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

Chad Bird
Chad Bird
10/07/16

Reading Life Backward: Why Hebrew is the Language of the Cross

Read your life like a Hebrew, from the end to the beginning, and you will see that the last is first. The dead are alive, the cursed are blessed, the humble are exalted.
Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
10/04/16

The Other Criminal’s Demand: “Save Us!”

There was another criminal next to Christ the day he died. He was aware of who Jesus was, and why he was there.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/29/16

The Secret Weapon Angels (and Pastors) Carry to Protect Us

We need pastors who carry that same concealed weapon in their mouths, who are outfitted with the same word the angels have: the word steeped in divine blood, shed for you. That is all we need, for the word does it all.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/27/16

My Favorite Dirty Word in Church

You became, for a time, ritually unclean. Not sinful. Not immoral. To be unclean meant you bore in your own body the effects of a creation in bondage to decay.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/23/16

The Beast of "Should" at the Zoo

All our little laws reveal that we are, by nature, trying to justify ourselves before others, and before God, based on what we do and who we are.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
08/24/16

Interpreting Reality Through Redemption

If you know me in the least, then you know of my fondness for the 2010 film Inception.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/23/16

The Wrinkling Clock: The Irony of Calendar Girls

The flower of youth, as lovely as it is, cannot withstand the hot winds of time. There is a beauty, however, that remains.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/20/16

The One Hebrew Word You Don't Want to Forget

To forget ourselves is to remember another, that is, to act in such a way that benefits them. That’s the problem: we don’t.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/17/16

The Danger and Delight of Happiness

In happiness, we dare never forget that it is Christ, and Christ alone, who has restored our joy.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
08/16/16

The Beginner's Guide to Giving Your Sin a Holy Name

Although I was too young to have mastered the skill of lying, I also knew that I couldn’t tell this woman the truth.
Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
08/16/16

Today, I Almost Died...

Today, I almost died several times.
Larry D. Hughes
Larry D. Hughes
08/09/16

The Reality of Sin, Death, and Forgiveness

When we explain away God’s Word, we jettison the reality of our ominous diagnosis in the “Thou shall/shall nots” of the law, and with it the sweet cure in the, “This is My body/blood” of the Gospel.
1517 is a Christian non-profit (501(c)3) multi-media organization. Our mission is to declare and defend the Good News that we are forgiven and free on account of the death and resurrection of Jesus alone.
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