According to the apostle Paul, the presence of false prophets and false teachers within the church is an unavoidable evil with which God's people will have to deal until Jesus returns, banishes sin forever, and reigns with his people (see Rev 21:8). Before leaving Ephesus, Paul warned the elders of the church there about fierce … Continue reading Beware of False Prophets
Are Christians Hypocrisy Hunters?
There are at least two reasons why the gospel writers give us such extensive material on the Jewish religious leaders of the first century (e.g., scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees). First, Jesus exposes the spiritual character of the Pharisees in order guard his disciples from becoming entangled with and influence by those who are in the grip … Continue reading Are Christians Hypocrisy Hunters?
Is That in the Bible? | “Bloom Where You’re Planted”
It wasn’t until I was in high school that I began to notice my mom would often repeat a proverbial phrase in response to my anxious musings about the future. “Bloom where you’re planted,” she would quip as I worried openly about what I should do with my life. I wasn’t a Christian at the … Continue reading Is That in the Bible? | “Bloom Where You’re Planted”
How To Listen To a Sermon: Eagerness and Examination
In the spring of 1741 Jonathan Edwards visited and ministered to a small congregation in Suffield, Connecticut. This little church was without a pastor for a short time but was blessed with a few excellent servants, including Edwards and the great evangelist George Whitefield. A few months after Edwards visited the church, Elizabeth Hatheway, a member of the … Continue reading How To Listen To a Sermon: Eagerness and Examination
Edwards On Judging the Spiritual State of Others
Here are some of the best words I have read (or heard) on how a Christian should judge the spiritual condition of another professing Christian. They are taken from the Religious Affections, pages 110-111. The true saints have not such a spirit of discerning that they can certainly determine who are godly and who are … Continue reading Edwards On Judging the Spiritual State of Others
From the Study 