Dr Paul Allen

3 Ways to Cultivate Spiritual Health by Clint Archer  In his peculiar short story, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, F. Scott Fitzgerald supplies a disturbingly fresh look at maturity and social development. What is so curious about Benjamin is that he is born old and, with time, becomes young. The novella is a fascinating take on how people mature, love, and grow up and the ironic infantile state of the infirm elderly. Sometimes, we encounter the curious case of the well-churched immature believer in the church. Often we find that when a person is a baby believer, freshly saved from their sins, their formerly lacklustre life suddenly morphs into an Incredible Hulk of natural enthusiasm. They evangelize zealously, pray constantly, read their Bible devotedly, and enjoy serving in the church. But sadly, it is not uncommon to witness that this verve is a fleeting sugar rush of novelty. The preciousness of salvation begins to grow commonplace, the church becomes a routine, Bible rea...

Mark 8:34 recounts Jesus’s most pointed teaching on the nature of discipleship. This instruction applies to all (i.e., not simply the twelve) who want to follow him and includes three elements:1denying oneself, taking up one’s cross, and following him. Mark narrates instances of each of the three elements, allowing us to see what they look like in practice.  The first is perhaps the most radical. One must deny not “things that the self wants, but the self itself.”2In 2 Timothy 2:13, Paul speaks about the impossibility of God denying himself, which would entail acting “contrary to his own nature, to cease to be God.”3 Calling his followers to do what is impossible for God, Jesus requires a “radical abandonment of one’s own identity and self-determination.” They are to join the “march to the place of execution.”4 The second element, to take up one’s cross, is Mark’s first reference to “cross” (stauros) and the only reference outside the passion narrative (Mark 15:21, 30, 32). It fore...

Self-examination has always been a vital component of what it means to grow in grace. In the earliest days of the church, for example, the Apostle Paul twice exhorted believers in the troubled church of Corinth to examine themselves. He issued the first challenge in relation to preparation for the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:28) and the other with regard to the genuineness of faith itself (2 Cor. 13:5). John Calvin brings up self-examination in the opening words of the Institutes of the Christian Religion. True and sound wisdom begins not only with “the knowledge of God,” but also “of ourselves.” The Puritans wove the practice of self-examination into the core of their teaching and piety.  But the question is, How do we pursue it? There is no shortage of ways to pursue this discipline badly. Not least because, if done in isolation, it degenerates into the kind of morbid introspection that leads to spiritual self-harm, not benefits. How, then, are we to understand what it means to “exa...

There are a few different ways you might answer that question. Depending on how you look at it, you might say that it’s because you accepted Christ or placed your faith in Him at some point. Or you might say that it’s because your parents nurtured you in the faith, so there’s never been a time that you did not believe in God and trust in Christ as your Savior. If you look at it from God’s perspective, you might say that it’s because He elected you to salvation before the foundation of the world and that you came to faith because of His sovereign work in your life. But what if we ask the question differently: Why are you a Christian and not a Jew? If you are like most Christians, you are a gentile, that is, not of Jewish descent or a convert from Judaism. Under the old covenant, gentiles had to become like Jews by marking themselves off from the surrounding nations—literally, in the case of circumcision, and figuratively, by abstaining from common pagan practices and worshiping the God ...

We should take notice of what Jesus did not say in the Great Commission. He did not say, "Go therefore and make converts of as many people as possible." All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matt. 28:18-20) One of the most exciting times of my life was when I was first converted to Christ. I was filled with a zeal for evangelism. However, much to my consternation, when I told my friends about my conversion to Christ, they thought I was crazy. They were tragically amused, remaining unconvinced despite my sharing the gospel with them. Finally, they asked me, "Why don't you start a class and teach us what you have learned about Jesus?" They were serious. I was elated. We scheduled a time to meet, and I got ...

In Acts 2:42, Luke provides a summary of the ways believers in the early church grew as disciples. He writes, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” According to Luke, these Christians devoted themselves to four basic means by which they were discipled. Let us consider these means and the way in which the risen Christ still uses them today in the lives of His people. First, Luke tells us that the early disciples devoted themselves to “the apostles’ teaching.” We should note that Luke chooses to characterize their activity in terms of devotion. In other words, they made the hearing and the study of the truth as it is revealed in Jesus Christ a priority—a regular, non-negotiable part of their lives. Still today, most ministers will tell you that those who do this are those who, more often than not, lead the most vibrant and fruitful Christian lives. Those who faithfully attend the public teachin...

