The Blazing Center

Entering Where Angels Fear to Tread

21 July 2010

49229 CommentsEntering+Where+Angels+Fear+to+Tread2010-07-21+22%3A00%3A06Stephen+Altrogge

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus… (Hebrews 10:19) The holy places do not inspire confidence or swagger. A person who understands his sinfulness doesn’t confidently stroll into the holy places of God. When the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai he told the people of Israel, “Whoever touches [...]

All I Need Is A Miracle

22 June 2010

476512 CommentsAll+I+Need+Is+A+Miracle2010-06-22+21%3A14%3A07Mark+Altrogge

The gospel is more astonishing than any miracle. In Acts 13 Paul shares the gospel with Sergius Paulus, proconsul of Cyprus. When the local sorcerer tries to turn him from faith in Christ, Paul pronounces judgment of temporary blindness, which falls upon the magician immediately. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for [...]

How Much Condemnation Is Okay?

21 June 2010

475818 CommentsHow+Much+Condemnation+Is+Okay%3F2010-06-22+01%3A51%3A38Stephen+Altrogge

How much condemnation is it okay for the Christian to experience? Many times after I sin, I have a sense that condemnation is okay, that it’s the right, penitent response to sin. As if my feeling of condemnation somehow atones for the sin that I committed against God. As if I need to punish myself for [...]

United Around the Wrong Cause

8 June 2010

468313 CommentsUnited+Around+the+Wrong+Cause2010-06-08+13%3A19%3A59Stephen+Altrogge

Christians are not united by… Homeschooling, public school, or private school. Republicanism or liberalism. Capitalism, environmentalism, or socialism. Continuation of the gifts of the spirit or cessation of the gifts of the spirit. Infant baptism or believer’s baptism. Calvinist theology or Arminian theology. Drinking alcohol or not drinking alcohol. Praise choruses or hymns. Being artsy or being intellectual. Vaccinating or not vaccinating your kids. We are [...]

From Infinite Debt to Unfathomable Wealth

23 May 2010

45892 Comments2010-05-23+22%3A00%3A08Mark+Altrogge

Imagine an elderly retiree of modest means getting a letter from the Internal Revenue Service reporting that he has underpaid his taxes every year since the age of 18. Thanks to interest and penalties, the unpaid taxes add up to an exorbitant debt he can never repay. Unless some miracle takes place, he’s going to [...]

Abraham Accepted, Jesus Rejected

13 May 2010

455016 CommentsAbraham+Accepted%2C+Jesus+Rejected2010-05-13+22%3A00%3A43Stephen+Altrogge

As Jesus hung on the cross, he screamed these horrific words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These words are a reference to Psalm 22, which is the lament of an innocent sufferer. We’re familiar with verse 1, which Jesus cried out as his bloody body hung from the cross. I had forgotten [...]

My Daughter Has It Better Than Jesus

27 April 2010

44700 CommentsMy+Daughter+Has+It+Better+Than+Jesus2010-04-27+13%3A26%3A48Stephen+Altrogge

One month ago my daughter, Ella, was born. The moment she entered the world she was surrounded by care. Nurses hovered around her, wiping her clean and suctioning out her nostrils. She was given a gentle sponge bath and placed on a warming bed. Her vital signs were constantly monitored and a pediatrician examined her the [...]

Don’t Trust Your Sweetest Frame

23 March 2010

42855 CommentsDon%27t+Trust+Your+Sweetest+Frame2010-03-23+10%3A00%3A20Stephen+Altrogge

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name. On Christ the solid rock I stand… There are going to be many times when my relationship with Christ is sweet, and I find myself in the “sweetest frame”. Scripture seems alive, I see more of Christ through every sermon, and my prayers [...]

A Healthy, Messy Church

9 March 2010

42082 CommentsA+Healthy%2C+Messy+Church2010-03-09+10%3A00%3A13Stephen+Altrogge

Is your church healthy? There are all kinds of ways to answer that question. Is the Word of God regularly preached? Is it gospel-centered? Does it affirm the historical truths of Christianity? All good, necessary questions. But let me throw out a church health question that you might not think about? Is your church full of messy [...]

Could You Rest In Christ If…

17 February 2010

40944 CommentsCould+You+Rest+In+Christ+If...2010-02-18+01%3A47%3A00Stephen+Altrogge

If I were afflicted by a disease and confined to my bed, never able to do another “good deed” again, could I rest in the finished work of Christ? If I lost my job and never found employment again, or my ministry at church was shut down, could I find my total identity in Christ? If I [...]