Walking Through The Flood: Christians must sojourn through the deluge. We must submerge ourselves in the Word of God–especially those difficult stories. We must do this as a family. Otherwise, what we are left with is the neutered children stories, flannel graphs, and children decor available at most Christian retailers today–not the actual stories of the Bible.

Ten Lessons From A Hospital Bed: All of these are things I needed God’s help with. I was surprised how difficult it was for me to focus on anything, and therefore, how vulnerable I felt spiritually. I’m used to fixing my mind on God’s truth — especially his promises — and fighting off the temptations of fear and anger. But when focus is hard, trust is hard. So don’t assume as you read these, that they came easy. They didn’t.

What We Need: Good works are not optional for the Christian. Christians who live in habitual, unrepentant sin show themselves not to be true Christians.

Three Things We Can Learn From Jimmy Fallon: Why is Fallon so appealing? What makes his show a joy to watch? Why is he a great host? I think Fallon’s success can be traced to three key practices: He doesn’t take himself seriously, he puts the spotlight on others and he speaks through culture. I believe Christians can actually learn from Fallon’s example as they attempt to demonstrate the love of Christ. Here’s how.

3 Key Characteristics Of Disciples Of Jesus: How do you teach new Christians what it looks like to follow Jesus? You learn from Jesus’ first disciples.

A Glorious Expedition: Therefore, I wanted to put together a practical list for leading our wives better on this glorious expedition. Now, some of these tips will work better for some couples than others so feel free to find what works for you and to mix and match. This will be a process of trial and error, but it is worth the struggle to grow spiritually.

7 Ways To Create An Evangelistic Culture In Your Church: So your church is “evangelical.” But is it evangelistic? Here are seven ways you as a pastor can build an evangelistic culture that’s about more than baptism numbers.

Failing With Family: If you face decades worth of family damage, here are three steps to consider taking. Although reconciliation is never guaranteed, we are always guaranteed that God will look upon the humble and contrite.

Five Admirable Traits of an Early Church: In the Bible, one such example is the marriage of Priscilla and Aquila. They are mentioned only a few times in Scripture, but even in those brief moments, you will see commendable traits in their relationship that are worth further reflection. Like any couple, they weren’t perfect, but their story is one I admire and would love to see emulated in my own marriage and in those of my Christian brothers and sisters. Their story highlights five admirable traits of a Christian marriage. These traits are not recorded as God’s ordained requirements for us, but I believe they are worth seeking after as we navigate what a godly marriage looks like.

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Why We Obey: When I was a new Christian, I learned that I owed the Lord obedience in every sphere of life. Yet I was a bit muddled as to why I obeyed. If asked to explain, I answered three ways, which we can call the way of wisdom, the way of trust, and the way of gratitude.

The Atonement In The Passover: Over the course of the next couple of months, we're running a series of blog posts on the atonement. A number of thought-leaders on the subject will share a bit from their studies on the scarlet thread that runs through the entirety of the Scriptures...

Four Things To Teach Your Children This Easter: Will you join me in trying to turn the blooming opportunities of this season into a way to teach our children more about Jesus? Let’s think toward making the most of this spring to show our kids all that they have because of Christ. Here are four key things to teach our children this Easter.

Dear Son: Your Dad Is Messed Up: Read this father's letter he wrote to his unborn son explaining the reality of his forever changing heart.

My Shelves Are Full Of Mentors: We live in a day where there is greater access to Christian resources than ever before. Long gone are the days where monks would hand copy a single book that was reserved for the wealthiest landowner in the county. Websites will deliver books at low cost right to your door. You can immediately download sermons from preachers across the globe, and seminaries have made excellent content freely available online. If you have been struggling with finding a mentor, let me give you three suggestions

7 Biblical Tests For Christians And Music: While it may be difficult, I do believe it's possible to evaluate musical preferences using God's word. The following seven tests each relate to biblical principles that we can apply to our music to determine its suitability.

