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The Bondage of Wealth
Dallas Willard in his book The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God walks us through the temptations that block us from the flow of Kingdom life. In Matthew 6 there are two major obstacles. One is the approval of others. The second is the bondage of wealth. Treasures are not things that have monetary value necessarily. But if…
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What Blocks the Flow of Kingdom Life?
In Matthew 5 Jesus shows us what is true well-being and the goodness of the kingdom heart. We are set free from the constraints of just getting by (living only by the outward fulfillment of the law) and we learn to bear the true fruit of the Kingdom. In Matthew 6 Jesus lays out two huge obstacles to fulfilling kingdom…
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Busyness as Sloth
Carolyn Arends in Christianity Today has a great column on our busyness that really is disguised as sloth. Good thoughts.
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If You’re Not Angry, You’re Not Paying Attention!
I don’t know if you’ve seen those signs. It’s usually some political season when they come out. It has always struck me as odd. I really try to pay attention, but why would I want to be angry all the time? Anger is an emotion and in certain states it is actually helpful. Anger happens and Paul’s admonition is to…
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1000
This, according to WordPress, is my 1000th post. It’s not completely accurate since I migrated from Blogger a few years ago, but I’ll use it. THANK YOU to those who read. I really have found this to be a useful means of writing for me and I am glad for anyone taking this journey with me. As I reflect on…
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Why Keep on Asking?
What is it with prayer and Jesus’ teaching to be persistent? Why not just barely ask once and leave it? Sometimes it’s because we’re not ready for the answer needed. We need to be better prepared and when we keep on asking we also begin thinking more. The Spirit can then prepare us for what is needed and we become…
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The Focus of Discipleship
The goal of following Christ is not about doing the kinds of things Jesus did. Not alone. If we focus on what needs to be done, we end up in the trap of the Pharisees. It’s all about actions. The goal of the Kingdom is to become the kind of person from which the deed of the Kingdom naturally flow.…
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The Kingdom of God is the Sweet Life!
Jesus unpacked the power of the Kingdom of God in the Sermon on the Mount. It is a fuller explanation of what he proclaimed at the end of Matthew 4. The Kingdom of heaven is at hand! (To which we would say, “What does that mean?”) The Sermon is not disconnected statements. Each part leads to the overall picture of…
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More on Universalism, Hell, etc.
Dr. Gordon Anderson is president of North Central University where I teach as an adjunct.
