castile, this week. Video footage of both murders,Continue reading “We’ve Missed the Gospel”
This is the Gospel?
No one in the Bible, when described in a judgment scene, is asked if they accepted, trusted, or embraced the soterian gospel. In other words, “Did you accept Jesus into your heart consciously?” or “Did you walk the aisle to receive Christ?” or “Did you accept that Christ was your righteousness?” No one. • ScotContinue reading “This is the Gospel?”
Epiphany III: I wonder…
Epiphany III I wonder… Luke 4:14-20 (NRSV) 14Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to theContinue reading “Epiphany III: I wonder…”
Richard Beck on a faith of deepening contrasts
The following is a quote from a recent post by Richard Beck at his blog, Experimental Theology. I encourage you to click the link and read the entire piece. It’s especially fun the way he teases out his point with references to Johnny Cash, Dorothy Day, and Flannery O’Connor. He describes a phenomenon I’ve seenContinue reading “Richard Beck on a faith of deepening contrasts”
Sundays with Michael Spencer: November 1, 2015
A church-planting friend just wrote me about a conference he’s attended in one of our state Baptist conventions. Plant those churches, boys, was the rallying cry, but stay out of those pubs. Take the Gospel into the world, but stay out of anyplace that serves beer. That’s someone’s version of how the Gospel applies toContinue reading “Sundays with Michael Spencer: November 1, 2015”
The Internet Monk Archives 