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Who is your favorite author?  There are many great authors out there.  I will be sharing over the next several months authors who have helped me grow in grace and the gospel.  I will try and include images of some of my favorite books by them. These will be shared in alphabetical order. Author: Jerry Bridges

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.  In the Gospel we don't get instructions about how to create a better version of ourselves. We get a new identity, a gift.-David Zahl Behavior follows belief. Who do you think you are? Satan says you're dirty and used. God says your clean and holy with a limitless future. @JeremyG220 We are justified, sanctified, & glorified by grace. The entire Christian life is lived under the reign of God’s grace. (Jerry Bridges) Grace was not an addition to God’s plan; grace was a part of God’s plan from the very beginning. Law was temporary, but grace is eternal. (Warren Wiersbe) Only God could rescue Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from fire. God rescues us, too, from sin through His Son, Jesus. #thegospelprojectkids

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.  Because you believe God has first loved you, your love for him will flow more and more naturally. @jdgreear Grace is not fair, but it is definitely good news! @JL_Martin We are fools if we appeal to God for justice rather than grace (Craig Blomberg) What then does it mean to abide in Christ? It is reliance on Him for His life and His power. @BridgesWisdom #Hesston Mark your calendars for Oct. 7th at 6 p.m. Hesston MB is excited to be hosting @elysefitz sharing about #grace #gospel #identity    

This is a new feature on the blog.  Usually on Mondays, I get caught up on my favorite podcasts.  This usually results in a lot of tweeting on that day.  However, if you are at work and not checking Twitter during that time, you might miss some of the great truth being shared by others.  So, I am sharing some of best tweets from the previous week which include great wisdom and truth. So when we preach steps and tips but only assume grace, we are withholding from people the actual power they need to experience God’s love and obey him. @jaredcwilson  The simple life of “Abide in me” has been buried under endless prescriptions of modern Christianity. @Byronyawn  Self-control is not control by oneself through one's own willpower but rather control of oneself through the power of the Holy Spirit. @BridgesWisdom  

Give More-12/14/14-Romans 5:12-17 Introduction: Last week, Chris focus “spend less” and encouraged us to think about our money, energy, and time. The previous week, Jared talked about “worship fully.” My theme is Give More.   I want you to give more this Christmas, but instead of telling you to work hard to change your attitude and give till it hurts, I am going to challenge you with one point (unusual for preachers) to give more grace. You will discover that as we understand grace (head), and let those truths from God’s Word sink into our (hearts), we want to give more (hands). Give More Grace Has grace become too familiar? What is grace? o    Grace = One Way Love title of Tullian’s book, definition of grace by Paul Zahl o    The entire Christian life is lived under the reign of God’s grace. (Jerry Bridges)   Vs. 12-14-Sin (Bad News) o    Vs. 12-entered world through one man, Adam, brought death, all people o  ...

A few weeks ago, I finished Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges.  I loved most of the book.  I disagreed with Bridges view on suffering and adversity.  However, I would recommend the book to people because of his great explanation of grace through all of life. I have posted previously on the book so I have picked several quotes from the second half of the book. We are responsible to clothe ourselves with Christlike character, but we are dependent on God's Spirit to produce with us His "fruit." We cannot make one inch of progress in sanctification apart from the powerful working of the Spirit in us. Instead, we have developed another brand of legalism, a brand that is concerned, not with salvation, but with how we live the Christian life. I call this "evangelical legalism." They (fences) begin as a sincere effort to deal with real sin issues. But very often we begin to focus on the fence we've built instead of the sin it was designed to guard ag...

Last week, I was reading Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges.  I came across a quote about the goodness of God that jumped off the page.  I hope it will reinforce the importance of not believing Satan's lies about God. "We should not forget that Satan's very first temptation of mankind was based on questioning the goodness and generosity of God (see Genesis 3:1-5). And his vicious attack on the patriarch Job was designed to cause Job to question God's goodness so that he would then curse God (see Job 1:6-11). Satan has not changed his strategy today. This perception of God as the reluctant giver comes right from Satan and must be resisted by us if we are to experience the fullness of God's grace."

Feeling guilty today?  Wondering how God can forgive you for committing that same sin again? How does God view your sin? Listen to these word pictures about our sin from Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges: Our condition was hopeless, but God intervened in grace. So when God says He removes our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west, He is saying they have been removed an infinite distance from us. In His relationship, to us as the moral Governor and Judge of mankind, God has put our sins behind His back. So it is with our sins. God has hurled them into the depths of the sea to be lost forever, never to be recovered, never to be held against us. It has been blotted out, never to be seen again. This is what God does with our sins. When you trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, God removes your record from the file. He doesn't keep it there or daily add the long list of sins you continue to commit even as a Christian. The blotting out of our transgressions is a le...

If you have heard me speak or read this blog often, you know I say a lot, "Grace is for all of life."  Many Christians know grace gets them saved, but then they believe it is up to them to do the rest.  We get in by God's grace, but then we better work hard to show Jesus how much we love Him.  Below is a quote from Jerry Bridges that reinforces this belief of grace for all of life: God is not keeping score, granting or withholding blessings on the basis of our performance. The score has already been permanently settled by Christ. We so often miss this dimension of the gospel. We are brought into God's kingdom by grace; we are sanctified by grace; we receive both temporal and spiritual blessings by grace; we are motivated to obedience by grace; we are called to serve and enabled to serve by grace; we receive strength to endure trials by grace; and finally, we are glorified by grace. The entire Christian life is lived under the reign of God's grace.

Last week, I began reading Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God's Unfailing Love by Jerry Bridges. Here are some powerful quotes from the preface and Chapter 1: As Bridges says, many Christians believe: "We are saved by grace, but we are living by the "sweat" of our own performance." We recognize that even our best efforts cannot get us to heaven, but we do think they earn God's blessings in our daily lives. Not only are we legalistic by nature, our Christian culture reinforces this attitude in us. God answered (a specific prayer of Bridges) on the basis of His grace alone, not because of my merits or demerits. One of the best kept secrets among Christians today is this: Jesus paid it all. I mean all. He not only purchased your forgiveness of sins and your ticket to heaven, He purchased every blessing and every answer to prayer you will ever receive. Every one of them--no exceptions. That is, the entire Christian life from start to comp...

Below are the books I am currently reading.  How about you?  What books are you reading right now?