Dr Paul Allen

Dr David E. Briones One of the things I love most about Paul is the way he frequently brings out a particularly simple truth in his writings: because the gospel is countercultural, Christians ought to be countercultural people. After all, the gospel is not just something that we think about. It’s something we live out. We are conformed to the message of the gospel. More specifically, we are conformed to the person of Jesus Christ in the gospel (Rom. 8:29).  This gospel message is at odds with the messages of the world. The way of the cross diametrically opposes the way of this world. Why? Because the very content of the gospel of the cross goes against the grain of culture. But this raises a question: The message of the gospel may be countercultural, but are God’s people? The answer to this question must be, “Yes, but not always.” By virtue of believing in and confessing the glorious truth of our crucified and risen Savior, the church is innately countercultural.  It is contra mundum (

June is for Judgment by Robb Brunansky I love the month of June. It features the longest day of the year. It is hot but not the deathly hot of July and August, which means you can still enjoy some mornings and evenings outside and swimming is still refreshing. Baseball season is in full swing. Father’s Day lands on the third Sunday of the month. And my beautiful bride was born in the month of June. Yet for all the highlights of the sixth month of the year, in the United States it brings a more sinister side. Our nation celebrates June as “Pride month.” Desecrated rainbows fill store displays and social media feeds. Sexual deviancy and perversion is celebrated as a virtue. Baseball teams host “Pride nights” at their stadiums. Government buildings are lit up with the colors of the rainbow. The US Navy joins in, changing their entire Twitter avatar and bio to boast in wickedness. As Christians we might easily look at June as a month where the darkness has overtaken the light, where godles

Romans 15:17-18 – In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God...what Christ has accomplished through me. In the culture of the world, pride is oftentimes a bad thing – pride in ourselves and our accomplishments or pride in things that we should grieve. In Romans 15:17-18, Paul talks about a different kind of pride – pride in what God has accomplished through us and fellow believers. As Christians, we should be proud of what Jesus says and does and, when He chooses to work through us, we should be proud to be able to be used by Him. Ministry is being able to be used by God to bless others and being proud of what God does and super encouraged that He did it through us. God doesn’t need us, but He loves us so much that He wants to include us in His work so we can be a blessing to others and be blessed by His work through us for the benefit of others. If we’re going to have pride parades for other things, why don’t we have a pride parade for what God has done throug

There are a lot of things that could lead to failure in ministry, but essentially two things would be at the top of the list. One is sin. Sin is going to lead to failure. And I’m not talking so much even about behavioural sin, I’m talking about sin on the inside. We have to deal with the heart. That is the issue. James writes that sin is conceived in the heart, it comes out of the heart, and it leads to death. When you see somebody fail in the ministry because of sin, that isn’t the beginning. That is the end of a long history of losing the spiritual battle on the inside. That is why it’s so critical for people in ministry to guard their conscience. As a believer, your conscience is the mechanism God has given you to excuse you when you're doing the right thing or accuse you when you’re doing the wrong thing. You want to listen to your conscience. The Apostle Paul defended himself to the Corinthians by saying in 2 Corinthians 1:12, “I have a clear conscience.” You’re s

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. — Proverbs 11:2 Moses may be the all-time record holder for lengthy conversations with God. But he was also one of the least presumptuous human beings who ever walked the earth: “Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” ( Numbers 12:3 ). Certainly, a connection existed between his meekness and his close working and talking relationship with God. In seeking and receiving God’s word to us today, we must also seek and receive the grace of humility. God will gladly give it to us if, trusting and waiting on him to act, we refrain from pretending we are what we know we are not; presuming a favorable position for ourselves in any respect; pushing or trying to override the will of others in our context. This is a fail-safe recipe for humility: N ever push, never presume, never pretend. Pray: Ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Then ask God: Where do I pretend to be sm

At some point today, someone will probably compliment or praise something you do or say. If not today, it will happen tomorrow, or sometime next week. How will you respond? How do you typically respond ? How we respond to praise from others, especially over time, reveals how highly we really think of ourselves. I’m not talking about every specific email or conversation or social-media update, but about the trends in our emails and conversations and social media.  Is our default reaction — our gut heart-level response — to give God credit and glory for our gifts and achievements at work, at home, and in ministry? Or, are we more likely to privately savor that moment for ourselves, to turn the praise over and over slowly in our minds, like a piece of caramel in our mouths? Every compliment or commendation we receive comes charged with potential for worship. When we quietly, even politely, enjoy affirmation or praise without even thinking to acknowledge God, we’re not only mi

"When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom" (Prov. 11:2). Shame often treads upon the heels of pride. We find numerous examples of this in the Scriptures. The people who built a monument to their own glory at Babel were scattered (Gen. 11:4). When Miriam tried to exalt herself over Moses’ authority, she was struck with leprosy (Num. 12:2, 10). Haman’s boast earned him the hangman’s noose (Es. 5:11, 7:10). When Herod tried to steal God’s glory for himself, worms devoured his shameful carcass. God’s Word is true: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled” (Luke 18:14; Isa. 2:17). Nebuchadnezzar learned this lesson the hard way . As he walked along the royal corridors of his palace, he proclaimed, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” With the boast still on his lips, God pronounced, “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom had departed from you! And t

