The Danger of Forgetting the Gospel

When you forget the gospel, you begin to seek from the situations, locations,

and relationships of ministry what you have already been given in Christ. You begin to look to ministry for identity, security, hope, well-being, meaning, and purpose. These are things you will only ever find vertically. They are already yours in Christ so you have to fight to give the gospel presence in your heart. Also, when you live out of the grace of the gospel, you quit fearing failure, you quit avoiding being known,

 and you quit hiding your struggles and your sin.^[1]

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[1] Paul Tripp, “Pastoral Ministry is War,”, accessed August 18, 2013, http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2011/08/08/pastoral-ministry-is-war/.

When We Forget the Gospel

When you forget the gospel, you begin to seek from the situations, locations,

and relationships of ministry what you have already been given in Christ. You begin to look to ministry for identity, security, hope, well-being, meaning, and purpose. These are things you will only ever find vertically. They are already yours in Christ so you have to fight to give the gospel presence in your heart. Also, when you live out of the grace of the gospel, you quit fearing failure, you quit avoiding being known,and you quit hiding your struggles and your sin.^[1]

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[1] Paul Tripp, “Pastoral Ministry is War”, http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2011/08/08/pastoral-ministry-is-war/ (accessed August 18, 2013).

The Dreams of David Brainerd (Single Missionary)

“I cared not where or how I lived, or what hardships I went through, so that I could but gain souls for Christ. While I was asleep I dreamed of these things, and when I awoke the first thing I thought of was this great work.”

Friendship and the Cross - Part 1

Friendship in our world has become a shallow and “disposable” relationship. Historically friends were not in our lives to only make us happy, they were also there to make us better. William Deresiewicz, in his article for The Chronicle of Higher Education writes his perspective of modern “friendships.”

“A friend fulfills her duty, we suppose, by taking our side—validating our feelings, supporting our decisions, helping us to feel good about ourselves. We tell white lies, make excuses when a friend does something wrong, do what we can to keep the boat steady. We're busy people; we want our friendships fun and friction-free ….” Deresiewicz concludes: "Friendship is devolving, in other words, from a relationship to a feeling.”      Jerry De Luca, Montreal West, Quebec, Canada; source: William Deresiewicz, "Faux Friendship," The Chronicle of Higher Education (12-6-09)