Over the years I’ve seen that one of the most powerful moments in a new believer’s life is the realization that there is such a thing as a false convert. The sudden realization that salvation is not dependent on a prayer, a baptism or family history propels true believers to a whole other dimension in their walk with Christ . They begin to examine themselves properly ( 2 Cor 13:5), they become more evangelistic, they care more about theology and they appreciate being at church so much more. Understanding the fact that false converts are a reality is so important for those who call themselves Christians. There are few things more disappointing than when someone from our church walks away from the Lord. Especially when you’ve spent countless hours not only teaching and disciplining that person, but you have shared a myriad of hours of ministry with him. Maybe at some point in the grieving process, you will wonder why you weren’t able to tell that he was a false convert. M...

“Henceforth I call you not servants ; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” ( John  15:15 )   Some things in Scripture are harder to understand and believe than others. Christ , the Sovereign Creator of all things, the offended Judge who declared the penalty for sin to be death, the One who willingly died to pay that penalty and redeem us from bondage to sin, now calls us His friends. Certainly we would like to consider Him our friend; but are we really His friends? If He were telling someone about His friends, would He include us? Somehow this seems too much—too good to be true; but He insists it is.   Actually, Christ said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you” ( John  15:16 ). We are His friends by conscious choice on His part, even though He knows more about our inward nature than we will admit to ourselves. He has demonstrated ...

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” ( Galatians 2:20 ) The verb “to be,” in its various forms and tenses, enjoys wide usage throughout Scripture. Verses employing it, as it relates to us, contain many of the greatest and most precious truths. Consider the following sampling. Past tense: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” ( Romans 5:8 ). “When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God” (v. 10). “You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” ( Ephesians 2:1 ). “You, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled” ( Colossians 1:21 ). Present tense: “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven” ( Romans 4:7 ). “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?” ( 1 Corinthians 3:16 ). “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unt...

Jesus and Saint Peter, Gospel of Matthew 4.18-20 Français : Jésus et Saint Pierre, Évangile selon Matthieu 4.18-20 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 8:18-22 "Another of the disciples said to him, ' Lord , let me first go and bury my father.' And Jesus said to him, 'Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead'" ( vv. 21-22 ). Related articles Where The Wind Blows (sarasmusings.wordpress.com) Matthew 17:2-3 - WHAT IS THE TRANSFIGURATION OF JESUS ABOUT? (pastorross1.wordpress.com) Purpose for Living (allanblog.me) If You Are Not Making Disciples - You Are Not Being One (darrellcreswell.wordpress.com) The Kingdom of Heaven: context (friarmusings.wordpress.com) Jesus is (New Sermon series) (sportsguypressblog.wordpress.com) Who Wants to Be a Disciple of Christ (focusedandfree.com) Total Surrender to Discipleship (organizationalchangesolutionsdotcom.wordpress.com) The Good News and the Deceitful News (vanguardngr.com) Teach Us...

Philip the Apostle. The text (in Old Church Slavonic) in the book is: "15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love..." (First Epistle of John). Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos (1774) at Kondopoga. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And in your godliness, brotherly kindness …” 2 PETER 1:7 Real Christian discipleship will include practical brotherly love. A genuine love for God will invariably lead to a love for others. That’s what Jesus said of the two great commandments ( Matt. 22:36–40) that summarize the Ten Commandments . The apostle John also related love for God and love for others: “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” ( 1 John 4:20). The kind of love that’s called “brotherly kindness” in today’s verse is ...

English: Stained glass panel in the nave of St. John's Anglican Church, Ashfield, New South Wales (NSW). This window depicts Jesus Christ welcoming children and teaching "of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:14). The inscription on this memorial window reads "To the Glory of God and in Commemoration of all the Baptisms in this Church † Erected John the Baptist Day 1932". (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 18:1–4 “Calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said…‘Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven ’” ( vv. 2–4 ). Once again the disciples display their knack for missing the point when they ask Jesus : “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ( Mat. 18:1 ). This question, the other gospel writers tell us, results from an argument between the disciples over who will have the highest status in the kingdom ( Mark 9:33–37 ; Luke 9:46–48 ).  The analogy our Lord made earlier between G...