What About Life Insurance?: In short, we do have insurance—more than some, less than others. We want to be responsible, yet leave plenty of room for God. We also want to be able to use the money for God’s kingdom that would otherwise go to pay additional premiums. I’m not trying to set a standard for others to follow. Everyone must measure his or her own situation and convictions, following Christ’s lead as best they can discern it.

Is Church Membership Really Required?: Leaving the church is not simply leaving a club. When you walk away, you dismember yourself from the body. Jesus and the rest of the body sorely miss you, and bleed after your departure. You cut yourself off from your only source of life and nourishment. Like an amputated hand, you will slowly bleed out, wither, and die.

I Wore White: My white dress did not represent a life of purity. But I wore white on my wedding day and I’d wear it again. I am a new creation.

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Gospel communities are built on the truth of the gospel that saves and restores people to God and brings them into His family as a group of people commissioned by King Jesus to go into the entire world and make disciples of all nations—starting right in our own city and neighborhoods as GCs on mission for Jesus. Gospel Communities is a place where people grow as disciples of Jesus, while growing to make disciples of Jesus. 

We are doing a mini blog series on Gospel Communities (Theological Foundation, GC for an Individual, GC for a Family, GC for a church) 

Mini Blog Series:

• Theological Foundation: The Church Church Not On Sunday
• GC for an Individual: 6 Ways Gospel Communities Are Helpful For Individuals 
• GC for a Family (2 Blog Posts): In Sickness And In Health, Desperation And The Love Of Discipleship Groups; How Is A Gospel Community A Safe Place For My Family?
• GC for a Church: 

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How Is A Gospel Community A Safe Place For My Family?

What is the first thought that comes to you when you hear the word family? Your brain probably thought of  mom or dad. Or if you were unfortunate not to have a mom or dad you probably thought of siblings or close friends. In any case, you probably think of someone close to you that you share life with, that will be there for you no matter what and visa versa. When you're that close to someone you have this great bond between each other that you know not many things can separate your relationship.

Gospel Communities Are For Families

Personally, I believe our world thinks of the term family in a very shallow way. We all struggle in someway with the idea, "what can the family bring me?" The "Me" attitude comes ultimately from sin. We think that our family is supposed to bring "Me" joy. In most cases, a healthy family does give joy to its members. The biblical picture of a family shows parents are to care, protect and teach their children. Children know that their parents will be there for them as they grow up into manhood or womanhood. God created this social structure for two reasons. First, He desires to show off the relationship between Jesus Christ and His church. Second, to bring stability to people. When we see families broken apart by sin we see everyone affected because this is not how families are naturally designed to work.

The reason I have given so much time explaining the term family is because of the hope we have for Gospel Communities within our church. Our hope is that these groups of people continue to pursue the "other" oriented plan and care for one another while learning to care for those who do not yet know Jesus. You see, Gospel Communities are one of the primary ways within the church that we see biblical family played out in our lives. These groups of people are called to care for one another, serve one another and protect one another. Gospel Communities are called to be a family of people living life together, pursuing to build one another up in the gospel while pursing others who do not know Jesus.

First Hand Account

Our hope for these different blog posts we have written is to give everyone an idea to why Gospel Communities are so important. We want people to understand the importance to joining one and committing to the family. Here is a first hand account of one family's story of how Gospel Communities were and are helpful for their family.

When we arrived at Redeemer, we were doing our best to heal from losing our church family in North Carolina. The leadership at our former church pushed us out of the church and misrepresented us in the process. We felt betrayed by the very people with whom we shared our lives. We arrived in Washington with a lot of baggage (and we aren’t referring to what was in our trailer). Our trust in the Church had been shaken and we had a firm mistrust of leadership.

Hebrews 3:12-14 says, "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end."

God used Gospel Communities at Redeemer in a major way to protect us from unbelieving and hardened hearts. At times, we were being exhorted by someone from Redeemer every day. We were invited to three GC’s our first week in Washington. When we joined one, we were welcomed with open arms of love and encouragement. Our GC became our family in Washington. This was purely God’s grace toward us. This family gently cared for our fragile hearts and souls. When we felt like we had no ability or even desire to minister to God’s people, they selflessly and sacrificially served us. Redeemer’s leadership and our GC provided us with the Gospel-saturated safety and time we desperately needed for healing.

