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A. W. Tozer in an editorial he wrote for his denominational magazine, “The Futility of Regret”:

The human heart is heretical by nature. Popular religious beliefs should be checked carefully against the Word of God, for they are almost certain to be wrong.

Legalism, for instance, is natural to the human heart. Grace in its true New Testament meaning is foreign to human reason, not because it is contrary to reason but because it lies beyond it. The doctrine of grace had to be revealed; it could not have been discovered.

The essence of legalism is self-atonement. The seeker tries…

For years, A.W. Tozer wrote an editorial for his denominational publication, Alliance Life Magazine. Eventually another of its editors, Anita M. Bailer, captured some of these for a book called, That Incredible Christian. One of these reflections was on "The Futility of Regret." It contains numerous insights on heretical and Pharisaic tendencies—and the grace to escape these. Below is his reflection with just some section headings added. 

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We're all recovering heretics and legalists

The human heart is heretical by nature. Popular religious beliefs should be checked carefully against the Word of God, for they are almost certain…

On March 23rd, Ken Sande will be with us to teach key principles of relational wisdom (sign up, pick your lunch). If his name is a new one for you, I'd like to introduce him a bit. You can find out more about him on his ministry website, but here is some of his journey in his own words. 

Twice Privileged

By God’s grace, I’ve had the privilege of founding two organizations that are dedicated to preserving and transforming relationships: Peacemaker Ministries and Relational Wisdom 360 (RW360).

I was raised on a ranch in Montana. Initially…

Are you interested in keeping up with what's going on with Sovereign Grace Churches around the world? Recently, Sovereign Grace began an email newsletter to keep our churches and members informed about happenings around the world.

Dave Taylor, pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Sydney, Austrailia, is the Director of Emerging Nations within Sovereign Grace.

You can follow the Emerging Nations newsletter by clicking the link below.

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Last week we looked at Philip's ministry in Samaria in Acts 8:4–25. These verses paint one of the more vivid pictures of what John the Baptist described as being "baptized in the Holy Spirit":

And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ (John 1:32–33)

As we worked…

Yesterday we looked at the sobering topic of spousal abuse or domestic violence. We noted how it can be physical or non-physical and is far more common than we’d expect. It is something that Bible condemns and the very opposite of what it requires of husbands and wives. These two posts are a way for the elders to communicate our desire to see victims supported and abusers brought to repentance. The complexity and nature of these issues mean that we can only scratch the surface. There are some resources below if you want to explore the issues further.

A couple weeks ago we briefly looked at the topic of abuse (oppression) within a marriage. The elders felt it would be helpful to add to this with a couple blog posts that speak to some of the issues surrounding spousal abuse—sometimes called “domestic violence,” though it can be physical or non-physical violence... It’s important that you in SGC know and are confident that the elders are ready and willing to protect the abused and call abusers to full account and repentance—legally and spiritually. Unfortunately, it’s all too common to hear stories of failures and breakdowns in how Christians and…

Dear Church,

Paul spoke of the financial gifts of the Philippians as “a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God” (4:18). It was a gift that helped the apostle in his ministry, but he saw it also done unto the Lord. Through Paul, God was telling these generous saints, “Well done!” May it be that you, too, can hear God’s “Well done!” through the thanks we feel as elders of SGC for your financial offerings. It is a true joy for us to serve you.
 
Read below to reflect on the last calendar year at our church and to be reminded how to access your 2018 Contribution Statement.

Last Sunday we looked at Acts 5 and what it says about the power of God—his holy power that (rightly) inspires fear and his healing power that inspires faith. As Christians we live with the dual awareness that our God is both a "consuming fire" (Heb 12:29) and so we ought to be reverent, and he occupies a "throne of grace" (Heb 4:16) and so we ought to run to him boldly and often! One story that demonstrates both of these is the story of Mitsuo Fuchida and Jacob DeShazer.

This March SGC is hosting a one-day seminar by author and speaker Ken Sande. Many of us have read and benefitted from his book, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, and its related materials. This March he'll be speaking on a new series of teachings he's developed on Relational Wisdom. Check out this post for the kinds of questions he'll be addressing.