Anatomy of Faith: A Gift of God
Josh Newton | May 28, 2010
Praise God for his love and mercy! When I consider the potential for evil in my own heart I am humbled by the fact that God loves me. How could he love me? How could he choose me? I do not deserve anything that he has done for me, but more...
Anatomy of Faith: Redemption through His Blood
Josh Newton | May 27, 2010
Read Ephesians 1:3-14. As you read, consider these questions: How do we have redemption? What does this redemption bring about? Why does God redeem? In this passage Paul reminds us of the gospel and of the blessings we share in Christ. more...
Anatomy of Faith: What is Our Faith In?
Josh Newton | May 26, 2010
Our faith is in the work of Jesus Christ alone. Read Romans 3:21-31. Here is a reminder of what these key theological words mean: Justification means that a person is declared not guilty but righteous by God, the divine judge. This is possible through more...
Anatomy of Faith: What Christ Has Done for Us
Josh Newton | May 25, 2010
I do not know about you, but as a Christian, I sometimes have to be reminded that we serve an amazing God who has done an awesome thing for sinful people. Take a moment to think about your life before Christ. What were you like? more...
Anatomy of Faith: A Review
Josh Newton | May 24, 2010
What is faith? As Christians we believe that we are justified by faith alone in Christ alone. We know that we are not saved by our works. As we have seen while studying God’s Word together, faith is active, more than just belief. Faith does more...
Anatomy of Faith: We Must Obey - Pt. 2
Dan Wells | May 21, 2010
Review the Joshua quote from the end of yesterday’s blog. Does the joy of Joshua’s flourish not just fly off the page? “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” There is joy in serving the Lord. Are you not filled with happiness, a deep down inner peace, when you obey the Lord’s commands? more...
Anatomy of Faith: We Must Obey - Pt. 1
Dan Wells | May 20, 2010
Read Luke 4:17-21. Jesus healed countless people during His ministry on earth. He freed them from their bondage, saying, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering," and "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." During His earthly ministry, Jesus powerfully more...
Anatomy of Faith: A Sign of Our Salvation
Dan Wells | May 19, 2010
All Christians want to know they are saved. Is there a test? Not officially. However, consider… Righteousness is foreign to fallen men and women. So, the presence of righteous acts (with righteous motives) in a person’s life indicates more...
Anatomy of Faith: Paul’s Priority
Dan Wells | May 18, 2010
For those who have ever made a study of Paul’s epistle to the Romans, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Don’t you almost reflexively think of justification by faith, or related doctrine? more...
Anatomy of Faith: Obedience and the Gospel
Dan Wells | May 17, 2010
Obedience is, first and foremost, a response to who God is, and the right response of faith. Whenever we consider a response to God, we must hasten to remind ourselves of the gospel, because the gospel is what God has communicated in all the Scriptures, and it is therefore the very thing that more...
Anatomy of Faith: The Prayer Warrior
Tom Hutchison | May 14, 2010
Read Romans 8:18-28. Do you pray only when you feel prayerful? As we asked earlier in the week, do you struggle to pray because you don’t have the words to pray? Consider the help of the Holy Spirit (v. 26). If your prayer posture is right before God, know that simply being still before Him may be the most effective prayer you pray. Be still today more...
Anatomy of Faith: The Content of Prayer
Tom Hutchison | May 13, 2010
Read Matthew 6:5-15. The Lord’s Prayer may be better titled “The Disciples’ Prayer,” as it is really Jesus’ instructions to his disciples on how to pray. List at least three different elements that Jesus includes in this prayer. more...
Anatomy of Faith: The Language of Prayer
Tom Hutchison | May 12, 2010
Read Psalm 139 (a prayer of David). If God knows “a word before it is on your tongue,” (v. 4) why pray? How would you answer this? Some people struggle more...
Anatomy of Faith: The Power of Prayer
Tom Hutchison | May 11, 2010
Read James 5:13-18. The Lord’s Prayer continues: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” From the James passage, list three occasions when you should pray. more...
Anatomy of Faith: The Posture of Prayer
Tom Hutchison | May 10, 2010
We keep our physical bodies in shape (hopefully!) through diet and exercise. In the same way our spiritual bodies need to be kept in shape, and perhaps the best way to do this is through the habit and discipline of prayer. I have been a Christian since I was 16, but more...
Anatomy of Faith: Who We Are Impacts What We Do
Greg Norwine | May 7, 2010
Read 1 Peter 2:4-10. According to verse 9, what do Christians do in light of who they are in this passage? more...
Anatomy of Faith: We are a Chosen People
Greg Norwine | May 6, 2010
Read 1 Peter 2:9-10. As you know, in the Old Testament the Israelites were designated as God's people. That designation has been branded on the Church today. There are several profound descriptions of God's people in this passage. Let's try to mine some of their riches. more...
Anatomy of Faith: We are a Holy Priesthood
Greg Norwine | May 5, 2010
Read 1 Peter 2:4-10 again. Twice in this passage, we are told that we are priests. That probably seems a bit strange to most of us. After all, how many of us were hoping to some day be a priest? But in reality, this is quite an honor. more...
Anatomy of Faith: We are Living Stones
Greg Norwine | May 4, 2010
It's worth reading our scripture passage, 1 Peter 2:4-10, again in its entirety. God is everywhere. He is omnipresent. He fills every inch of this universe at every moment. At the same time, God manifests His presence in specific places in a special way. For example, God is present in a special way in more...
Anatomy of Faith: Christ is the Cornerstone
Greg Norwine | May 3, 2010
Our scripture reading this week, 1 Peter 2:4-10, gives us a powerful portrait of the church. You will be encouraged to discover all that is true of the Church that God is building on the Cornerstone of Jesus Christ. What a privilege it is to be part of the people of God. more...