The Consuming Fire and the Holiness That Comes Down
By Bradley Gray
10/02/25
23mins

The Consuming Fire and the Holiness That Comes Down

He doesn’t consume us, even though that is what we deserve. Instead, Jesus comes down to us and consumes all our sin by taking it on himself.
When Pastors Are Abused by Their Congregations
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
10/01/25

When Pastors Are Abused by Their Congregations

This article is the first part of a two-part series. The second part will take a look at when pastors abuse their congregations.
An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/30/25

An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136

The following entries are excerpts from Chad Bird’s new book, Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of the Psalms (1517 Publishing, 2025), pgs. 311 and 335

All Articles

Tate Barber
Tate Barber
09/27/18

I May Not Be A Smart Man, But I Know What The Gospel Is

I am not a good Lutheran. I have only been around reformation theology for a few years.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
09/25/18

I’d Never Go to That Church

Would you go to the church on the corner knowing that the pastor is an ex-con?
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
09/18/18

Jesus Opens Us

Jesus opened our ears and mouth when He baptizes us. Jesus put His fingers into our ears, speaks to us, and washes our sins away.
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
09/13/18

The Habits of Grace

Only because He is an outsider can he afford the costly fee insiders could never afford no matter how hard they work.
Ken Sundet Jones
Ken Sundet Jones
09/04/18

Learning the Cycle of Gospel Proclamation

True preaching arises when the Holy Spirit steeps the proclaimer in its own cycle of judgment and mercy.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/01/18

Scandalous Church Stories Not Reported This Week

Early in the church’s life, some Christians were dragged before the city authorities in Thessalonica and accused of “turning the world upside down,” (Acts 17:6). They were guilty as charged. They were turning the world upside down. Or, rather, they were putting the world right side up.
Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
08/30/18

Grace Twists Braids

I saw a beautiful picture of grace yesterday. A real bestowing of favor on someone less deserving.
Joel Hess
Joel Hess
08/29/18

Who Did Jesus Marry?

Did Jesus ever marry? Yes, He married you!
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
08/28/18

Failed Saint, Faithful Savior

Christians have long enjoyed an absurd love affair with white-washing biblical saints.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/25/18

Our Retribution Shrines: Why Forgiving Others Hurts Like Religion

For on the other side of the death of forgiveness is the resurrection of joy. An easter in which we emerge from the tomb in the arms of the man whose scars glow with mercy.
Robert Kolb
Robert Kolb
08/24/18

Every Preacher, A Translator

Prechers translate as a calling. Called by God, they are given a message, and for most of their hearers it is to one degree or another a message in a language from afar, with strange concepts, sometimes with a more familiar ring, sometimes with a strange sound.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/19/18

How to Become a Very Bad Person

Don’t say you’re beyond hope, for there is not one beyond God. Don’t say you’ve done too much evil, for there is no wrong bigger than God’s heart of forgiveness.
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