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ArtIcles

Receiving by Faith (A Lesson from Jesus)

One time I stood a little child before my disciples and said to them, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Why? Because with children, everything must be simple. Children are humble. They simply receive. It’s pretty much all they do. And they are...

Vines and Branches (A Lesson from Jesus)

You are a container of me. But you are not just a container. A container is lifeless, but you are not. So another illustration is helpful. I am the vine. You are the branch. Think about a grapevine. The life comes from the vine. The branch isn’t inactive. It has...

A Container of God (A Lesson from Jesus)

Alone among all creatures, I created you to be able to be joined to me. I gave you a human spirit that could become one with me. In your new birth, I gave you a new human spirit that was fully ready to receive me, and I came to live...

Whatever Happened to the New Birth?

Since the Reformation, the evangelical church has done a commendable, if inconsistent, job of communicating to Christians the truth of the righteousness of Christ being imputed to us because of Christ’s work on the cross.  Where the church has fallen woefully short is communicating to believers what actually happened to...

What the Term “Christ-Follower” Misses

Have you noticed that how Christians refer to themselves has changed? Maybe not in private conversation, but certainly in more public forums: sermons, books, blog posts. Once upon a time, Christians were called . . . Christians. But also when I was young in the faith, in the 70s and...