The Church On 4th St.

06/24/2018

Many people think the sacraments are a pledge or dedication of our lives to God. But is that true?

06/24/2018

When we come to grasp Reformed theology, it’s not only our understanding of salvation that changes, but our understanding of everything. It’s for this reason that when people wrestle through the…

06/21/2018

05/24/2018

05/16/2018

“God is not interested in sharing His glory with any competitor. The Bible is filled with this truth. To place the glory of anything over the glory of God is idolatry. When the supreme love of the heart is directed toward anything other than God, idolatry has taken place. Whatever draws our heart from Him, engrosses our minds or holds the number one spot in our affections is an idol. Only God is to be the object of our supreme worship.”
William Wilberforce

05/14/2018

John Owen

05/09/2018

“Have we cast ourselves completely on the grace of God and the work of Christ? Do we consider these the only source of hope in life? Are we progressing in our affection for the Lord and taking advantage of all resources provided by Him to deepen our love? I think we should bow humbly before the throne of God in prayer and seek the pardon and grace given to us by Jesus. I think we should ask God to create in us a spirit of true repentance and undivided faith in Jesus Christ. I think we should continually strive in these things so that we are not satisfied until we love Him fully. I think we should pray that we would be filled with joy and peace and hope through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I think we should diligently study the Bible so that our affection is rooted and rational.”
William Wilberforce

05/08/2018

“The Bible teaches that we are powerless in and of ourselves. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15: 5). Obviously, there is much we can do apart from Jesus. But what we do apart from Him has very little to do with the realities of the kingdom of God. A life of spiritual reality requires the enabling influence of the Holy Spirit. The risen Christ told His disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1: 8). It is the job of the Holy Spirit to enlighten our understanding, purify our minds, and work in our lives to help us become conformed to the image of Christ. The Holy Spirit creates authentic faith. He works in our lives to help us understand our need: He brings us to a point of conviction of our sin: He helps us understand who Jesus is and what He has done. Some would even say He gives us the ability to turn to Christ and repent. He responds to our repentance by enabling us to believe, and having made belief possible, He enters the human personality with His presence in order that Christ might dwell in us.”
William Wilberforce