To a large degree, our GC at Redeemer has restored our trust in God’s gracious gift in His people. Their love and care for us has restored our desire to love and serve the Church. 

End Result

At the end of the day the end result for anything is that we want people to grow more in love with Jesus and look more like Him all the time. We want people to grow in greater knowledge of their identity in Jesus and allow their identity to impact everything in their lives. The place where we believe this happens best is within a Gospel Community. You see, Gospel Communities are not a Bible study or a small group. Gospel Communities are groups of people that share life together, learn together and pursue others to help them understand who Jesus is and why he is so sweet. When you're that close to people within your Gospel Community you have this great bond between each other that you know nothing can separate your relationship with them because of Jesus Christ's perfect sacrifice and His forever shaping of our hearts.

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Following Blog Post by Greg Sund

Once upon a time, there was a young man, who we will call Greg .... Greg Sund.  He was wretched and sinful and wicked, but still God pursued him, because God is good.  In 2001, by God’s grace, Greg was saved and gave his life to Christ.  Greg had been born and raised as a Catholic but had walked away from the Catholic church in college.  He had been baptized as a baby, but had no recollection of consenting to this.

Years later, around 2006 or 2007, Greg was reading through and studying the book of Acts.  And he noticed something.  A pattern.  It seemed that as the early church was getting started, a person would profess faith in Jesus Christ’s atoning death and in His resurrection, and then that person would be baptized.  And so, Greg was convicted.  It seemed after further study of the New Testament, that baptism was something that professing believers are called to.  All the theological details of why, how, when, were still a little foggy, but nonetheless, Greg felt God’s call to be baptized .... again. 

And so, after moving to Bellingham, WA and joining a church that cares about baptism, he was baptized in Lake Whatcom in 2009. 

Yes, this story, is in fact my story.  I have since this time learned a lot about baptism, and so I am writing this to help you (my church family) better understand what baptism is and what it is not. 

Redeemer is a church that holds God’s word as the ultimate authority for how we are to live as follower’s of Jesus.  And so we look to the bible to answer any question one might have about baptism.  So what does the bible tell us?  First of all, it tells us that baptism is a big deal.  A very big deal.

So, why should one be baptized? 

Romans 6:3-4 tells us that baptism is a symbol of our union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection: “Do you know that all of us who have been baptized with Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life”. 

Colossians 2:12 says you were “buried with him in baptism in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

So here in Romans 6 and Colossians 2 we have a clear emphasis on baptism as symbol of our union with Christ in His death and resurrection.  There is also biblical reference to baptism as an expression of the cleansing and purification from sin (see Acts 22:16), but the primary emphasis seems to be on dying and rising.

Okay, but why else should one be baptized? 

Because Jesus commanded his disciples to go and to baptize, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).  Jesus recognized baptism as so important that he included it in the Great Commission!  If you are a follower of Jesus, this is your purpose statement for life, and step 1 involves you yourself being baptized.

Okay, but what does baptism do? 

Well, first of all it does NOT determine your salvation.  Jesus told the dying thief on the cross “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).  Just as baptism was not a prerequisite for salvation for the thief, neither is it for you.  We hold to the doctrine of justification by grace through faith as expressed in Galatians 2:16.  But those of us who have committed our lives to obedience to Jesus Christ, are also called to be baptized and to baptize others as an outward expression of our inward regeneration. 

Who should be baptized? 

We at Redeemer hold to the doctrine of “Believers Baptism”.  This means that only those who are able to give a believable profession of faith should be baptized (see Acts 2:41, Acts 8:12, Acts 10: 44-48, Acts 16:14-15, Acts 16:32-33 and 1 Corinthians 1:16).  All of these passages follow a pattern of one receiving His word, THEN being baptized.  There are many who hold to other views in this particular area, most notably the paedobaptist view.  For those believers and those churches who hold to this view, we still love you and would never argue that you are not saved.  But we as a church ask anyone who desires to be baptized to be able to give a believable profession of faith before taking the plunge, because we believe this pattern is most consistent with scripture.

