Rooted in Jesus Grace

Today is Ascension Day!   The Overlooked Moment The ascension of Jesus is one of the most overlooked events in the Christian faith. It often receives far less attention than the cross or the resurrection, yet it is essential to understanding who Christ is and what He is doing now. In Acts 1, Jesus is taken up before His disciples, and a cloud hides Him from their sight. At first glance, this can seem like a quiet conclusion, a final departure after the work has been completed. But the ascension is not the end of Christ’s work. It is the beginning of His reign in a new and powerful way.  The Exaltation of Christ The ascension is not simply Jesus leaving earth; it is His exaltation. Ephesians 1 tells us that Christ has been raised and seated at the right hand of God, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. This is the language of kingship. The One who was rejected, mocked, and crucified is now enthroned. The ascension reveals that Jesus is not merely alive—He is...

  There are times when teaching must move from explanation to recognition. Over the course of this series, we have looked carefully at what Scripture says about the Holy Spirit and how His work relates to Christ. The goal has not been to diminish the Spirit, but to understand Him rightly so that Christ remains at the center of the Christian life. But theology is not only something we believe in principle. It must also shape how we listen, how we discern, and how we evaluate what we hear. Because drift is not always obvious. It often sounds right at first. When Good Intentions Still Lead Off Center The sermons that prompted this reflection were not careless or hostile to the gospel. In many ways, they were thoughtful, engaging, and filled with truth. There was a clear desire to help people grow spiritually, depend on God, and experience real transformation. That desire should not be dismissed. And yet, when we step back and listen carefully, patterns begin to emerge. Not outright de...

  There are moments when the church needs encouragement. There are moments when it needs careful teaching. And there are moments when it needs to be warned. This is one of those moments. What we are facing is not a sudden collapse of truth, nor an open rejection of the gospel. It is something far more subtle and, because of that, far more dangerous. It is drift. Not loud, obvious departure, but quiet movement. Not denial, but displacement. Not rejection of Christ, but a gradual shifting of what stands at the center. And if history teaches us anything, it is this: the church rarely abandons truth all at once. It drifts. The Nature of Drift Drift does not announce itself. It does not arrive with a clear declaration that something is wrong. It comes slowly, through small shifts in emphasis, language, and focus. The vocabulary often remains the same. The language still sounds Christian. The intentions are often sincere. But over time, the center begins to move. The apostle Paul underst...

  There is a growing tendency in many churches to associate the work of the Holy Spirit with visible intensity. Energy, passion, boldness, and outward expression are often treated as the clearest signs that the Spirit is present. Services become louder, ministries become busier, and spiritual life begins to be measured by movement and momentum. While this emphasis is often driven by a sincere desire for vitality, it can slowly reshape how believers understand the Spirit’s work. When intensity becomes the measure, something deeper and more central can be overlooked. Scripture directs us to a very different emphasis. The primary evidence of the Spirit’s work is not outward intensity but inward transformation. The Spirit’s greatest work is not producing dramatic moments, but forming a people who increasingly reflect the character of Jesus Christ. The Fruit of the Spirit Is the Primary Evidence In Galatians 5, Paul provides one of the clearest descriptions of what the Spirit produces i...

  There is a growing pattern in many churches today that deserves careful attention. It is not always obvious at first, and it rarely begins with bad intentions. In fact, it often arises from a genuine desire for spiritual life, authenticity, and a deeper experience of God. But over time, something subtle begins to shift. Experience starts to take on a controlling role in how Scripture is understood. Instead of Scripture shaping how we interpret our experiences, experience begins to shape how we read Scripture. And when that reversal takes place, the church slowly begins to drift. The Proper Order: Scripture Interprets Experience The Bible is clear about the source and authority of truth. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16–17 that all Scripture is breathed out by God and is sufficient to teach, correct, and train believers in righteousness. This means that Scripture is not one voice among many. It is the final authority. Because of that, every spiritual experience must be tested and int...

One of the most important tasks in theology is learning to speak carefully about salvation. The Bible presents a rich and unified picture of God’s work, yet it also makes important distinctions that must not be blurred. When those distinctions are lost, even slightly, confusion begins to grow. This is especially true when we speak about the Holy Spirit. In many churches today, the Spirit is described in such broad and sweeping ways that believers can begin to think He is the central actor in every part of salvation in the same way. While this language is often well-intentioned, it can unintentionally shift the focus away from Christ’s finished work and toward the believer’s spiritual experience. To guard the clarity of the gospel, we must recover a simple but essential truth: Christ accomplishes salvation, and the Spirit applies that salvation to our lives. When that order is preserved, everything else begins to fall into place. The Triune Work of Redemption The work of salvation is th...

  In many churches today there is a renewed emphasis on the Holy Spirit. That, in itself, is a good thing. The New Testament makes it clear that the Spirit gives life, regenerates sinners, produces spiritual fruit, empowers witness, and sustains believers. A church that neglects the Holy Spirit is not teaching the full counsel of God. But whenever the church rediscovers something important, there is also a risk. The risk is not always outright error. More often, it is imbalance. And when it comes to teaching on the Holy Spirit, imbalance can quietly lead to something more serious—a shift away from Christ as the center of the Christian life. This is not a new danger. It is a recurring one. And it is one the church must handle with care. The Holy Spirit Is Fully God and Absolutely Essential Before we say anything corrective, we must be clear about something foundational. The Holy Spirit is not a force, an influence, or simply a power we access. He is the third person of the Trinity—f...