Counsel for Those Struggling with Assurance

God intends for His people to enjoy the assurance and joy of their salvation. The ministry of the Spirit (cf. Rom 8:15-17) and promises of the gospel were provided so that believers can know beyond any doubt that they are fully and forever “accepted in the Beloved” (Eph 1:6). Assurance of salvation is “the birthright…

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Steps of Assurance Counseling

My last post discussed how to talk to your children about salvation. I mentioned that I spent some time at a Christian camp in southern California working with children. During my time there, I developed a worksheet that we gave to the junior camp counselors each year. This worksheet dealt with counseling campers who were…

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They Profess to Know God: Do they know Him? Pt.3

This is the last of three articles exploring these truths: Those who endure to the end are true believers (first article) Church discipline reveals true saving faith (second article) Levels of growth vary between believers. Life “baggage” and hindrances can make change difficult. The goal in pondering these four truths is to better understand what…

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They Profess to Know God; Do They Know Him? Pt.2

Introduction This is the second of three articles exploring these truths: Those who endure to the end are true believers (first article). Church discipline reveals true saving faith. Levels of growth vary between believers. Life “Baggage” and hindrances can make change difficult. The goal in pondering these four truths is to better understand what our…

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They Profess to Know God: Do They Know Him? Pt.1

The Disciple-Maker’s Challenge Everyone who seeks to make disciples in obedience to Jesus Christ faces the same difficulty: We all try to discern whether or not those we lead to profess Jesus Christ have genuinely believed. None of us wants to give an unbeliever false hope of salvation if they have not yet repented and…

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Missing Jesus

Early in my ministry a young lady who was a part of the same youth group I was back in high school visited my home. While I did not fully appreciate it at the time (I knew no different), when I was in high school the church I attended experienced something of a youth revival.…

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Was Simon Magus a Christian?

Don Johnson Simon Magus is the name for a man also called “Simon the sorcerer” in Acts 8. He made his living (undoubtedly a lucrative one) by astounding fellow-Samaritans with magic arts. Until Philip, the evangelist came to town, that is. When Philip arrived preaching the good news of salvation in Christ (and accompanied by…

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The Evidence of True Belief

Taigen Joos Recently, our friend Taigen Joos preached a message to his congregation on the well-known (and challenging) passage of Hebrews 6.1-6. When I listened to this message, I asked pastor Joos to share it with us along with his notes. What follows is a synopsis of his message, derived from his notes, with a…

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Strength for Today

A Look at the Book by Bob Jones The man who trusts God completely and with unquestioning obedience accepts God’s commands will find that in every circumstance — unfortunate though it may seem at the time — there is a golden link in the chain of blessing.

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