The Scars of Hope
Hope is the evangelistic beauty in our suffering. It perplexes the world and intrigues even skeptics. For suffering is a language common to humanity, but hope that lasts is spoken only from the heavens.
Every morning we awake, God gives us just enough mercies to handle today, just enough pain to not overwhelm us, just enough pleasure to fix our gaze on him. And even our lament can be a gift, for tears remind us that we are still alive and recipients of God’s grace. God gives everything in his... Continue Reading
Boldness for the Gospel
What is the nature of boldness in evangelism?
First, we must attend to the ordinary means of grace (Word, sacraments, prayer). Our understanding of the love of God for us and our corresponding love for Him will grow as we continually exercise these Spirit-ordained means. Second, we must gather with the saints regularly to stir one another up to love and good works (Heb.... Continue Reading
5 Things You Should Know about Being a Parent
Parenting is an important calling that God has given you.
Each day, as you live with your children, you are presenting a view of reality. You are showing them that you believe that God is good and the rewarder of those who seek Him. By loving God and others, you model the truth that the law of God is good. As you make a priority... Continue Reading
Angels in Awe: The Story They Longed to Understand
The angels were intensely interested to know how and when the Christ would come, suffer, and be glorified.
Peter tells us these mighty and terrifying beings were extremely curious about one thing: how and in what time the Christ would come. No wonder it was an angel who delivered the news to Mary in Luke 1. No wonder the myriads of angels rejoiced before the shepherds in Luke 2. No wonder the angels rejoice... Continue Reading
Review: Knowing the Spirit
In Knowing the Spirit, author, pastor, and speaker Costi Hinn shows you why a relationship with the Holy Spirit is the most important next step on your journey as a Christian.
Hinn’s discussion of “Spirit-filled worship” (Chapter 6) was my favourite part. Denouncing charismatic razzmatazz on one hand and hidebound conservatism on the other, Hinn calls for worship which is “lifestyle … every moment of every day” (108–109). Worship which prioritises truth and holiness and doesn’t shy away from sin. Best of all, worship that focuses... Continue Reading
Can These Bones Live?
So God commands Ezekiel in verse 4-6, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD."
Ezekiel was called to prophesy and to preach, but God was the One who brought dead sinners to life by His sovereign power. Similarly, though we do not hold the office of prophet, preachers are called to proclaim God’s Word. We are called to preach about who God is and who man is; we are... Continue Reading
The Hardest Thing You’ve Ever Done
Being ultimately responsible for your identity will crush you.
Why would something that sounds so freeing be crushing? Well, let’s say your whole identity is built on what you can achieve or do. Perhaps you want to be smart, successful, and make lots of money and your identity is wrapped up in that. Now, compare yourself to everyone else who is also embarking on this... Continue Reading
May I Share the Gospel With You?
We have broken God’s law, and we will have to stand before Him when He judges all mankind.
None of our good works could save us from the wrath to come. God will read from books containing all that we have ever done, and He will judge us based on what is written in the books. It will become plain on that day that there are none good, no not one. But God,... Continue Reading
An Immigrant in Ohio’s Thoughts on Springfield
Sometimes, both sides are wrong.
Leftists have been quick to dismiss the real issues in Springfield and conservatives have been just as fast to sensationalise it. I know some conservatives do not want to hear this, but the truth is, we have become guilty of much of what we hate about the Left. As a Ghanaian-Canadian immigrant in Ohio,... Continue Reading
4 Principles for Doing Biblical Theology
A healthy way—perhaps the best way—to do biblical theology is to follow the lead of the apostles and examine how the apostles wed the Old Testament to their discourse.
Once we’ve detected the Old Testament quotation or allusion and explored the Old Testament background, now we must take a step back and ask the million-dollar question: How is the apostle using the Old Testament? New Testament writers don’t interpret and apply the Old Testament the same way each time. Most contemporary readers assume the... Continue Reading
How Important Are Your Prayers to God?
We are the agents of His activity and it is all accomplished through prayer.