So, what happens when I get baptized? 

Baptism is a means of grace for the believer and for the local church.  The public act of confessing Jesus as Savior brings joy and blessing to the believer.  It also increases our faith and increases our experiential realization of death to the power and love of sin in our lives.  As well, it increases our experience of the power of new resurrection life in Christ that we have as believers.

Baptism also blesses the local church.  It gives additional assurance of union with Christ to all believers who are present, it is an occasion of celebration in Jesus for the church, and the Lord gives us baptism to strengthen and encourage our faith for every believer who witnesses this. 

And the ultimate reason why we get baptized is this:  baptism brings glory to God.  We are a people who delight in God and who who delight to see Him magnified and the act of baptism does exactly that, it magnifies the goodness and glory of God as expressed through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is much more that I could say about baptism, but I suspect if I go on, you will stop reading. So, if anyone has questions about baptism or would like to talk about getting baptized, please don’t hesitate to contact your GC leader or one of the elders or deacons of Redeemer.

To God be the Glory!

Ways To Restore Zeal When Sharing Your Faith: Hundreds of Christians are martyred every day for their faith. Yet, today, most Christians in the western church will be silent, afraid, or unmoved by the lostness around them. Why aren’t we as zealous about our faith in the western world? We don’t run the risk of death for our faith (at least not yet) but we seem mostly apathetic about sharing Jesus. Here are a few thoughts:

The 'Gospel' That Almost Killed Me: If you meet someone lost in this false gospel, please, please, please love them and tell them the truth. Sit them down, buy them lunch, and open up your Bibles. Speak life. Be brave. Odds are, no one has ever loved them enough to tell them the truth about themselves. The truth is they cannot be saved by a false gospel, and the prosperity gospel is certainly that. Jesus saved me from the prosperity gospel, and he can save more. He will save more. How could he not?

The Power Of A Boring Testimony: If you’re the type of person who has a boring testimony, take heart! You also are a sinner who deserves hell apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Just because your sins weren’t as directly destructive to society doesn’t mean that you’re not rebellious. As Tim Keller has famously said, “We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” Jesus’ death on the cross was every bit as much for you as for anyone else.

What is Marriage, According To The Bible?: We can’t turn the clock back to the days of the Christian social consensus the West has foolishly thrown away.  But we who say we believe the gospel can and must stand up for the biblical definition of marriage.  We must cultivate beautiful marriages ourselves.  We must suffer social rejection bravely.  We must pray for revival.  We must wait for the inevitable collapse of every false view of marriage.  We must lovingly serve all who suffer for their foolish attempts at false “marriages.”  And we must go to church this Sunday and worship the living God with all our hearts, so that we ourselves are sustained for faithfulness over the long haul, because this isn’t going to be easy.

On World Vision and The Gospel: We’re entering an era where we will see who the evangelicals really are, and by that I mean those who believe in the gospel itself, in all of its truth and all of its grace. And many will shrink back. There are no riots if the gospel you’re preaching doesn’t threaten the silversmiths of the Temple of Artemis. And there are no clucking tongues if the gospel you’re preaching isn’t offered to tax collectors and temple prostitutes. 

World Vision And Why We Grieve For the Children: So, yes, we grieve for the children across the world who will be adversely affected by World Vision’s decision and the evangelical response. But we also grieve for children here at home who are growing up in a culture in which sexual idolatry distorts the meaning of marriage and the beauty of God’s original design. Today is a day to grieve for the children.

World Vision Reverses Decision To Hire Christians In Same-Sex Marriages: Only two days after announcing it would hire Christians in same-sex marriages, World Vision U.S. has reversed its ground-breaking decision after weathering intense criticism from evangelical leaders.

