Archives For Sanctification

There are no Egalitarians when a mouse gets loose.

Erik Raymond —  October 18, 2011

Imagine this scene: you are enjoying an evening dinner party at your home. All of a sudden a mouse scurries accross the floor parting the room like the Red Sea. The men jump up on their chairs and begin screaming for someone to get the intruder. One of the ladies puts down her appetizer plate and calmly grabs the broom and corals the little varmint. The disaster has been averted.

Is there anything wrong with this scene?

There is everything wrong with it. We all know that the guys in this story need some remedial classes at The Art of Manliness. They have some dereliction of gender issues.

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What to Think vs. How to Think

Erik Raymond —  October 6, 2011

All church leaders have had it happen. In the midst of a meeting of a group of people or with individuals someone says something that is off-base theologically or just plain lacking in discernment.What do you do? How do you handle it?

Let’s first admit that this is a bit of a tenuous situation. You have to balance the nuances of correction and instruction.

The easy answer is to raise an eyebrow and then bluntly tell them they are wrong and what is right. While this might be appear to be the easiest and most tidy method of handling this situation I believe it is not the best way to serve one another.

As Christians in general and leaders in particular we have to think about the process of how people learn.

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Are You Always the Hero of Your Stories?

Erik Raymond —  September 29, 2011

Several years back I experienced one of those “ah-ha” moments. My wife and I were hanging out together and seemed to be quite enjoying some time of conversation.

Then she lovingly hit me with this forearm shiver: “Did you ever notice that you are always the hero of your stories?”

It knocked me off of my feet. My wife was saying that I routinely made myself out to be the hero in all of our talking about life, family, and even ministry. She mentioned how rare it was to hear of my own vices, instead, she said, she heard of others’.

As we talked about this in the days to come we realized a few things:

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You Can Change – by Tim Chester

Erik Raymond —  September 16, 2011

A short time ago I was at my son’s baseball game. In between innings I would pick up my book and continue reading. People would walk by and I caught them looking at my book. I usually really like this as it has been a convienent opportunity to talk about the gospel. In this case however, I was embarrassed. As I sat there reading “You Can Change” I was certain that the people thought I was reading some sort of self-help book. “No!” I thought. “I’m reading about the power of the gospel in the life of a believer.”

After about a inning or so of this type of false thinking and fear of man I realized this is the type of thing that needs to change. I cannot be so concerned about other people’s thoughts. Since I have God’s approval through Christ I do not need to be so concerned with these types of things. Instead, I should be thankful for the opportunity to talk to people.

This was my first experience with Tim Chester’s writings. I must say, I am greatly encouraged. He writes with a very clear, succinct, gospel-dripping style. He seems to simultaneously attack legalism and promote grace. The book is sneaky good.

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Don’t Treat Your Wife like a Guy

Erik Raymond —  September 13, 2011

Can you imagine a husband making a funny joke and then, at the punchline landing a solid jab to his wife’s shoulder?

Of course not. It’s out of place (and perhaps domestic abuse). However, in the context of a male friendship such behavior is widely practiced and acceptable.

What’s the difference? (I’m about to get profound here…) Simply, women are different then men. Husbands and wives are different. And this is a good thing, something to be celebrated.

However, it is also apparently an evasive truth. One of the most common non-spiritual, basic, counseling I give to a husband is: don’t treat your wife like a guy. Believe it or not, men seem to forget this fact about as often as we leave our dirty socks on the floor.

One of the chief areas this is seen is the area of romance. Many men think that they can woo their wives by treating like men. We think that we can just snap our fingers or just jump right to physical intimacy without any regard for emotions.

Guys, this doesn’t work.

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Contrasting ‘Quote Guy’ with ‘Bible Guy’

Erik Raymond —  August 30, 2011

Good friends are hard to find.

This sentiment is shared across various demographics. We know this. We feel this.

As Christians we know the value of good friendships. In particular, I am talking about those friendships that are redemptive, that is, they aid us in our love for Christ. These friendships are truly incalculable in their value.

One aspect of this redemptive friendship is that these friends enjoy telling you what he or she is learning. They come to you and unload what has been garnering their attention and truly, their affection as of late. I love this.

But there are a couple of ways in which these take shape and one is preferred over the other.

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What we are saying and doing with sin

Erik Raymond —  August 22, 2011

“Every sin invades the rights of God, and strips him of one or other of his perfections. It is such a vilifying of God as if he were not God; as if he were not the supreme Creator and Benefactor of the world; as if we had not our being from him; as if the air we breathed in, the food we lived by, were our own by right of supremacy, not of donation…

Sin implies that God is unworthy of a being. Every sin is a kind of cursing God in the heart; an aim at the destruction of the being of God; not actually, but virtually; not in the intention of every sinner, but in the nature of every sin.

That affection which excites a man to break His law, would excite him to annihilate his being if it were in his power. A man in every sin aims to set up his own will as his rule, and his own glory as the end of his actions against the will and glory of God; and could a sinner attain his end, God would be destroyed.” –Stephen Charnock, Existence and Attributes of God

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