Dear Redeeming Grace, Last week in this newsletter we thought about faith as a shield that helps us fight against our enemy. This past Sunday, Dave reminded us that it is God who initiates, oversees and protects his work, so we can build our lives on him with confident perseverance. As I was thinking about perseverance in the Christian life, I was reminded of a great pas...
Keep ReadingDear Redeeming Grace, In his message on building opposition awareness, Jason reminded us of the sobering reality that Satan is at work all around us to deceive us. Lies are his nature. In 1 Peter 5:8-11, Peter calls him our adversary and likens him to a lion. Blood-thirsty and on the prowl. Ready to devour. But notice what Peter's instruction to us is because of that fac...
Keep ReadingDear Redeeming Grace, One of the ways we build our lives around the Lord is to be united in the mission of Jesus. He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). He came that his people might have life abundantly (John 10:10). Dave encouraged us last week that there is great joy when we strive together for the mission of God. That led me to remember Paul's words to the ch...
Keep ReadingDear Redeeming Grace, As we began our new sermon series in Ezra-Nehemiah last week, we considered this question, "How do we build our lives around God's purposes?" And, we saw that the two purposes reflected in these books are the worship of God and the people of God. You might say that God's plan of redemption has always included a "worshiping community." By God's grace...
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