The Mind of Christ
HEC currently enjoys a remarkable spirit of unity and stability as a congregation. We should give thanks for this. As the Psalmist notes, it is a divine blessing when brethren dwell together in unity (Ps. 133). At the same time, we should not be naïve. A ship on the open seas will eventually encounter choppy water.
Three Lies that Keep Us from Enjoying the Love of the Father
The danger of this logic is that we begin to think that God’s love is dependent upon our love. If we falter in our feelings toward God, the relationship between us and Him crumbles. Thus, when we adopt this mindset, we lose our ground of confidence before God. Instead of knowing the security of being an adopted child, we feel the anxiety of an employee facing a daily performance review.
Love. The Only Explanation.
Given, then, that there were no positive additions to the experience of the Son, but only negative ones, why would he do it? Why would the perfect joy of divine life be relinquished in order to be publicly executed as a loathed criminal? There is only one answer. Love.
How Is Jesus ‘Everlasting Father’?
There is one passage that each of us will hear a dozen times over Christmas: ‘For unto us a child is born, for unto us a Son is given…And he shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ (Is. 9:6). There is a puzzle in this verse that a lot of Christians never pause to figure out. What does it mean that Jesus is ‘Everlasting Father’?
Help for People Who Struggle to Make Much of the Incarnation
The work of the incarnation is not complete until each and every adopted child of God is perfectly refashioned into the image of the Maker. Jesus did not live a perfect life simply so that he could enjoy communion with the Father. He lived a perfect life so that you and I could be restored in communion with the same Father. His work is not finished until he has resurrected the beauty of our nature from the ashes of our sin.
Don’t Let Envy Spoil Your Joy
The glory of Christ is non-competitive. To see Christ mirrored in the life of a friend does not leave me with less light to enjoy. The opposite is the case. The more I see of Jesus in you – and rejoice in the vision – the more capacity I have to reflect Jesus to someone else.
Christmas Calendar 2022
We all need to be prayerful and excited as we cross into the season of advent. In case you haven’t noticed already, we have a full schedule of events, all focused on the objective of making the light of this world visible to a people walking in darkness around Montgomery Street.
Spiritual Chastity: a Forgotten Virtue
Chastity is the resolve to keep a heart pure and on fire for Jesus. It is not just the virtue that protects us from sexual sin. Chastity is the watchman that guards the heart from any passion that would douse or misdirect the love that belongs to the bridegroom himself.
Four Ways to Make the Most of Sunday Morning Worship
There’s an old hymn that says, ‘Sometimes a light surprises a Christian while he sings’. The word ‘sometimes’ needs to be highlighted. The hymn-writer is being honest in using the word. The truth is that, more often than not, church services are a ho-hum experience.
