Throughout the Book of Acts we see at least five instances of people encountering the Holy Spirit in a way which is clearly identified as being separate (and in addition to) salvation.  Now, although my friend Van (I mentioned him in the previous talk) would have loved to create a formula...

Before Jesus ascended to the throne, He told His disciples to remain in Jerusalem and “wait for the promise of the Father.” He reminded them that John the Baptizer submerged people in water, but they would be immersed in the Holy Spirit within a few days (see Acts 1:4-5 ESV).

If we...

I read an interesting story about a French village that got sacked during World War II. Lush with vegetation and well-drawn water, the small locale in Northern France was ripe for the picking of the Axis forces. Though they occupied the houses and public buildings as their own for a season, when...

The Pharisees asked Jesus an incredibly insightful question one day— insightful because of the answer He gave, not necessarily because of the question they asked. It happened shortly after Jesus called Matthew to follow Him. Recall, Matthew invited “many tax collectors and...

Over the past few talks I’ve suggested that...

• Jesus shows us what the Father is really like (talk 1). Then, 
• He reveals who we’re designed to be (talk 2). Third,
• We've been “included” in Christ, so everything that happened to Him happened to us (talk 3).
• ...

I want you to notice something— a piece of the Gospel story you may have missed. Once you see it, you’ll never miss it again, though. I promise.

Let’s talk about Jesus after the Resurrection…

Mary Magdalene, who loved Jesus dearly as He had rescued her from a previous...

Last winter I binge-watched the Netflix documentary The Making of a Murderer. The premise of the true story documentary is that Steven Avery was wrongfully convicted of assault and attempted murder in 1985. He served 18 years of a 20-year sentence before being exonerated by DNA evidence. The...

A lot of Christians I know say that the disciple with whom they most identify is Peter. They talk about his failures, as well as how much they can relate to those short-comings. 

I get it. And I’m grateful that Scripture not only reveals its characters’ greatest exploits (like...

John opens His Gospel with a revolutionary idea: “No one has ever seen God,” he writes, “but the one and only Son, who is Himself God… has made Him known” (John 1:18 NIV). Even though people weren’t certain what the Father was like, Jesus revealed exactly who...

My Dad and I have invested a lot of hours talking about this material with each other. We saw the principles work at Hilldale, and Dad watched the truths invoke life and freedom in churches across our region. The more we equip others to implement the things we’ve learned, the more we see....