Articles for tag: Ephesians

September 7, 2020

David Faust

How to Have a Good Fight (Sept. 13 Lesson Application)

This “Application“ column goes with the Bible Lesson for Sept. 13, 2020: “Fight” (1 Timothy 1:12-19; 6:11-16) ________ By David Faust Ironically, it was a fighter who informed us that peace is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Paul compared himself to a boxer throwing punches (1 Corinthians 9:26). He saw the Christian life as a battle against dark spiritual powers (Ephesians 6:12). As death approached, he said, “I have fought the good fight” (2 Timothy 4:7). Not all fights are good. Some are petty or even humorous. The author Kevin Leman quips, “My wife and I live in

July 15, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for July 21, 2019: Mature Enough? (Colossians 1:24–2:5)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 8 (weeks 29-31; July 21–August 11, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: Keep on growing and progressing with wisdom from God to become more and more like Christ. _______ By Mark Scott Some believers simply grow old in Jesus instead of growing up in Jesus. The epistles are intended to help us grow up in Christ. They function as the biblical

June 6, 2019

Jim Nieman

Whatever Happened to Pentecost Sunday?

All will agree that Pentecost, as described in Acts 2, is foundational to the church. Now, here is an observation (not an accusation): We don’t write or talk about Pentecost as much we used to. It’s true both for our magazine and our churches. The index for Christian Standard’s first 100 years shows there were well over 200 articles about Pentecost published during that time. W.E. Sweeney’s keynote address at the 1929 North American Christian Convention was “The Challenge of Pentecost.” A dozen articles about Pentecost were published during 1930, a year in which the 1,900th anniversary of the birth

January 30, 2014

Christian Standard

Re:gifting

By Jennifer Johnson According to Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Ephesians, each Christian has been given a spiritual gift as evidence of the Holy Spirit working in his life, and each gift is intended to build up and serve the church. Love that. What I don”t love is that I cannot, for the life of me, figure out my gift. I”ve done all the tests and they”re inconclusive at best””some say one thing, some say another. It”s entirely possible the tests are flawed, not the principle, or that the problem is with me. Then again, many generations of believers built the

January 16, 2014

Christian Standard

Consumer Christianity: Idol for Destruction

By J.K. Jones It is a plague that seeks to devour our churches, a spiritual disease as old as Adam and Eve. It is a sickness of the soul. It is a sleight of hand, a slick replacement of God with something that resembles him but is not him. Consumerism of the Christian kind is a making of God into our own likeness, wanting him on our own terms. At its most crass level, clearly evident in the North American Christian landscape, consumer Christianity is taking and never giving in return. It is a worldview, a way of living out

February 12, 2013

Christian Standard

What We’re Learning on Our Walk (Part 1)

By Jim Probst At Eastview Christian Church (Bloomington, IL), we were searching for a way to convey spiritual formation to our congregation. For many, this would be a new idea. Others would see it as the next step in their journey. For all of us the right metaphor could frame a common experience with a common language. In our church, which has grown well beyond 5,000 on a typical Sunday, this would be a major effort requiring coordination between church leaders and many departments. After months of praying, planning, and writing, we determined to develop a churchwide study through our

October 24, 2011

Christian Standard

Getting the Most from the Epistles (Part Two)

By Matt Proctor   We have seen that the New Testament Epistles are published apostolic sermons intended to be read publicly to the recipient churches””with rich theological content, skillful rhetorical crafting, and deeply personal emotion. Now let me suggest five questions that can help you understand these sometimes-difficult books.   Have I Read the Entire Letter? Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart give this challenge: “You need to develop the habit of reading the whole letter through in one sitting. You will need to block out an hour or so to do this, but nothing can ever substitute for this exercise. It is the

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