Pentecost and the Beautiful Mess of the Church
By Ryan Couch
06/06/25
15mins

Pentecost and the Beautiful Mess of the Church

Every time someone is baptized, every time bread is broken and wine poured, every time a sinner hears, “Your sins are forgiven in Christ,” Pentecost happens again.
Hymns at Midnight
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
06/05/25

Hymns at Midnight

They were still praying, trusting, and hoping. Why? Because they knew who was with them and who was for them: the risen Christ.
What Now?
Wade Johnston
Wade Johnston
06/04/25

What Now?

So Christ is risen, but what now?

All Articles

Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
08/03/21

Luther versus Erasmus: Bound to Be Free (Part 2)

Luther's response to Erasmus was not meant to be a polite contribution to an academic duel.
Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
08/02/21

That's a Good Question: Are We All Predestined to Either Heaven or Hell?

The reason the mind is endlessly troubled about God predestining everything is the vague generalization. Generalizations are cold as ice, without the warm Christ.
Peter Nafzger
Peter Nafzger
07/31/21

Gospel: John 6:35-51 (Pentecost 11: Series B)

Jesus promises more than a disembodied “spiritual” existence after death. He has promised to raise our perishable, mortal bodies to immortality.
Scott Davis
Scott Davis
07/31/21

The Gospel and the Boy Who Cried Wolf

It isn’t that God struggles to believe our repeated cries of “wolf.” Rather, we struggle to believe God when he repeatedly comes to us with forgiveness and mercy on his lips.
Haroldo Camacho
Haroldo Camacho
07/29/21

The Sixth Beatitude: Makarios in a Crucible?

We are not saved by the success of our refining process. We are saved precisely because our impurities, no matter what the percentage, ruin the whole thing.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
07/28/21

Luther versus Erasmus: Bound to Be Free (Part 1)

Luther’s allies and opponents also would not allow him to put off responding to Erasmus indefinitely. They badgered him constantly to write a response.
Scott Keith
Scott Keith
07/26/21

That's a Good Question: What Should we do When the Church Lets us Down?

The Church is where God has instituted the office of the preacher of the gospel. And if you are let-down, the gospel is what you need to hear.
Peter Nafzger
Peter Nafzger
07/24/21

Gospel: John 6:22-35 (Pentecost 10: Series B)

In His grace, Jesus promises that all who come to Him in faith will live abundantly and eternally.
Haroldo Camacho
Haroldo Camacho
07/22/21

The Fifth Beatitude: The Most Surprising Act of Grace

Jesus did not need a single act of mercy to get him started on the road to mercy, his essence was by nature merciful.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
07/21/21

A Lamp in a Dark World

Through the often abominable and lamentable and occasional commendable season, there is one who remains unmoved by it all.
David Schmitt
David Schmitt
07/17/21

Gospel: Mark 6:45-56 (Pentecost 9: Series B)

When the One who created the world comes to you, there is reason for courage and never reason to fear.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
07/13/21

A Kingdom of Sheathed Swords and Severed Ears

But Jesus didn’t see it that way. He saw his arrest not as the kingdom’s program being thwarted but as it being “fulfilled.”
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