Good Friday

Reconciliation at the Foot of the Cross

-Sven Ljungholm on FSAOF.blogspot.com - "In our individual preparation for Easter, and as we take this time to journey through Lent, I want to take you to Moscow, in the spring of 1992. It is Easter Sunday morning and we conducted our service in a rented thousand seat auditorium; our “hall” for the last several months. It was the first Easter service conducted in a Moscow, Russia Salvation Army hall in 70 years, the last one having been celebrated by my grandfather, Adjutant Otto Ljungholm.
Near the front of the hall, in the shadow of a twelve-foot cross sat a girl of twelve or thirteen. By this time she had been coming to the corps regularly along with others from a nearby orphanage. As I brought the Easter message I was gripped by what seemed like secretive, searching glances of this young girl. Her eyes darted from the cross, to me and then to a poorly dressed woman seated some distance away."

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Rob Bell's Recipe for Spiritual Disaster

- Charisma News - "In the midst of his announcement on Sunday that he now supports same-sex marriage, Rob Bell warned American evangelicals to “adapt or die.” His counsel, intended to be helpful, is actually a guaranteed formula for failure and a proven recipe for disaster. In fact, the only way for us to make a lasting impact on the culture and maintain a relevant witness to society is to do the opposite of what Bell advised."

Church of Sweden’s Nonbelievers

- The living Church - "During a lull in our dinner conversation, I asked the dozen or so guests how many belonged to the Church of Sweden, which until 2000 was the state church and is still the largest Lutheran church in the world. All but two people raised their hands. How many of you, I asked, believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God? No one volunteered.
So what’s going on here? How is it that dues-paying members of a Christian church do not believe in Jesus Christ?
What’s going on is that, like the overwhelming majority of citizens of other Scandinavian countries, most Swedes see the church as a useful and praiseworthy institution. But praising God in church is not something they choose to do."

Grace upon grace

Brad Gray teaching on Grace upon Grace (Joh 1:16)