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
01/17/17

The Great Comfort That You Are A Sinner

Salvation starts in being a sinner and knowing it because that's where God starts salvation, in making "Him to be Sin who knew no sin."
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
01/16/17

Law-Abiding Citizens

Among the things that perturb me about modern Christianity is our residual clinging to a sort of “Christian-karma.”
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
01/10/17

The Center and Measure of All Things

The truth is, a Christian's holiness is hidden outside himself in Christ through faith.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
01/05/17

Christ's Bride Doesn't Need Botox

Hers is not a beauty of breathtaking cathedrals, stained glass, or towering arches, but of a body.
Joel Hess
Joel Hess
01/05/17

The Church is not a Hospital for Sinners, It's a Morgue for the Dead

It is the strangest of morgues—people arrive dead as doornails and leave alive.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
01/02/17

Once Saved, Always Saved: True or Not?

The question is not can I lose my salvation, but can salvation lose me? No, it can’t.
Bror Erickson
Bror Erickson
12/29/16

A Bridegroom of Blood

The arrangement was made with Abraham when God claimed for Himself all of his being, and put the seal of His promise upon the most personal member of his anatomy.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
12/27/16

Where There Is No Gospel...

Can one still find a church that teaches that Christianity, and the Christian life, can be summed up as: "We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone?"
Cindy Koch
Cindy Koch
12/15/16

Cleaning Up Christmas

I take out the broom, spray bottle, and trash can. For the hundredth time this week, I find myself sweeping up the mess of a Christmas to come.
RJ Grunewald
RJ Grunewald
12/13/16

Grace In The Shadows

On the television show Portlandia—a satirical comedy centered on hipster culture in Portland, Oregon—one episode highlights a conversation between the characters as Carrie and Alexandra look through Fred’s endless photo album of the places he’s traveled.
Paul Dunk
Paul Dunk
12/12/16

Grace Came Down

God coming to us at Christmas encapsulates the essence of Christian faith: we don't make ourselves strong and then work our way up to a strong God.
Bonnie Petroschuk
Bonnie Petroschuk
12/07/16

In Our Time of Need

Have you ever grown despondent from trying so hard to stop behaving in certain destructive ways, but always failing?
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