“Who shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb…
and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’? - Book of Job 38:8-11
@MartyNiehaus@ValentinaForUSA@Pontifex It's different because they're dead. Asking someone who is living, to join you in petitioning Jesus (who is living) is not the same as praying to the dead in hopes that they'll intercede for you.
The power of the believer's hope in eternity, is what empowers us to face the trauma of today.
Without eternity, this moment is all we have. It is a hopeless, selfish existence.
Local churches protect the integrity of the church by following Scripture's heart and instructions for addressing sin within its members.
Elders are not above this call.
My internal clock wants to get up earlier. This is a great time to reset. To get up earlier and do the things we often fail to make time for.
Devotions, go to the gym, enjoy quiet time, etc.
Making good use of the schedule change will pay great dividends!
The more a people turn away from God, the more they will turn to the State to be their God.
To define morality. To be their sovereign. To provide their daily bread.
It's no wonder the political climate feels religious in nature...
Government exists to restrain the evils of men. Under God’s higher authority, it is right to expect rulers to uphold justice and preserve the dignity of human life by restraining sin.
But government’s duty is not to usurp the work of the church. A secular government, riddled with corruption and inefficiency as all are, cannot embody mercy by forcefully taking from the diligent to giving it to others, without the Biblical discernment that weighs the hearts of those who receive assistance. That is not the picture of mercy Scripture paints.
It is the church that has been entrusted to care for the poor, defend the oppressed, and give freely, not by coercion, but by conviction. To equate the Christian call to charity with government entitlements feels like a reductionist reading of Scripture.
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”
~ 1 Samuel 15:22
Obedience is the fragrent offering God desires most.
@Brcremer This kind of comment is unhelpful. We can all agree with the statement but of course it's subversively intended to speak about the current political climate.
To that I might ask, "Where is it in Christian doctrine that we expect the state to carry out the work of the church?"
@kevinmyoung Nothing and Everything? These seem rather hyperbolic?
Would you use such absolute language for the other side of the isle?
If not why? If so what does the follower of Christ then do when neither side can be said to reflect "any" Christian values?
I have been preaching through John. Today I was recapping chapter 6 and then said there is about a 6 month gap between chapters 6 to 7...
I then had to pause to give the middle school boys space to respond with "6-7", "6-7"...
IYKYK 🤣
@TFBenwa@5solas We do not measure godliness by pragmatic results but by the Scriptures.
Seeing a response from a generation to a generic Jesus, unhitched from the word, that then attend churches led by chaletons, out for their own glory is not a win for the Kingdom of Christ.
Let's do better
New blog post from the Brainerd Institute!
“We must remember that division is not defined by those who confront sin, but by those who persist in it.”
In Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, I explore the fact that spiritual predators often look like the most devoted believers and answer how we might spot them?
Read the full article now here: https://t.co/BMsoOjSqIq.
"The Spirit of God, uses the Word of God, to do the work of God, through the people of God, for the glory of God"
2025 Brainerd Institute Annual Conference
"If you would not be content with a preaching ministry that doesn't preach the whole counsel of God, you should not be content with a music ministry that doesn't sing the whole counsel of God" ~ @DemarsSean
2025 Brainerd Institute National Conference