September 1, 2023
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT). Becoming a Christian is not about self-improvement. It is an invitation to come and die, that we might be born again. It is not incremental nor partial, but
August 31, 2022
LORD HASTE THE DAY WHEN OUR FAITH SHALL BE SIGHT Presently, we go through life believing in our risen Lord without actually seeing Him. Yet our faith is not without foundation. We believe because of at least three witnesses: 1) the witness of the Bible, 2) the witness of the saints who have passed the
September 1, 2021
A NEW CREATION Becoming a Christian is not about self-improvement. It is an invitation to come and die, that we might be born again. It is not incremental nor partial, but drastic and total. By believing and receiving Christ, we are found in Him. Our old nature we count crucified with Christ. Our new nature
November 22, 2020
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2 Corinthians 5:14-21
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rise up
Over the last three weeks, we’ve talked about the first two qualities of disciple-making. This week, we will focus on the third quality, Heart for Our World.
The gospel always goes against our excuses and our temptations. What’s the antidote for the sinful, “curved inward” bent of our souls? The gospel of Christ offers the antidote. And it bids us to turn our hearts outward towards God, each other and our world. In the book of 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul challenged believers to answer Christ’s call to have a heart for their world. We can answer Christ’s call to have a heart for our world.
August 31, 2020
LORD HASTE THE DAY WHEN OUR FAITH SHALL BE SIGHT Presently, we walk through life believing in our risen Lord without actually seeing Him. Yet our faith is not without foundation. We believe because of at least three witnesses: 1) the witness of the Bible, 2) the witness of the saints who have passed the
June 14, 2020
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2 Corinthians 5:16-21
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racial unity
Are you overwhelmed by the hatred and violence in our country these days? Don’t you wish we could all just get along? For some of you, the disunity is more than a news report or a social media post. It’s starting to affect your relationship with your neighbors, your co-workers, maybe even your relationship with your family and friends. Some of you have taken sides and made your positions known. Others of you are afraid to say anything, but even your silence is judged. Everyone has a different perspective on the root problems and the solutions. Everyone thinks they’re right and the others are wrong. How can we find reconciliation and peace again?
Where is God in all of this? Do our broken relationships with one another matter to Him? And if they do, how can we understand how much relationships matter to God?
In the apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he sought to make them understand how being reconciled to God through Christ Jesus affected all of their relationships. We can understand how being reconciled to God through Christ Jesus affects our relationships.
September 1, 2019
IN CHRIST WE ARE A NEW CREATION Christianity is not self-improvement. It is an invitation to come and die, that we might be born again. It is not incremental nor partial, but drastic and total. By believing and receiving Christ, we are found in Him. Our old nature we count crucified with Christ. Our new
August 31, 2018
WHAT WILL OUR ETERNAL BODY BE LIKE?
Paul encouraged the Corinthians not to give up, for the present troubles of this world are temporary, but the coming glory is forever. He urged them to focus on this coming glory when our “earthly tent” will die, yet we shall live forever in an “eternal body” made by God.
What will this eternal body be like? It will be like the resurrection body of Jesus. For Jesus is the “firstborn from the dead” (Col. 1:18, Rev. 1:5), whose body is the prototype of all who are raised in Him.
So, don’t be overcome by the sufferings of this world, nor the groanings of our earthly tents. For we will one day receive a new and eternal body fit for heaven made by God Himself.
September 18, 2016
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2 Corinthians 5:14-21
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community, discipleship
Why is there divorce, murder, and war? Why are we relationally broken? Our sin has separated us from God. We need to be relationally restored. We need to be reconciled to God and with others. In Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he told them that God’s reconciling love should move them to be in right relationship with Him in our worship and in right relationship towards others in our witness. We too can let the reconciling love of God as expressed in Christ lead us to a right relationship with Him through worship and a right relationship to others in our witness.
September 1, 2016
Christianity is not self-improvement. It is an invitation to come and die, that we might be born again. It is not incremental nor partial, but drastic and total. By believing and receiving Christ, we are found in Him. Our old nature we count crucified with Christ. Our new nature and identity in Christ, we count as risen with Him. And so, we no longer “regard” anyone according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. In Christ, we are a “new creation,” and we regard everyone and everything in a new way.