daddy4ms

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...

I am continuing to read Gospel Centered Kids Ministry by Brian Dembowczyk and Gospel Fluency by Jeff Vanderstelt.  Below are quotes from each of these books:  Obedience doesn't save. God saves. Obedience detached from the gospel doesn't please. Christ's righteousness pleases. Focus on the external behavior and you will miss the internal heart, but focus on the internal heart and you will get both. That is the key to righteousness...And that is the key to gospel-centered transformation and application.  Go to the heart, and the hands will follow. We have to point our kids to the heart over and over again just like Jesus did in the Sermon on the Mount. The heart is where the battle is won or lost. When we allow the Holy Spirit to work the gospel deep down into our kids' hearts, it will show itself in what they do with their hands as well. This is the kind of gospel transformation we are after. Helping our kids trust in the gospel, find acceptance from God based on...

Currently, I am reading two books.  The first is Gospel Centered Kids Ministry by Brian Dembowczyk and Gospel Fluency by Jeff Vanderstelt.  Here are some quotes from this week's reading: The battle of sin is won and lost in the heart. The beauty of the gospel is that it would not be based off of human effort; rather, it would rest entirely on what God would do on man's behalf. The gospel is not good advice about how to live; it is good news about what God has done. Our target is a transformed heart, not changed behavior. A transformed heart will always result in changed behavior that honors God, but changed behavior will not always result in a transformed heart that yields to God. We cannot move straight to application through bypassing the gospel. We need to filter everything we teach through the gospel. But we always follow the "what" of God's commands with the "why." And that "why" is always anchored to the gospel in looking at...