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Have we separated our theology from practical day to day living? Do we really believe the gospel is the answer to every problem we face?  The answer to these questions is addressed in Gospel Fluency by Jeff Vanderstelt.  Additional resources are available through his website SaturateTheWorld.com Below you will quotes from the end of the book: Growth in gospel fluency required regularly being with others who know and love Jesus, speak about him often, and commit together to regularly remind one another of the gospel when they forget. the whole Bible is the gospel--the good news that God has come to rescue and restore humanity and all creation in and through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus won't be the hero of the story if we don't really need a Savior for our sin. My regular counsel to Christians these days is to spend more time listening than talking if they want to be able to share the gospel of Jesus in a way that meaningfully speaks to the hearts of ot...

Here are some of my favorite tweets from the last few weeks.  This is one of the blessings of social media where we can hear the gospel from people all over the world. If you like the tweet, go and follow the person on Twitter.  The Christian faith cannot be anchored on the finite work of the redeemed; rather, it must be anchored on the infinite work of the Redeemer. @JustinHWillms Because the gospel is endlessly rich, it can handle the burden of being the one “main thing” of a church. @DailyKeller The word of God, properly understood, never just defines who God is. It redefines who you are as His children. @PaulTripp Fruit to Root: Who is God? What has God done? Who am I in light of God's work? How should I live in light of who I am?  @JeffVanderstelt "It is finished" means I stand at judgment without fear because I stand there in Christ's righteousness not my own.  @Byronyawn God’s grace is just as powerfully demonstrated in our sanctification as our ju...

This is a regular feature now that replaced "Playing on the Radio." I will be sharing songs from my "Gospel Playlist" on my phone. The gospel is good news.  It reminds us what Christ has DONE for us.  As I share, I hope it will be an encouragement to you today.  Song today is:  My Redeemer's Love by Sovereign Grace Music

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12)

For 2017, the phrase I am focusing on is "in Christ."  Each week, I will post verse(s) that includes the phrase "in Christ". I look forward to growing in understanding of what it means to be "in Christ." 1  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2  To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3  We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4  since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5  because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6  which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7  just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow s...

We often forget.  We see throughout history the Israelites and the church forgetting. We need to be reminded often of who God is in Scripture, church history and in our lives and churches. The names of God are important because these names are not just what God does, it is who He is.  I hope this will encourage you as you are reminded of how good, great, and awesome our God is. Yahweh Ori Yahweh is the Hebrew Name for God. It is "I AM". It is used over 6000 times in the Old Testament.  It was such a holy name that the Jews would not even say it.  Yahweh means I am. Ori means light. The Lord is my light and my salvation;      whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life;      of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1) What it reminds me?  Even when life is dark and it seems like evil is all around, God is light.  It encourages me to know that despite circumstances around me, I can trus...

As we prepare to enter the Advent Season and move toward Christmas, I would like to share resources that have been helpful for my family during the holidays.  As always, they are available at your local Christian bookstore and if you are near Wichita, go to my favorite one, Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton.  You can order online here

Happy Thanksgiving from the Martin's! I hope you have a great time with family and friends.  Praying for safe travel and great memories for you and your family. 

My Aunt Kay Jean suggested I start sharing a verse of the day.  I liked her suggestion but decided instead of a verse of the day, I would share a verse of the week.  Be reminded of who God is from His Word. Who has believed our message      and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2  He grew up before him like a tender shoot,      and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,      nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3  He was despised and rejected by mankind,      a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces      he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4  Surely he took up our pain      and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God,      stricken by him, and afflicted. 5  But he ...