Gentrification: Its Impact On The Local Church: All of the above leads us to conclude that gentrification is hurting local churches by multiplying cross-ethnic tensions (thereby hindering the proclamation of the gospel of reconciliation across ethnic lines) and by producing new segregated congregations even in ethnically diverse neighborhoods (thereby hindering the visibility of the gospel of reconciliation at work).

The Distrustful Generation: The decline of social trust is the deepest problem our culture faces. The cancer of distrust will eat away at all our plans to deal with political, economic, and familial problems. Sooner or later, this culture is going to realize that nothing can save it if it doesn't rebuild its moral bonds. Showing the world what φιλοξενία looks like will not only help us stay faithful as our culture becomes more faithless; it will help our culture rediscover why it used to think faith was so important.

Our Consuming and Crushing Snare: We don't typically learn what others really think of us. But do we really want to know? More often we're left to assume the best or nothing at all. Unfortunately, though, many of us don't assume the best or nothing at all. We're preoccupied by the opinions of others.

Believer Baptism and Mental Disabilities: Navigating the question of a believer baptism and mental disabilities and how these two go together.

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Does God Harden A Believer's Heart?: In the end, each of us must answer one question above all regarding the condition of our heart: Do I embrace Jesus Christ as the greatest treasure in the universe?

Saved By A Community For A Community: So let's radically love the brother in Sunday school who drives us crazy. Let's invite into our homes the awkward sister no one else approaches. Let's walk into the sanctuary seeking to engage the visitor in conversation. Let's go beyond sports and weather and politics to discuss how the gospel intersects with our lives, our marriages, our families. The more this interaction happens in our churches, the more we will be drawn into the lavish love of the triune God.

Outrage Porn and the Christian Reader: The fact is, so much Internet-based outrage is manufactured outrage, carefully structured to achieve the end of luring eyeballs to articles. This is the worst kind of outrage because it is designed to attract readers, not to bring about change. It serves us, not the other person and not the church or the Lord of the church. And in that way, the “porn” label fits it very well.

Real Forgiveness: A rebuker will make sure that his rebuke is fair enough to stand a chance of being received.  So it is wise to avoid the verb “to be” (“You are . . .”) or the words “always” and “never” (“You always/never . . .”).  Those categories are too absolute to be fair.  They blast the offender to smithereens, with no dignity left.  They presume to redefine what another human being is, and no one but God has the right to do that.  A wise rebuke limits itself to observable behavior.

Lesbian Professor's Fall To Grace: “I still felt like a lesbian, but what is my true identity, I wondered?” she said. “The Bible makes clear the difference between real and true. What is bigger, my lesbian identity… or God’s authority over me?” God won.

Genuine Repentance: I have sinned against you. I have apologized. But how do you know if I mean it?...Here are 12 signs we have a genuinely repentant heart.

Gospel-Centered Reduction: If the gospel isn’t an actor that accomplishes things, we should not speak about it as if it is. Rather, we should speak of the God of the gospel who works through the gospel to accomplish his purposes. If we insist on making the gospel itself an actor in the drama of redemption, we are engaging in a kind of gospel-centered reduction. I doubt anyone intends to do this, but it is an unintended consequence of buzzwords. They can be helpful, but often are not. Instead, they shortchange clear thinking by leading to reductions in our language. We rely on them as shorthand, but in this case, what gets left out is what is really of first importance.

Was Jesus a Celebrity Pastor?: This is important to say: just because so and so happens to be very popular, have a big name, sell books, and so forth, that doesn’t mean they’ve fallen into the celebrity pastor trap. They may just be attracting a lot of attention in the midst of a faithful and smart ministry. I’m struck with the fact that the for the first part of Jesus’ ministry, judging by numbers and popularity alone, Jesus was a celebrity pastor–for a bit.

5 Parenting Opportunities When Our Kids Sin: Sinful behavior in our kids is not an opportunity to war against them, but an opportunity to proclaim the gospel. Here are five ways God can take what was meant for evil and use it for good.

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