106 results for tag: gospel
The Love that Raises Us from Slavery to Friendship with God – Brad Jersak
I recently stumbled upon an interesting quote by a certain George Calciu, which I'll cite and then follow up with an explanation of why it fascinates me:
You have avoided choosing Jesus as your friend for too long... but Jesus has chosen you to hear his voice. He did so long ago: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain" (John 15:16). The choice was made long ago, for Jesus has always loved you, young friend, but now you have responded to his call. In responding you are ordained to go and bear fruit that will remain.
To be a prophet of Christ in the world in ...
CWR Video – Incredibly Good News
Short video by Plain Truth Ministries.
March 2023
CLICK HERE to read now
(PDF Format)
Articles:
Come Out of Her and Come to Me! – pg. 1
Confronted by Christ – pg. 2
Which Thief Are You? – pg. 5
Master Potter – pg. 7
Quotes & Connections – pg. 8
The Son of a Preacher Man
What does Jesus mean when he says we will gain our life by losing it (Matthew 16:24-28)? This week we travel back in time to the 1960's, re-living the courageous example of Martin Luther King, Jr. and reflecting on the historically accurate, yet fictional character of Atticus Finch as depicted in To Kill a Mockingbird.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR101.mp3
Turn or Burn? Elder Brother Evangelism – Brad Jersak
"Turn or Burn!"
How did the good-news invitation of God's love, revealed in the life message of Jesus, become a bad-news ultimatum, distilled crassly by "Turn or Burn" evangelists?
Sure, the hellfire evangelists love to prooftext Jesus' own words from Luke 13:5, “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” I'm not at all interested in casting aside Jesus' warnings about humanity's self-destructive trajectories, but somehow they've been twisted as if they are the gospel he preached. That's a gross misrepresentation, and I think I'm beginning to see how that error expanded into an entire pseudo-evangelistic system. A ...
The Gospel According to Pooh-Bear! – by Laura Urista
I am a “Pooh” collector. Not quite a “Pooh-holic” or a “Crazy Pooh lady” – but close! Lots of friends have asked me what made me decide to collect all things “Winnie-the-Pooh” over the years. It’s a long story, going back over 55 years.
It was the summer of 1966 and my family had just moved from a tiny town in North Dakota to a slightly larger town in Texas. My Dad had just become a member of a strict, legalistic church and he was determined that his four school-age children should attend “God’s school” – a private school founded and run by the church he had recently joined.
A few months after our move, I ...
The Center of the Gospel – Greg Albrecht
Christianity WITHOUT the religion defines Christ-less religion as any systematic method used to either earn or gain favor with God initially, or to improve and maintain one’s ongoing standing with God on the basis of deeds, involvement, attendance, performances, rituals and ceremonies.
One of my favorite authors, Richard Rohr, speaks of the “performance principle” as the absolute foundation of all religion.The “performance principle” is the myth that leads humans to live lives defined by achievement—it is a myth that is rooted in and driven by fear. Fear is the foundational building block of Christ-less religion.
The “perfor...
What Is the Gospel? – Part 2
The gospel of Jesus Christ is in its own league, entirely different from any and all religion. Our message invites you to discover why God isn’t interested in human attempts to “roll our own” gospel.
What Is the Gospel? – Part 1
In this first of a two-part series about the gospel, we learn that the gospel is more than what Jesus said and did. The gospel was and is who Jesus is. Jesus is the gospel, and the gospel is Jesus.
The Good News Banquet Invitation – Brad Jersak
A Pressurized Gospel
My earliest Christian formation taught me the urgency of “evangelism,” which in that stream of faith, focused heavily on Jesus’ “great commission,” which included the mandate to “…go and make disciples of all nations,…” (Matthew 28:19).
For us, that meant trying to “convert” people—convincing them to “ask Jesus into their hearts” by praying a “sinner’s prayer”—confessing their sinfulness and putting their trust in Christ’s saving work. The urgency came with an ultimatum to pluck souls from the fires of hell before it was too late.
Imagine the anxiety a sensitive ...
The Real Love Story – by Greg Albrecht
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.—John 3:16-17
It's been said that love is the most powerful force in the universe because it alone can conquer the human heart. But God's love does not coerce. God's love works in our lives by our consent.
Many people suffer with a warped and twisted view of God's love. They have a perverted idea of God's love ...
He Wants You: Dead and Alive – by Greg Albrecht
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done ...
What is the Gospel? – Part 2 – by Greg Albrecht
When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves ...
What is the Gospel? – Part 1 – by Greg Albrecht
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, "The righteous will live by faith."—Romans 1:16-17
Paul 1) categorically states that he is not ashamed of the gospel, 2) defines the gospel as the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, and 3) asserts that the gospel inherently includes a righteousness from God—a righteousness by faith—precluding any sort of righteousness which may come, or seem to ...
What is the Gospel? Part 1 – Greg Albrecht
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, "The righteous will live by faith."—Romans 1:16-17
Paul 1) categorically states that he is not ashamed of the gospel, 2) defines the gospel as the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, and 3) asserts that the gospel inherently includes a righteousness from God—a righteousness by faith—precluding any sort of righteousness which may come, or seem ...
What is the Gospel? Part 2 – Greg Albrecht
When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does ...
April 2022
CLICK HERE to read now
(PDF Format)
Brad Jersak: The Cross: God's Eternal Mercy Seat – pg. 2
Laura Urista: Trimming the Roses – pg. 5
Richard Rohr: The Saving Power of the Cross – pg. 6
Greg Albrecht: The Meaning(s) of the Cross – pg. 7
CWR video – Brad Jersak – “Spreading Hospitality”
Short video by Brad Jersak about spreading hospitality as Christians.
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