March 1, 2023
Chronicles of Grace (from the CS Archives)
The Perspectives of Our Editors and Essayists Over the Years
Articles for tag: Acts 2:3
August 15, 2022
August 21 | Application (‘I Am Who’)
Prior generations of parents and grandparents may have passed along their own habits, hang-ups, and hurts, but eventually we must stop blaming others and take responsibility for our own actions.
May 2, 2022
Near the Cross
By Victor Knowles “Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother . . .” (John 19:25). Today is Mother’s Day. It is also the Lord’s Day. In this verse are three images: the cross, Jesus, and the mother of Jesus. Mary is positioned where we should be—“near the cross.” The Lord’s Supper does something both wonderful and horrible for us. It brings us “near the cross.” The Lord’s table becomes Mount Calvary. The bread and cup become the beams of the cross. There is wonder and horror at the cross. The wonder comes from the wonder of God’s love for
March 21, 2022
March 27 | Application
Romans 12:1 makes me ask myself, "Am I unreservedly devoted to the Lord? What does it cost me to follow Jesus? . . ."
The Most Important Thing
By Chris Philbeck My wife and I recently attended a pastors and wives retreat just outside of Phoenix. It was a great experience for both of us. While we’ve been married for almost 40 years, it’s always good to get away from the busyness of life to reconnect. The retreat also included some times when the pastors and wives split to focus on separate topics. One session for the pastors began with the question: What do you think is the most important thing in good preaching? Hearing the various answers—such as connection, engagement, relevance, vulnerability, etc.—was interesting. At one point
July 1, 2021
A Time for Courage
The church historically has multiplied during times of persecution, and it’s possible we will see growth as we come out of this pandemic. The church needs to be courageous.
January 4, 2021
Jan 10 | Don’t Stay the Way You Are
When Christ is Lord, the status quo isn’t acceptable and spiritual growth isn’t optional. God accepts us as we are, but he loves us too much to let us stay that way.
July 20, 2020
How Far Can You See? (July 26 Lesson Application)
By David Faust How far can you see into the distance? With 20/20 vision you can read the optometrist’s eye chart accurately at a distance of 20 feet, but healthy human eyes can see a lot farther than that. Those fluffy white cumulus clouds floating overhead are probably more than 2,000 feet away, and you can see the moon though it’s 238,855 miles from Earth and the sun though it’s 93 million miles away. How far can you see into the future? Maybe you’ve heard the advice, “Dream 20 years ahead, think 10 years ahead, plan five years ahead.” The
March 9, 2015
Lesson for March 15, 2015: The Spirit of Truth (John 16:4b-15)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the March 8 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone The Holy Spirit”s role was noted on several occasions during Jesus” earthly ministry. When John the Baptist immersed Jesus in the Jordan River, the Spirit descended in the form of a dove (John 1:32). When Jesus was teaching Nicodemus, he emphasized the need for all sinners to be born of water and the Spirit (3:5). Worship of God is to be
November 17, 2014
Lesson for November 23, 2014: Inheritance Marks a New Beginning (Ezekiel 47:13-23; Acts 2:37-47)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the November 16 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone Our final lesson from Ezekiel brings us to the largest section of the book””chapters 40″“48. This apocalyptic message has been described as a “counter-vision” to the disaster of Ezekiel 8″“11. At that time God”s glory departed from the temple, but now he had returned (43:1-5). The promised restoration was shown to be fulfilled as the land was divided among the tribes
June 30, 2014
Lesson for July 6, 2014: Glorify God with Your Body (1 Corinthians 6:12″”7:40)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone First-century Corinth was not an easy place for a Christian to live. Paul”s letters to the church there deal with a number of challenges believers had to face. In 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 he mentions lawsuits; in today”s text he turns to sexual laxity. In chapter 5 he dealt with fornication as an occasion for exercising church discipline. Some of the people were arguing, “I have the right to do anything.” Evidently they were trying to take
February 4, 2013
Lesson for February 10, 2013: Raised with Christ (Colossians 2)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone If you had lived in first-century Colossae, you would have seen much similarity to today”s world. Competing pagan religions and philosophies battled for the souls of the residents. A Christian should stand out in such a society. For this reason Paul wrote them this letter of encouragement and guidance. Be Faithful! Colossians 2:6-7 Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him. Paul here combines two early confessions”””Jesus is the
April 6, 2012
“I Will Save You”
By Jeff Vines The prophet Joel said it (Joel 2:32), and more than 800 years later, the apostle Paul repeated it: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Of all the enduring promises we find in Scripture, no other promise holds greater significance for both this life and the one to come. But what does salvation really mean? From what is one saved? Why is salvation something we should be concerned about? Before God”s promise of “I will save you” can become precious to us, we must understand the answers to those questions.
February 6, 2012
Lesson for Feb. 12, 2012: Blessed with Abraham (Galatians 3:1-14)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone Paul continues his warning to the Galatian Christians in today”s text. In last week”s lesson he asserted that “a man is not justified by observing the law” (Galatians 2:16). This by itself should have silenced the Judaizers who insisted that a Gentile must first become a Jew before he could become a Christian. It is self-defeating for a person to return to the Old Testament regulations while saying he trusts in Jesus and follows him.
October 15, 2011
Swiss Army Knife or Sword of the Spirit?
By Jim Eichenberger One of the most “handy” passages for condemning behavior we do not like has to be 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (New International Version, 1984). In fact, this verse is like the proverbial Swiss Army knife. It is useful for a variety of occasions! Here is how it works. Are you looking for a way to condemn
May 31, 2011
A Biblical Response to the Gospel
By Jim Tune Whenever someone is ready to begin a life of faith and discipleship, he or she rightly asks, “What must I do now?” While salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus, most believers in Christ would agree that something must be done. Many modern-day evangelists would encourage the new believer to “come forward” at an “altar call.” Others might encourage the spiritual seeker to say the “sinner”s prayer.” That prayer might go something like this: “Father, I am sorry for my sins and want to turn away from my sinful life. I believe your Son Jesus died
December 17, 2010
The Tyranny of the Paradigm (Part 3)
Read “The Tyranny of the Paradigm (Part 1) Read “The Tyranny of the Paradigm (Part 2)” ________ By Jack W. Cottrell My thesis is that the understanding of the doctrine of salvation in most Protestant groups is captive to the Zwinglian version of the sola fidei paradigm. In the previous article (last week) I showed how this is the case in the way faith is treated as the sole condition for justification, and not just its sole means. It is also seen in the way repentance either is excluded as a condition altogether, or is diminished by being made simply
May 2, 2010
Why Do Christians Serve? Guilt or Gratitude?
By Larry W. Bailey Lady Macbeth compulsively washed her hands in a vain attempt to cleanse herself from feelings of guilt. She and her husband had conspired in the murder of King Duncan, and the “spot of blood” on her hands seemed to resist removal. Her repeated attempts to cleanse herself of blood (guilt) proved futile. She wondered aloud, “Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?” (Macbeth, act 5, scene 1). Physical actions could not relieve her guilty conscience. We all can identify with Lady Macbeth to some extent, because all
July 13, 2008
Restoration Movement Q&A 2
Robert Lowery reflects on the Restoration Movement’s ongoing relevance, emphasizing John 17, Christian unity, Scripture, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the enduring call to world evangelism.
September 30, 2007
How to Resolve Conflict
Most church conflicts resolve with timely intervention, but some require firm, united leadership and church discipline. New Testament examples show both the pain and the hope of hard decisions.
