Discipleship

Should a Christian Ask for Forgiveness from God?

Posted on by markwchristy
Mark W. Christy, PhD, Pastor of MBC in Channelview, TX After salvation, all Christians enter into a sanctification process whereby a struggle ensues between the new, redeemed nature in Christ and their old, fallen, and sinful nature. Paul himself recounts his struggle in this regard, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, bu...
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The Nature of Christ’s Flesh

Posted on by markwchristy
Mark W. Christy, PhD, Pastor of MBC in Channelview, TX To begin with, flesh in and of itself is not sinful. Sin is disobedience in regard to God’s Law; therefore, it is an action and a rebellion against God (1 John 3:4). It is birthed in the heart of a person whereby their desire is to disobey God. This was Jesus point throughout the Sermon on the Mount. In His sermon, he demonstrates that evil, hate, greed, etc. arise from the heart of a person. it is person inhabiting flesh who is the sinn...
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Is God’s Love Unconditional?

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Mark W. Christy, PhD, Pastor of MBC in Channelview, TX If God’s love is unconditional, why do we call upon people to repent and believe? Paul in Acts 20:21 makes these two conditions quite clear: “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”[i] To this, one could respond that those who express repentance and belief were already chosen by God before having done so. As Paul puts it in Ephesians 1:3-4, “Praise be to the God ...
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The Problem of Christian Mysticism: An Engagement with Joyce Meyer

Posted on by markwchristy
By Mark W. Christy, PhD In Colossians 2:18-19, Paul writes, “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.”[i] After warning the Colossians against legalism in the previous verse, P...
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The Negative Effects of Psychology on the Gospel

Posted on by markwchristy
By Mark W. Christy, PhD According to David Wells, the rise of psychology in contemporary Christianity has prostituted the gospel in at least three ways.[i] First, it has given rise to the idea that people are ultimately good. In other words, they have the capacity within themselves to return to perfect wholeness through the tools offered by psychology. With such a view, sin is no longer seen as an obstacle in one’s plight toward self-actualization. Given psychology’s presupposition that huma...
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Jesus Came to Meet Your NEED and Not Your Needs

Posted on by markwchristy
By Mark W. Christy, PhD Modern psychology holds that people essentially exist to have their needs and wants met so as to attain unto a state of satisfaction. This has only led to a rise in self-fulfillment being the chief aim for many if not most. Unfortunately, the Church often allows itself to be polluted with this worldly philosophy by focusing its message on felt needs whereby the individual self becomes central in worship. Typically, this is all done in name of evangelism under the bann...
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Do Christians Have to Follow the Old Testament?

Posted on by markwchristy
By Mark W. Christy, PhD, Pastor of MBC in Channelview, TX Often times, people will ask about the application of the Old Testament to the life of the Christian today? Typically, they are speaking about the Mosaic Law in general and the Ten Commandments in particular. Before the time of Moses, no codified law was given after the initial fall of Adam and Eve who were given a specific command not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17). After Adam and Eve ...
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A Warning from Hebrews to Those Who Call Themselves Christians

Posted on by markwchristy
Hebrews 10:22-27 “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing ...
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Should Believers Expect Blessings in Regard to Finances, Health, and Success? (Part 5 of Interaction with the Belief Statement of a Prosperity Gospel Church)

Posted on by markwchristy
While giving a sermon at a local SBC church in Shreveport, the pastor mentioned his joyful willingness to partner a local church called the Word of God Ministries. Honestly, the name alone drew my attention as it suggests affiliation with the Word of Faith and Prosperity Gospel movements. Given this concern, it made sense to tour their website (See link in 1st endnote) and determine whether or not grounds existed to support my suspicion. On their website, I accessed their belief statement which...
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Should Believers Expect Blessings in Regard to Finances, Health, and Success? (Part 4 of Interaction with the Belief Statement of a Prosperity Gospel Church)

Posted on by markwchristy
While giving a sermon at a local SBC church in Shreveport, the pastor mentioned his joyful willingness to partner a local church called the Word of God Ministries. Honestly, the name alone drew my attention as it suggests affiliation with the Word of Faith and Prosperity Gospel movements. Given this concern, it made sense to tour their website (See link in 1st endnote) and determine whether or not grounds existed to support my suspicion. On their website, I accessed their belief statement which...
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