10 Errors to Avoid When Talking about Sanctification and the Gospel

Error #1: The good we do can in some small way make us right with God.
Error #2: We must be good Christians so that God will keep loving us.
Error #3: If sanctification is a work of divine grace in our lives, then it must not involve our effort.
Error #4: Warning people of judgment is law and has no part to play in preaching the gospel.
Error #5: There is only one reason Christians should pursue sanctification and that's because of our justification.
Error #6: Since we cannot obey God's commandments perfectly, we should not insist on obedience from ourselves or from others.
Error #7: The Ten Commandments should be preached in order to remind us of our sin, but not so that believers may be stirred up to try to obey the commandments.
Error #8: Being fully justified as Christians, we should never fear displeasing God or offending him.
Error #9: The only proper ground for assurance is in the promises of God found in the gospel.
Error #10: Threats and exhortations belong to the terrors of the law and are not to be used as a motivation unto holiness.

Source: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2013/11/05/10-errors-to-avoid-when-talking-about-sanctification-and-the-gospel/

Christmas 2013's Coming

Christmas is almost here..... and it's usually one of my loneliest holidays.

Growing up, I always looked forward for Christmas because of the many gifts I was getting but when I became a teenager, those gifts stopped coming. We also no longer stay all night 'til midnight. Some Christmases, I awoke from the fireworks celebrating Christmas time had arrived. I would go out from my room, look out from our patio and just cry, "we don't have Christmas."

Slowly learning that Christmas was about Jesus' birth.... I longed to be in the fellowship of Christians so we could all celebrate our King's birth, but my friends have families to spend time with and celebrate Christmas, and receiving love and presents. Though knowing that Christmas was all about Jesus' birth, I still didn't know why would he come to earth to die on the cross to save us, just so we could have a relationship with God the Father.

I am still learning the answer to that question, yet I am thankful to have read this devotional by John Piper, and learning to celebrate the Advent before Christ's birth. I now wonder why "Christians" no longer celebrate and remember the Advent. The Advent prepares us to the grand celebration and thanksgiving of Jesus, God the Son's coming. I still rarely receive gifts, if none, at least just one gift is more than enough.... but if none at all, knowing Christ is greater than any gift I would receive.

Download here: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/books/good-news-of-great-joy

John Piper (Holy Ambition)

An excerpt of John Piper's sermon on Holy Ambition:

‘Holy ambition’ means something you really want to do that God wants you to do. Something you want to do so much that doing it keeps you from doing other things that you also really like to do. Paul really wanted to go to Rome for years1. But he didn’t go because he wanted something else more. He wanted to preach the gospel in Asia and Greece where people didn’t know about Jesus. He really, really, really wanted to do this. We call that kind of desire an ‘ambition.’ And we call it ‘holy ambition’ when it is something God wants you to do.