“But God…made us alive with Christ….and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:5-7). Ephesians can be broken into two parts where the first 3 … More EPHESIANS 12: Solidarity with Christ is Everything (2:5-7)
Repost from 2010.-JB In this series we’ll be picking apart this episode in Luke 10 piece by piece, exploring what it looks like on the road to discipleship in the company of Jesus. “The Lord now chose seventy (-two) other disciples and sent them ahead of himself in pairs to all the towns and places … More Two by Two 2: Ahead of Himself
In this series we’ll be picking apart this episode in Luke 10 piece by piece, exploring what it looks like on the road to discipleship in the company of Jesus. “The Lord now chose seventy (-two) other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. These … More Two by Two 1: He Sent Them
I have almost finished the long journey toward ordination in the Evangelical Covenant Church. It will become official at our national gathering in Kansas City this June. But I was recognized this week along with other ordinands at our Northwest Conference Annual Meeting at Salem Covenant Church in New Brighton. On Friday morning all of … More Ordination: A Milestone in the Making
From Kevin DeYoung’s blog: Thom Rainer, President and CEO of Lifeway, argues that the secret to being an evangelistic church “is really no secret at all. Ultimately evangelistic churches see more persons become Christians through the passionate efforts of highly evangelistic Christians.” And what characterizes these highly evangelistic Christians? Read on (bold type added for … More Habits of Evangelistic Christians
Originally posted on Kingdom Harbor:
“I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people and I will be their God” (Ezek 11:19-20). Many still view youth ministry as a second-class calling, a…
Here’s a repost from 2009. Enjoy! -JB “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself.” -Jesus As fall stares tired youth pastors in the face, weary from summer trips and fun-in-the-sun adventures, we try to take a deep breath, grab a mini vacation before ramping up for another year of bringing the good … More Worship at the Altar of Self
The human ego is a sly and persistent bugger. Our bent toward self-centeredness is an ever-present menace in times of well-intended Christian living. You never know when and where the individual ego, under the strong influence of the Enemy, will take and distort an otherwise good, God made gift. The Enemy will often lead our … More When ‘Togetherness’ Isn’t Enough
Question: What about the people who were born in the deepest jungles or in some rural African village? They never heard of Jesus, and no one has ever shared with them the “way to salvation” through Jesus Christ. Will they spend eternity in Hell for not believing in something they never heard about? Answer: There … More Q&A – What about those who’ve never heard the gospel?
Enjoy a book review of Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification edited by Donald Alexander. The 5 representative views include the Lutheran, Wesleyan, Reformed, Pentecostal and Contemplative traditions. SUMMARY OF VIEWS I. Lutheran View. Gerhard O. Forde emphasizes the centrality of Christ’s righteousness as imputed to the believer for their justification. Sanctification is not something … More BOOK REVIEW: Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification
As a Bible geek, I’m also a Bible movie geek. Movies have the power to bring written story to life in living color. In a visual culture this is an especially important medium for introducing people to the story and claims of the Bible. So, I’m definitely hoping Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s latest work A.D. The … More Why the A.D. Series is ‘Must See TV’
Here’s a parable I wrote for a wedding homily. -JB Once there was a newly wed couple who only weeks after their wedding day inherited their grandfather’s beautiful old house in the country. Overflowing joy filled the old house on the day they moved in to begin their new life together. To their great surprise, … More Wedding Parable of the Grandfather Clock
The naming of a child is a big deal for us. We put quite a bit of thought into the namesakes of our children. We are following a rich biblical practice of giving our children names that speak to the character and legacies we hope our children rise to live out in their lives. We just … More A Girl Named Abigail – Part 2
It’s a girl!!! Before we had kids I wanted a daughter most. I’m not sure entirely why. Everyone is quick to joke about the “teenage terror” years of a girl and dad’s are universally portrayed as either aloof or completely terrified by the thought of their baby girl becoming a woman and all the hormonal … More A Girl Named Abigail – Part 1
A few years ago I spent many months researching and creating a website in honor of the life and ministry of Erik August Skogsbergh, one of my spiritual heroes. I drive past his old summer home on my way to church each day — where hundreds of people used to flock on summer days to hear him preach … More Tributes to a Spiritual Hero
One of the most enjoyable and humbling aspects of ministry is premarital counseling with young couples. In a relationally, maritally challenged and sexually confused culture, I get to spend many precious hours with couples looking at God’s design for love and sex, and probing his wisdom and insight for a healthy marriage. One thing I often do with couples is … More The Narrow Way to a Healthy Marriage
This is powerful.
“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live … More EPHESIANS 10: A Terminal Diagnosis
“A time is coming when those you now treat as enemies and slaves will show you nothing but love in return, when those who you curse with indifference will offer you blessing. When you slap these people on the right cheek, be prepared, for they will turn their left cheek toward you. When you steal … More QUOTABLES: Sermon on the Mount in Reverse
“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Eph. 1:22-23). I live in a lake community surrounded by water. One large part of our town dwells on “the island” where you’ll … More EPHESIANS 9: Water Towers & Pipelines
“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” (Mark 8:31) Why was it necessary for Jesus to suffer in order for our sins … More Why must He suffer for our sins?
No issue is as timely for serious and sensitive biblical and pastoral reflection than the question of a biblical view of homosexuality. I will be teaching on this issue with our youth group in our study of Romans 1 and have taken this opportunity to re-examine the complexities surrounding this hot-button issue facing Christians today. … More The Sexual Vision of the Bible (R. Hays)
A repost from 2009. -JB I had two very nice Jehovah’s Witness gals show up at my door this morning. I never quite know how to handle these encounters. I think these encounters are especially awkward for pastors/Bible teachers who are equipped to engage them in theological debate but don’t feel like that is the context … More Jehovah’s Witnesses at the Door
The following Lenten reflections come from a chapter entitled “Garbage Day” from an unpublished devotional book of mine exploring the deeper realities of faith through the daily routines of life (read more about my “Sacred Analogies”). This chapter explores the reality of the spiritual garbage (i.e., sin) in our souls and why we need to … More GARBAGE DAY 1 – Got Junk?
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