Some Kindling for Your Embers
Article by John Piper; Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org Read: Mark 11:1-25 We all feel small. That’s because we are small. John Piper may seem like a big fish in the little evangelical pond. But in the ocean of the world, I am statistically a nobody. But we are attached to the Creator of the world through his Son Jesus, and we are part of his global purpose for all nations that cannot be stopped. Fire Up Your Hope Take three minutes and let yourself feel the astonishing and invincible plans for all the nations of the world. When Paul had finished
Should Christians Be On Social Media
While many Christians avoid Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, pastor and author Paul Tripp has confessed his love for social media. Social Media, he argues, can be used as a tool for the teaching the gospel, for encouragement, for building up, and teaching. But we've all seen Social Media used hurtfully, and most of us have made mistakes in who we trust, what we view, what we say, and how we spend our time. "Social media is just like a screwdriver -- a screwdriver you can build beautiful things with ... but you could also stab somebody in the face with. It
Delivered to the Gentiles
First published in Tabletalk Magazine, an outreach of Ligonier. Read: Mark 10:32-52 [The Dwell App has a variety of voices and background music selections to aid you in listening to the scriptures (we have a 60 day free trial for NWers)! Click HERE to sign up.] “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he
All Things Are Possible With God
Read: Mark 10:13-31 [The Dwell App has a variety of voices and background music selections to aid you in listening to the scriptures (we have a 60 day free trial for NWers)! Click HERE to sign up.] In 2004, I was finishing up seminary and taking a class in preaching. One of our assignments was to write a manuscript and preach a text from one of the gospels. I chose the story of the rich young ruler from Mark 10. It had always troubled me. Perhaps because I identified with the rich young ruler. I saw myself in him. I did my
Podcast on The Gospel and Ethnic Unity
Here’s a helpful sermon on racism, ethnicity, and unity. Does “race” and “racism” exist in the Bible? Where do we see conflict and tension in the New Testament church? What can we learn from the apostles when problems happened along lines of ethnicity? The most helpful part for me was looking at the Jerusalem church in Acts 6 where ethnic tension occurred. These were people who had been present at Pentecost - and yet mistakes were allowed. But we see a great example of the response of the apostles to listen to the complaint and respond appropriately. The Gospel Coalition
Why ‘Falling Out of Love’ Never Justifies Divorce
Written by John Piper. https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/why-falling-out-of-love-never-justifies-divorce Read: Mark 10:1-12 [The Dwell App has a variety of voices and background music selections to aid you in listening to the scriptures (we have a 60 day free trial for NWers)! Click HERE to sign up.] Beyond Reasoning We would be naïve, I think, to suppose that people, young or old — our own children or those of others — will act on the basis of reason and biblical truth when it comes to justifying divorce. I would guess that 95 cases out of 100 people do what they want to do and then find reasons to
The Freest People Are Servants of All
The Freest People Are Servants of All Written by John Piper. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-freest-people-are-servants-of-all Read: Mark 9:30-50 The word simplistic exists because there are kinds of guidance and kinds of explanations that are too simple to account for the real complexities of life. They are simplistic. We don’t admire such counselors or preachers or teachers. They just don’t seem to be living in the real world where things are often very messy. In all my reading of Paul over the years, he has never struck me as simplistic. A good example is the way he deals with our submission to authority in this world, and
Help My Unbelief
Written by John Piper. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/help-my-unbelief Read: Mark 9:2-29 [The Dwell App has a variety of voices and background music selections to aid you in listening to the scriptures (we have a 60 day free trial for NWers)! Click HERE to sign up.] For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (Romans 12:3) In the context of this verse, Paul is concerned that people were thinking of themselves “more highly than
The Covenant Prayer
This past Sunday (7/19/20) we closed our service by praying this prayer together. It was originally included in the Covenant Renewal Service crafted by John Wesley way back in 1755. But he attributes the prayer to puritan Richard Alleine who lived in the 1600’s! So believing folks have been praying this prayer for nearly 400 years! When I pray this prayer, it helps me re-order my life around my great King Jesus and his will for me. It helps protect me from the folly of getting that backwards - of trying to re-order the world around me and my desires! I hope it serve you
4 Reasons to Wear a Mask, Even if You Hate It
I know what you might be thinking: “Just what I need; another article about coronavirus and face masks.” For many of us, talking with other people about wearing masks has become wearisome and even annoying at times. If you line up ten different people, you might get ten different answers to the question, “How do you feel about wearing a face mask?” There are many who have written about this topic from scientific or political perspectives. I recently came across this article by author Brett McCracken that offers some encouragement for us Christians who may not be too excited about