Here are some of my favorite tweets from the last few weeks.  This is one of the blessings of social media where we can hear the gospel from people all over the world. If you like the tweet, go and follow the person on Twitter.  Antinomians don’t need more law, but gospel. Legalists don’t need less law, but gospel. The gospel answers every wrong use of God’s law. @joshwaulk As believers, we should be working towards what unites us, not what divides us. (Terry Hunt) @usmbchurches  In Isaiah 61, we see Trinity followed by 7 verbs showing the work of God. Every aspect of this work is focused on US. @birdchadlouis How do you kill an awakening? Add some requirements. Add some kickers (what we should do) @DrSteveWBrown Whenever I hear the law, I get excited because the gospel is coming. But many times in church all we hear is all law. @danemeryprice Preaching 45 minutes of law and then throwing the gospel in at the end is not gospel-centered, it's gospel-caboose...

A few weeks ago I finished reading Gospel Centered Kids Ministry by Brian Dembowczyk. He works for Lifeway and leads the team that produces Gospel Project for Kids Curriculum. Here are some quotes from the final chapters of the book: We see that Jesus met the spiritual needs (teaching and preaching), the physical needs (healing), and emotional needs (compassion) of the people.  Harvesting the fields always starts with me before they...Statistically, the ripest harvest field for the gospel falls in the demographic of kids. We need leaders who are to help kids see the gospel, love the gospel, grow in the gospel, and dedicate their lives to the gospel. Kids leaders might not be thought of as theologians by many people, but I believe we should be some of the most sound theologians in the church. Gospel transformation takes place when we spend time with Christ and let Him drive the gospel more deeply into our minds and hearts. Then, and only then, will the Holy Spirit produc...

This is a regular feature now that replaced "Playing on the Radio." I will be sharing songs from my "Gospel Playlist" on my phone. The gospel is good news.  It reminds us what Christ has DONE for us.  As I share, I hope it will be an encouragement to you today.  Song today is:  Mercy by Matt Redman

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”    (Romans 12:6)

As we prepare to enter the Advent Season and move toward Christmas, I would like to share resources that have been helpful for my family during the holidays.  I know it is not Thanksgiving yet, but I have to talk about these prior to Advent or people won't have time to get them.  As always, they are available at your local Christian bookstore and if you are near Wichita, go to my favorite one, Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton.  You can order online here

Here are some pictures from last night's Operation Christmas Child Night at Hesston MB:

For 2017, the phrase I am focusing on is "in Christ."  Each week, I will post 1 verse that includes the phrase "in Christ". I look forward to growing in understanding of what it means to be "in Christ." 19  And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20  To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Philippians 4:19-20)

Tonight, Hesston MB Church invites all ages and the community to join us as we put together boxes for Operation Christmas Child.  We will gather from 7-8 p.m. in Fellowship Hall and the old sanctuary to put boxes together followed by dessert together.  All donations of items and cash ($9 needed for shipping of each box) are appreciated. 

We often forget.  We see throughout history the Israelites and the church forgetting. We need to be reminded often of who God is in Scripture, church history and in our lives and churches. The names of God are important because these names are not just what God does, it is who He is.  I hope this will encourage you as you are reminded of how good, great, and awesome our God is. Yahweh Uzzi Yahweh is the Hebrew Name for God. It is "I AM". It is used over 6000 times in the Old Testament.  It was such a holy name that the Jews would not even say it.  Yahweh means I am. Uzzi means strength. The Lord is my strength and my shield;      in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults,      and with my song I give thanks to him. (Psalm 28:7) What it reminds me?  When I am weak, God is strong for me.  It is great to know that when life is hard and I feel helpless that I have a God who is strength.

My Aunt Kay Jean suggested I start sharing a verse of the day.  I liked her suggestion but decided instead of a verse of the day, I would share a verse of the week.  Be reminded of who God is from His Word. 40  Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,      and cry to her that her warfare is ended,      that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord 's hand      double for all her sins. 3  A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord ;      make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4  Every valley shall be lifted up,      and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level,      and the rough places a plain. 5  And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,      and all flesh shall see it toge...