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Prov. 16:18). The higher you climb to exalt yourself, the greater your fall. Babylon sought to climb the mountain of glory by crushing her enemies and shaking her fist at God. But what was her fate? An everlasting kingdom like that promised to David? No, death and destruction. This is what Isaiah said about the destiny of Babylon: “All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you. How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the grave, to

By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom (Prov. 13:10). The proverb “Pride breeds contention” has been affirmed time and again throughout history. Wars have erupted, families divided, and churches split because people have contended, not for the glory of God, but for their own pride. Many will often try to hide their pride under the cloak of serving God, but as contention mounts around them, their true motivation is often exposed. Are you quick to defend yourself? Are you more concerned about your honor than peace? Are you jealous of those who are more righteous, more talented, more intelligent than you are? Do you find it difficult to rejoice when others succeed? When they do succeed, are you unable to rest until you have surpassed their accomplishments? What motivates you in your work, or even in your spiritual duties? Is it to be esteemed by men, to emblazon your name on the tablets of history? If you answer yes to any of these questions, pride is at

We’re asked common questions when people find out what we do. Are you a plumber? Get ready to remotely troubleshoot a leaky faucet. A doctor? Get ready for a rundown of mysterious aches and pains. For counselors, somewhere near the top of that list is the question, “What problems do you see most?” Depression, anxiety, anger, marital conflict all make the cut, but my top answer may surprise you. It’s pride. That pride should be the chart-topper actually shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone — and least of all to Christians. Proverbs  6:16 –19 lists seven traits that God despises, and the very first — “haughty eyes” — is the proverbial way of talking about pride. Pride is a prison that perpetuates anger, hurt, and foolishness while keeping at bay the restorative effects of conviction, humility, and reconciliation (Proverbs 11:2; 29:23; Galatians 6:3; James 4:6; Revelation  3:17 –20). Later, in Proverbs  16:18 , God tells us, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spir

Portrait of a Woman Suffering from Obsessive Envy (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Envy  Competes Who is Envy? What does Envy do? How do we define Envy? Something like this: Envy makes you feel resentment or anger or sadness because another person   has  something or another person  is  something that you want for yourself. Envy makes you aware that another person has some advantage, some good thing, that you want for yourself and, while he’s at it, he makes you want that other person not to have it. This means that there are at least three evil components to Envy: the deep discontent that comes when you see that another person has what you want; the desire to have it for yourself; and the desire for it to be taken from him. It’s crucial to understand that Envy flows out of Pride . (A commenter said it well: “In my wretched experience pride has always been envy’s father…”) Pride says, “This is what I deserve” or “Let me boast about all I have” or “I am better than you in all of t

Image via Wikipedia Just Do It Just apologize. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Don’t let bitterness take root. Forgive as you have been forgiven. Don’t let pride sever your relationships. If there is anything that will keep you from apologizing, it is pride. Your pride will rebel against humbling yourself before God and before other people. Don’t trust your pride. Just apologize. If you’re anything like me, you won’t ever lack for opportunities to practice apologizing. As times goes on it may not get any easier or any less humbling, but it will become something you do sincerely and out of a desire to please God and to honor people created in his image. Ask for Forgiveness It is easy enough to say, “I’m sorry, ” but far more difficult to ask, “Do you forgive me?” Asking forgiveness allows both you and the offend party to understand that you are not merely seeking to salve your conscience by apologizing, but that you are seeking true reconciliation. Forgiveness is somet

Image via Wikipedia "Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me." ( Psalm 36:11 )   The contrast in this psalm is not only between good and evil , but more specifically between the prideful man who lives without fear of God and the God in whom godly men trust.   The description of the evil man ( vv. 1-4 ) is an apt description of a modern-day humanist. He is convinced that God, if He exists, does not intervene in the affairs of men. He therefore sets himself up as an authority, deciding right and wrong on his own arbitrary scale. He has "no fear of God" ( v. 1 ), and arrogantly he "flattereth himself in his own eyes" ( v. 2 ), speaking "iniquity and deceit" ( v. 3 ).  He is foolish, and even his humanitarian deeds are not good, in the ultimate sense.  Furthermore, the modern-day humanist "abhorreth not evil" ( v. 4 ), insisting that such sins as promiscuity, homosexuality, witchcraft, abor

Image via Wikipedia One of the deepest theological and exegetical conundrums is found in Mark 13:32: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” We know that Jesus , touching on His humanity, was not omniscient.  But we don’t know how it could be possible for God the Son not to know. That may not be what Jesus is saying, but it sure seems that way.  This we do know, that it is a good thing from time to time for even the most astute theologians to find themselves giving this most astute answer to some hard questions: I don’t know. We know in turn that it takes rather a lot of pride to respond to this text how Harold Camping did: “Jesus did not know the day or the hour, but I do.” One did not need to dig deep into Mr. Camping’s mathematical calculations to find the problem. It was always out there for all of us to see, his pride. How he dealt with difficult apocalyptic texts, and how they inter-related was