TwelveTwelve: The Leader Blog of North Wake Church

Read: Romans 8:13-17 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons[a] of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Reflection Over the years I’ve observed that Christians who’ve come to grips with having been adopted by their earthly parents frequently display unusually

Read: Romans 8:1-13 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,

5 Ways Christians are Different in Generosity If you're a parent, you probably have the goal of leaving something to your kids. Recent research at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) shows that about 70% of wealth transfers -- such as donating a sum of money to a charity, or passing on money to descendants -- leads to some kind of major problem. Often those problems created are major issues with family harmony. How much sorrow is created when giving goes wrong! The world's way of handling money is primarily about the good it brings to the person with

For Paul Oh, Paul.  Poor, poor Paul.  Apostle most controversial and difficult in so many ways.  The length of your sentences has made many a reader throw up his hands.  Your instructions…well, let’s just say they have caused many a debate.  I’ve heard plenty of people say they just avoid your letters.  And yet, Romans 7 could make a person feel a little tender toward you. “15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I

United to Christ in Death Means Freedom From the Sentence of the Law Read:  Romans 7:1-6 Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if

Recently, I have been reading a book by Dr. Ferguson titled Union with Christ: The Blessings of Being in Him. As I listened to Pastor Larry preach this past Sunday, I was reminded of what I had been reading and thinking through as I have slowly gone through this book. This week, a cold has hit our house, so instead of trying to write a Meditation for Preparation, I thought the podcast linked below would be a good follow up to what Larry preached. If you don't normally listen to this podcast, I would highly encourage you to do so; it is a great way to start your morning. I would also encourage you to grab

Come Along and Bring Your Tools Read: Romans 6:1-14 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly

For Those Who Know How To Mess Up Read: Romans 5:12-21 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more

Side by Side in Exodus 35 Whenever you are seeking to have another person see your perspective, it can be helpful to state the facts and the things you can agree about. Think about it this way. I say that Chocolate Cake is a denser cake than Caramel Cake. This isn’t a negative against chocolate cake; it's just my thoughts on the density of these two cakes. To help you see my point of view, I will start with things we can agree on. We agree that cake is delicious, that both chocolate and caramel cakes are delicious, and that both cakes are better than angel food cake. I

Distinct by Design, United by Mission God's story is full of happy groupings of men and women that help and support each other.  The first words of the Bible introduce us to the One God, seen as a Spirit over the world. Later we learn of the person of the Son, and further God reveals himself in the person of the Father. They seem to specialize in their tasks, with God the Father loving and ruling, the Son creating and redeeming, and the Spirit helping people to understand, drawing their eyes back to God. This One true God called