Here are some of my favorite tweets from the last few weeks.  This is one of the blessings of social media where we can hear the gospel from people all over the world. If you like the tweet, go and follow the person on Twitter.  How do our passions for God grow? Not by being told that they're supposed to grow, but by marveling at what God has done for us. @jdgreear Focus on external behavior & you will miss the internal heart,but focus on the internal heart & you will get both @briandembo I'm convinced many are not aware of how great Jesus is and how amazing his love and grace are to us. @JeffVanderstelt Can you imagine going through a whole day without guilt? That's what Jesus did for you--no guilt in life, no fear in death. @ElyseFitz via @faithandlifeks It's not just the negative Law that doesn't have power to change people but positive Law doesn't have power to change either. @Jaredcwilson I taste now the freedom of the gospel, which say...

"There's nothing halfway about the Iowa way..." "Shipoopi" "Marian the Librarian" "76 Trombones" "The Well's Fargo Wagon is a coming...." This year, the musical at Hesston High School is The Music Man.  They have already had one performance on Thursday.  You have the opportunity to see it tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the High School Auditorium.  Tickets are $9.  Both Megan and Molly are in the performance.  Here are a few pictures from dress rehearsal.

As we prepare to enter the Advent Season and move toward Christmas, I would like to share resources that have been helpful for my family during the holidays.  I know it is not Thanksgiving yet, but I have to talk about these prior to Advent or people won't have time to get them.  As always, they are available at your local Christian bookstore and if you are near Wichita, go to my favorite one, Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton.  You can order online here

I had the opportunity to attend Here We Still Stand in San Diego organized by The 1517 Legacy Project and Christ Hold Fast on October 19-21.  Today, I would like to share some reflections from the conference. These are in no particular order. 5 Solas -Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Christ Alone, Scripture Alone, To the Glory of God Alone.  The speakers focused on these Solas and they were a great reminder to me that often as a Christian I can get distracted from the most important thing.  What am I going to focus on?  Humans and our ability to do and to be or on Christ the One who has done it all for me. Thanks Doug Klembara for the banner picture! The Gospel -As I was glow paddleboarding in the bay in San Diego, I talked with Elyse Fitzpatrick about the difficulty in finding a conference focused on the gospel.  What do I mean?  The gospel is what Christ has DONE.  It is Jesus' life, death, resurrection and ascension.  So, often we as Jared C. Wils...

This is a regular feature now that replaced "Playing on the Radio." I will be sharing songs from my "Gospel Playlist" on my phone. The gospel is good news.  It reminds us what Christ has DONE for us.  As I share, I hope it will be an encouragement to you today.  Song today is:  Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher

“ For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

For 2017, the phrase I am focusing on is "in Christ."  Each week, I will post 1 verse that includes the phrase "in Christ". I look forward to growing in understanding of what it means to be "in Christ." 4  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

We often forget.  We see throughout history the Israelites and the church forgetting. We need to be reminded often of who God is in Scripture, church history and in our lives and churches. The names of God are important because these names are not just what God does, it is who He is.  I hope this will encourage you as you are reminded of how good, great, and awesome our God is. El Nehkumah El means God and Nehkumah means comfort. He is the God who comforts! 3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, (2 Corinthians 1:3) What it reminds me?  Have you faced recent loss?  Is life not going the way you planned? It is good to know we have a God who understands and comforts us in our difficulties. In this world, we will face trouble, but God never leaves us alone. He walks with us through it all.

My Aunt Kay Jean suggested I start sharing a verse of the day.  I liked her suggestion but decided instead of a verse of the day, I would share a verse of the week.  Be reminded of who God is from His Word. 6  In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2  Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3  And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4  And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5  And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6  Then one of the seraphim flew to me, havin...

If you are regular reader of the blog, on Fridays I have shared new books, favorite books, and most recently kid books.  Now, I am going to share discipleship resources that I would recommend each Friday. The next few weeks, I will be sharing catechisms or confessions that have been helpful to me. Below is the Nicene Creed: We believe in one God,       the Father almighty,       maker of heaven and earth,       of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ,       the only Son of God,       begotten from the Father before all ages,            God from God,            Light from Light,            true God from true God,       begotten, not made;   ...