Aaron Armstrong's Blog, page 369
June 7, 2012
Freedom Should Not Be Confused with Autonomy
Recently I was at a conference for Christian creative-types with my teammates from work. The time together was terrific, but during many of the sessions, I found myself with a rather odd feeling in the pit of my stomach. (And it wasn’t just because of the smoke machines working overtime during the praise band sessions.)
Without trying to make assumptions about motives—because I believe all the presenters genuinely desire to be impacting their communities for the sake of Christ—the questions as...
Links I Like
Michael Patton:
I accused my wife of infidelity last year. No, there was no evidence. No, there was no change in our relationship. No, it is not characteristic of her in the slightest. However, I had my reasons . . . Getting ahead of myself.
15questions for pastors to ask themselves
Steven Kryger:
“I’m not the king. I’m only an ambassador for the King”.A great reminder from Paul Tripp at the Dangerous Calling conference I recently attended.
Paul has a wonderfu...
June 6, 2012
Disciples, Deal with Difficult Texts
A number of years ago, I went on my first missions trip. At the time I was excited, but really wrestling with questions of what I was supposed to be doing with my life, frustrated and a little bitter when I saw others around me—some friends and some not-so-much—finding great success. Rather than rejoice at the good fortune of friends who the Lord had blessed, I found myself grumbling over the fact that others who I was working harder than those finding good fortune.
“Didn’t I deserve better?”...
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Kevin DeYoung:
Why is the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom? Because the end of folly is the love of the praise of men. Or to say the same thing in a different way: there is no sin so prevalent, so insidious, and so deep as the sin of fearing people more than we fear God.
Was Solomon Really a Good King?
…as I read 1 Kings, I often find myself asking, “was Solomonreallya good king?” After all, he begins his reign by arranging the assassination of a number of prominen...
June 5, 2012
What Makes a Disciple?
I love knowledge and learning new things. I love figuring out how to explain a difficult subject and explain it to others. For me, there’s nothing more exciting than seeing people “get” what you’re talking about—the lightbulb moment. This recently happened when I was explaining a few of the big ideas of Awaiting a Savior to a group of 30 people I work with.
But one of the things that I have to remember is that imparting and gaining knowledge doesn’t equate discipleship. That’s because disciple...
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IX Marks:
There are countless man-centered “gospels” on offer today. Such “gospels” say things like, “God wants to make you rich and prosperous in this life,” or “God wants to heal you of every physical and emotional ailment,” or “God wants to provide for whatever needs you feel you have.”
But how do these man-centered gospels differ from the true, biblical, God-centered gospel?
DoesScripture Clearly Command This?
Mark Altro...
June 4, 2012
Joint Commitment to a Common Purpose
When you meet another believer, you have more in common with that person than you do with any other single person on this planet. This is the big idea that Don Carson really wanted us to get as he expounded upon Philippians 1:1-11 during The Gospel Coalition’s 2012 Regional Conference. The gospel connects us more deeply and more profoundly than anything else. It should guide how we approach others, because it is to be the center of our relationship with others. “What this is talking about is...
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Kevin DeYoung:
A few months ago I notice that a friend was linking tothis email charterat the end of his messages. I ignored it several times, but eventually was curious enough to open the link and see what this was about. Perhaps this charter is already familiar to you, but I hadn’t seen it before. I found it eminently sensible. I’m still thinking about how to implement some of the good advice.
Youhave authority in Christ
Ray Ortlund:
InDynamics of Spiritual...
June 3, 2012
Let us Feel and Mourn the Atrocity of Our Guilt
O Lord God, the great I AM, we do confess and cheerfully acknowledge that all come of Thee. Thou hast made us and not we ourselves, and the breath in our nostrils is kept there by Thy continued power. We owe our sustenance, our happiness, our advancement, our ripening, our very existence entirely unto Thee. We would bless Thee for all the mercies with which Thou dost surround us, for all things which our eyes see that are pleasant, which our ears hear that are agreeable, and for everything th...
June 2, 2012
How is it With Our Souls?
We live in an age of special spiritual danger. Never perhaps since the world began was there such an immense amount of mere outward profession of religion as there is in the present day. A painfully large proportion of all the congregations in the land consists of unconverted people, who know nothing of heart-religion, never come to the Lord’s Table, and never confess Christ in their daily lives. Myriads of those who are always running after preachers, and crowding to hear special sermons, ar...
