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

Dan van Voorhis
Dan van Voorhis
05/03/19

George Whitefield Arrives in America

He is significant, not as a founder of his own movement, but for setting the procrustean bed of the particularly American church with its dogmatizing yet broad ecumenical stances.
Paul Dunk
Paul Dunk
05/01/19

The Divine Drama

If I don't preach Christ, then there's really no reason anyone should roll out of bed on Sunday to hear anything I have to say.
Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson
04/16/19

Pastor Of Disaster

How are things at your church? Are people getting saved in droves, are there mass baptisms every Sunday, is giving at an all-time high, and are your members model citizens and pillars of the community?
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
04/11/19

Church Membership and the Gospel

Being a member of a church connects people to the whole reason the church has for existing: that we might obtain justifying faith in Jesus Christ through Word and Sacrament.
Jacob Corzine
Jacob Corzine
03/31/19

The Law and the Already Terrified Conscience

Where contrition is evident, the conscience has already been prodded, piqued, finally terrified. More Law only serves to confirm the lie this person is already at risk of believing: that the last work of the conscience is also God’s last word. But God’s last word is the word of absolution, not the confirmation of the conscience’s testimony, but now its contradiction.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
03/22/19

When The Old Adam Goes Church Shopping

If I’m going to join your church, there’s some things I’ll need to know first. I need to know whether you practice a Christianity that’s primarily a to-do list.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
03/14/19

So You Don't Like Your Pastor

Pastors are built from the same stuff as everyone else. That’s good, and that’s bad.
Bror Erickson
Bror Erickson
02/28/19

One Substance with the Father

As one substance, Christ is God become man, the fullness of God who was pleased to dwell in Jesus Christ.
Brian W. Thomas
Brian W. Thomas
02/21/19

Font to Table: The Deeper Meaning Behind Baptismal Fonts

The majority of churches still use the traditional eight-sided font. The question I’d like to explore in this post is, “Why?”
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
02/19/19

God Speaks to Us to Give Us Gifts

When we say “forgiveness,” we mean, “Jesus.” When we say, “righteousness,” we mean, “Jesus.”
Daniel Emery Price
Daniel Emery Price
02/18/19

What is Lacking in the Suffering of Christ?

Did the Apostle Paul just say that “he fills up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ?" That seems a little at odds with Jesus’ statement, "It is finished."
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
02/17/19

Psalm 23: A Song of Christ (Or: A Note on Christ-Centered Preaching from the Psalter)

Christ and the Evangelists, along with saints Peter and Paul, show a deep attachment to the Book of Psalms...it was because the Psalms were about the Messiah, the Christ of God.
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