Paul Tripp

Latest

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  Oct 20, 2013

  The 'X' Factor: What Really Makes a Pastor Spiritually Mature

  I want to begin this Ministry Article where the last one ended. We must be careful how we define ministry readiness and spiritual maturity. There's a danger in thinking that the well-educated and trained seminary graduate is ministry ready. There's great danger in mistaking knowledge, busyness, and skill with personal spiritual maturity.

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  Oct 6, 2013

  3 Words to Help You Avoid Self-Justifying Your Sins

  To fight these two areas of vulnerability, all you need to remember is these three words: "HE SAT DOWN." These words are in the first chapter of Hebrews and are found in a phrase that says of Jesus, "After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." (Hebrews 1:3)

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  Sep 29, 2013

  Do You Know Your Pastor?

  How well do you know your pastor? I don't mean where he went to seminary and what his weekly schedule looks like. How well do you KNOW your pastor. I'm afraid that many times, we don't actually look after the soul of the man leading our church; we ask too few questions and make too many assumptions.

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  Sep 22, 2013

  The Recipe for a Successful Pastor

  I'm convinced that many of the problems in pastoral culture result from an unbiblical definition of the essential ingredients of ministry success. A pastor's ministry is never just shaped by his experience, knowledge, and skill. It's also always shaped by the true condition of his heart. In fact, if his heart isn't in the right place, knowledge and skill can make him dangerous.

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  Sep 1, 2013

  Why God Designed Us to Live in Community

  Life in this fallen world is hard. Preparation is hard. Change is hard. It's easy to get discouraged. It's easy to feel overwhelmed. It's easy to remain or revert to being self-absorbed. It's easy to feel alone. It's easy to think that no one understands what you are going through.

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  Aug 25, 2013

  God's Children and the Thing That Won't Wear Out

  Have you noticed that everything in your life wears out? The sweater that you loved so much and wore winter after winter is now stuffed in the bottom drawer of your dresser, threadbare, unused, and unwanted. The car that excited you so and that even smelled new is now just a car with scratches and squeaks to prove it. The stain-resistant carpet ended up not being so stain-resistant after all.

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  Aug 18, 2013

  What Is God's Will for Your Wait (Part 2)

  Waiting can be difficult. It reminds us that we're not in control. But instead of being discouraged during the wait, we should be a participant in what God is doing in us and through us during the wait. Last week we looked at four of those reasons, and today we'll add three more to that list.

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  Aug 11, 2013

  What Is God's Will for Your Wait (Part 1)

  As you wait, tell yourself again and again that you haven't been singled out. Remind yourself that you're part of a vast company of people who are being called to wait. Reflect on the biblical story. Abraham waited many years for his promised son. Israel waited 420 years for deliverance from Egypt, then another 40 years before they could enter the land God had promised them.

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  Aug 4, 2013

  7 Problems You'll Face When You Have Eternity Amnesia

  Life is a struggle. The Lord, in His wisdom, has left us in a fallen world. But perhaps our struggles are not primarily about the brokenness that surrounds us. Could it be there is something we bring to each of these struggles that makes them harder to bear?

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  Jul 28, 2013

  Understanding the Gospel Gap

  I'm convinced that many Christians live with a big gap in their understanding of what God has done for them. Most people understand that Jesus died so their sins can be forgiven, and most people understand that He died so they can have a future with Him in eternity, but I've found that few understand what Jesus has provided for them today.