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Faith: What Part Does it Play in Salvation? |
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Written by Michael D.
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What is Faith?
Is faith a blind leap into the dark? Is it some mystical feeling given to us by God? Is it assenting to a set of propositions? Is faith even definable? And even more, what part does faith play in our salvation?
What Faith is Not
Faith is not a blind leap; this is existential faith. The Existentialist were a group of Philosophers who gained popularity in the early 20th century. They followed the writings of Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) who taught that logic had failed as an answer to life's most fundamental question: what is the meaning of life? He proposed an escape from reason by a blind leap into the unknown. This so called 'faith' is an illogical choice in order to create an experience that would define the reason for the existence of the individual. This is what most people today tend to think of as faith. (For a further discussion of existentialism see Francis Schaffer's book Escape From Reason and James W. Sire's book The Universe Next Door). |
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Repentance: What Part Does it Play in Salvation? |
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Written by Michael D.
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 Repentance is an essential element to the gospel, as seen in Acts 20:21, where Paul boldly proclaimed that his message “to Jews, and also to Greeks” was “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”. The message Christ wanted His disciples to preach in His name to all nations was “repentance and remission of sins” (Lk. 24:47). God “now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). The call to repentance is the whole reason Jesus came. “For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Mt. 9:13b) With such a huge emphasis put on repentance in the Bible, it’s imperative that we understand what it involves and how it is employed.
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Regaining the Gospel Offensive |
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Written by Nathan G. & Michael D.
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Living on the brink of the Lord Jesus’ return, and with more people on the way to hell than ever before, it’s obvious that the Lord is concerned for mankind: “the Lord’s voice cries to the city, and wisdom shall see Your name” (Mic. 6:9a). If we want to see the Lord’s name we must “hear the rod!” (Mic. 6:9b). And what is the rod? God’s judgment upon sinners, “I will make you sick by striking you, by making you desolate because of your sins” (Mic. 6:13b). This is real and serious. The Lord’s desire is to show mercy, but sinners must repent. “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked; but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom he has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31). What is our part to play in all this? “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” Mk. 16:15. |
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Written by Nathan G. and Mike D.
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 The wordless book is a clear and simple way to present the gospel to anyone. It uses five colors representing five points important for knowing God.
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Written by Nathan G. and Mike D.
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It has always been confusing to me what I should do about this holiday. Some people don’t worry much about Halloween, and others are strongly opposed to having anything to do with it. Last year I asked my friend Rob from Michigan about any evangelism ideas he had, and he encouraged us to go “backwards trick-or-treating” because Halloween is the only day of the year people are expecting strangers to come to their door. I tried it out in Omaha, Nebraska and I have to admit, after going door to door on many occasions, that day was one of the most welcoming times I’ve had. |
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Equip 