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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Amazing Grace: Now That We’re Saved (the 1 John lesson)
It took me a long time to figure 1 John out. It’s just such a different style of writing from, say, Paul or Luke. John is very non-linear. And he doesn’t explain himself. Well, he explains himself, but indirectly. He … Continue reading
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An Agenda for a Visioning Retreat
Our elders and ministers recently scheduled a 7-hour retreat to consider some of the big-picture church issues. It went well, and so I’d thought I’d share an only-slightly edited version of our agenda, in hopes that other elderships might profit … Continue reading
Silos, Politics and Turf Wars
Regular readers will recall that I’m a big fan of Patrick Lencioni’s The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. It’s a great book and a particularly useful study for elders and ministers–especially for elders with ministers. I’m on vacation at the … Continue reading
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Amazing Grace: Now that We’re Saved (the Romans lesson)
After many years of thinking about it, I’ve come to the conclusion that the cinch point in Church of Christ thought is very simply our understanding of how grace works after our salvation. We generally start with the assumption that … Continue reading
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The Gospel Advocate Creed, Part 5
When we disagree with someone about doctrine, it’s easy to get caught up in the particulars of the doctrinal debate. But once in while, we need to take a step back and look at the tactics we use. It is … Continue reading
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Amazing Grace: Our Pardon
This is a class for the converted. And it’s not a class on systematic theology. In other words, I’m going to skip lots of really, really important stuff, because I assume the class members are already convinced of such things … Continue reading
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The Gospel Advocate Creed, Part 4
As I read each month’s edition of the Gospel Advocate, I’ve been noting some of the issues that the authors consider as “salvation issues” or “marks of the church.” I call these issues a “creed” because that’s the original meaning … Continue reading
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Missional Christianity: Why being religious isn’t necessarily being like Jesus
The following story is from Science Daily. This is not to pick on doctors. I’m sure the same is true of Christian lawyers and many others who profess Jesus. Science Daily — Although most religious traditions call on the … Continue reading
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Amazing Grace: The Spirit Who Lives In Us, Part 2
In the second class on the Spirit we want to answer questions and fill in blanks. This is a time for reflection, testimony, and discussion, whereas the first class will largely have been lecture, as the material will either be … Continue reading
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Amazing Grace: The Spirit Who Lives In Us, Part 1
I’m persuaded that it’s just not possible to really understand God’s grace without some understanding of how his Spirit works in us today. I don’t want to talk about Pentecostalism, tongues, or that sort of thing in this lesson. In … Continue reading
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