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

Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
08/06/19

Chasing the Spotlight

We are so free as Christians that we don't even have to compare ourselves to other Christians.
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
08/05/19

No Church Revitalization without Mission

The Church, having turned the Gospel into a moral performance, a judgemental system of do's and do-nots, must come to grips with the fact that the culture has moved on.
Jacob Corzine
Jacob Corzine
08/05/19

Original Sin and Actual Sins

As I weigh briefly here the advantages and disadvantages of preaching original sin and preaching actual sin, I don’t mean to argue for one and against the other. Instead, I mean to suggest a benefit in focusing a given sermon on one or the other, and that neither type of sermon should be the only type a Christian hears.
Peter Nafzger
Peter Nafzger
08/05/19

Gospel: Luke 12:22-34 (Pentecost 9: Series C)

The Father knows our needs because he knows everything. This is a comforting thought, but only if He is gracious.
Grant Klembara
Grant Klembara
08/05/19

Killing Our Hero, Martin Luther

Martin Luther is not–or, at least should not–be the object of our affection.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/04/19

What Can the Church Do in Times of Violence?

It is a strange irony, but in a world drunk on violence, it is only on the cross of violence that there is hope for peace in our world.
Zack James Cole
Zack James Cole
08/02/19

The Lord's Funeral

One area where my theology was completely backward was the Lord's Supper. Growing up I remember that it felt more like the Lord's Funeral.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
07/30/19

Pain is Our Birthright

Pain is our birthright, but Jesus’ resurrection is our irrevocable end.
Bob Hiller
Bob Hiller
07/29/19

Protected from Baptism

The real problem with the way we talk about Baptism in particular, and the sacraments at all, is that we are simply afraid of letting God’s Word get us.
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
07/28/19

Epistle: Colossians 3:1-11 (Pentecost 8: Series C)

Indeed, baptism is life because resurrection is life. Nothing short of regeneration—renewal of life—is accomplished by God through sheer grace because of Christ Jesus.
Peter Nafzger
Peter Nafzger
07/28/19

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21 (Pentecost 8: Series C)

Jesus names what life does not consist of, and in doing so he gets to something near and dear to our hearts as Americans—our possessions.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
07/27/19

Three Hidden Hebrew Treasures in Psalm 23

These treasures show us that, no matter how well we think we know this poem, there’s always more layers to uncover.
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