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

Jake Allstaedt
Jake Allstaedt
09/28/18

It Never Depended Upon You

I visited a senior man at his home the other day. I'll refer to him as “Jim.”
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?
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/08/18

Do I Even Matter in this World?

As every nail that Jesus hammered was a delight to his Father, so every email you send, every purchase you ring up, every table you wipe down, is a delight to the Father.
Gretchen Ronnevik
Gretchen Ronnevik
09/04/18

Grace for When You Can't Forgive

She was my friend, walking through marriage troubles. Her husband was unfaithful to her, with the technicalities and carefully drawn lines of “not technically sex” and justifying himself, which had wounded her deeply.
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
08/03/18

We Don't Need "Worship Options" on Sunday Morning

The church is a home for the family of God. It’s not a mall, a café, a coffee shop, or Amazon. It’s where we usually don’t get what we want, but what we need.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
07/31/18

Set Free to Forgive and Love

Jesus dies for the sin of the world. That means he dies for the person who disappoints us. He shed His blood for the person who doesn’t love us the way we want to be loved.
Joel Hess
Joel Hess
07/26/18

Why Church is For You

All other wonderful teachings of Holy Scripture from creation to Christ’s coming again are absolutely worthless without being understood in light of Jesus, death, and resurrection for sinners.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
07/12/18

How to Make Grace Unamazing

Nothing is easier than making grace unamazing. Just do what comes naturally.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
07/10/18

The Shameless Nature of God’s Grace

To be sure, the devil has an incredible arsenal of assaults with which he can waylay believers into ineptitude and ineffectiveness.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
07/09/18

Why Confess Sin?

Why confess sin? Is it so we can get rewarded by God? A little extra grace or material good for our troubles, maybe.
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