Andreas J. Köstenberger

Nov 15, 2024 | theaquilareport.com | Andreas J. Köstenberger

The Holy Spirit enables us to overcome the power of sin. Just as we must put our trust in Christ alone for salvation, we must put our trust in the Holy Spirit for sanctification. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is now at work in us to apply the saving benefits of Christ in our daily lives. When was the last time you preached a sermon on sanctification? This should be a regular occurrence, as this is where our people need the most help.

Nov 14, 2024 | theaquilareport.com | Andreas J. Köstenberger

God’s people are to reflect Jesus’s heart of compassion for a needy world. There are many churches with impeccable statements of faith, sound doctrine, and biblical preaching. Many also excel in food and fellowship and programs for their youth and other members of their congregation. But while edifying believers is a vital part of our charge, do we ourselves, and do we encourage people in our congregations to, reflect Jesus’s heart of compassion for the needy?

Oct 24, 2024 | theaquilareport.com | Andreas J. Köstenberger

Unless we give the Holy Spirit his due in our teaching and preaching, we settle for an anemic picture of the Christian life and ministry. We must navigate the tension between exaggerating the Spirit’s independent operations and diminishing his importance. Let us gratefully appreciate the Spirit’s vital contribution and be diligent to teach our people what the Bible says about the Spirit so he can energize their individual lives and their relationships in the body of Christ.

Oct 22, 2024 | theaquilareport.com | Andreas J. Köstenberger

Fast-forward millennia of human history, with God’s promise of sending a redeemer gradually taking shape (see Gen. 3:15) through a series of covenants and promises, and we arrive at Jesus. Jesus is at the very heart of history. As Paul writes, though Jesus “was in the form of God,” he was “born in the likeness of men,” “and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him” (Phil. 2:6–9).

Oct 3, 2024 | theaquilareport.com | Andreas J. Köstenberger

The Bible urges us to exercise control over our minds and bodies. We should be deliberate and intentional, and maintain control rather than being controlled and led astray by our passions and desires. What do you and I need to do to get control over that which we currently don’t control? “The fruit of the Spirit is self-control.” We’ve arrived at the final fruit of the Spirit in Paul’s letter to the Galatians.