Prayer is not a side issue. A nice panacea for us when we’re in trouble. A little mantra we chant to make us feel better. Prayer connects us to the God of heaven and can thus do anything God can do. It is not “A” work; it is “THE” work of the believer. We are... Continue Reading
Megan Basham’s Civil War
My interest is not in striking a blow either for or against Basham and the like-minded folks who feel empowered and justified by her claims. Rather, I want to talk about why I think the book is important and how a more expansive framework might help us understand the strife and atmosphere of suspicion more accurately.
Basham’s Shepherds for Sale is a book that addresses the political and market captivity of the church from a particular angle. It does so with greater or lesser effectiveness with regard to the charges she makes. But her ultimate point is that the church is often subject to influences that may be hostile to its actual mission.... Continue Reading
The Quickest to Anger Are Often the Slowest to Forgive
Misplaced or unjustified anger makes us think and act irrationally. In fact, sin is so devious it can even trick us into thinking we are due forgiveness, when in reality we should be seeking it.
Forgiveness is a difficult doctrine, both to understand and to practice. There will, unfortunately, be situations in all our lives that will require us to extend extraordinary forgiveness to another person. And when those times come, the Lord will be near to help us process our pain and grief, and his Spirit will gently and... Continue Reading
Thank God for His Mercies to Your Nation
During this election season when many are especially focused on the state and future of our nation, let us cry out in prayer to the King of kings and Lord of lords.
“In your loving concern, set over us a good government that practices justice and opposes corruption. Give us governmental leaders who will be a terror to all those who do evil, and will praise and protect those who do good.” 1 Kings 10:9; Rom. 13:3 “Lord, thank you for planting us on a fruitful... Continue Reading
Crave the Lord’s Delicacies
Why Do We Choose Displeasure Over Delight?
Delight requires dedication. It requires discipline. Tuning out the world to center our attention on the God of the universe seems like it should be easy, but experience proves otherwise. Therefore, we must heed the words of the apostle Paul who said, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7b NASB). Consistent, diligent... Continue Reading
The Certainties of the Christian Life
God’s Word does not eliminate earthly uncertainties, but it illuminates heavenly realities.
Because our Father has clearly communicated with us, the Christian life is one of certainty. But what exactly are we certain of? What specific truths keep us tethered to eternity when the tangible world around us is liable to sudden disaster and the minivan’s check-engine light comes on (again)? God has given us many such... Continue Reading
Prayer Releases Spiritual Power
Why is prayer such a vital part of combatting the spiritual forces of evil?
We live between these two moments in history; Jesus has already ultimately defeated Satan, sin, and death, and yet they have not yet been destroyed. During this present age, Jesus wants us to spread his righteous rule over earth (Matt 6:33) THROUGH HIS POWER. The fact that this can only be done through his power was stressed by Jesus in the words that preceded his great... Continue Reading
Living by Faith in an Uncertain World
Learning to be content with little—even to rejoice in it—is one of the true marks of Christian maturity.
In this world, Christians may often face earthly uncertainty. Who but God knows what tomorrow may bring? But our hope is secure because it is bound up in Christ, and we are secure in Him. Thus, we cherish the thought embodied in the hymn “A Debtor to Mercy Alone”: Yes, I to the end shall... Continue Reading
A Recovered Martyn Lloyd Jones Sermon Describes This Moment in Evangelical Theology
An ecumenical strain marks certain corners of the contemporary Protestant theological academy.
Rome has repented nothing since 1517 and has only changed tactics in attempting to bring us under her tyranny. As with the Anglicans in 1977, so with many evangelicals today. These men have forgotten that false teachers come in sheep’s clothing (Matt. 7:15); that bad company ruins good morals (1 Cor. 15:33); that Rome and... Continue Reading
Fearing God the Father
When we are justified, we know God as our Judge, but when we are adopted, we know God as our Father.
If we fear God our Father we will tremble with delight at his incomprehensible love. We will stagger at the thought that we are his adopted children. We will long to share in his holiness by embracing his loving yet painful discipline that trains us. “I am a child of God, God is my... Continue Reading
What a Rare Brain Cancer Is Teaching Me about the Art of Remembering and Forgetting
When pain and tragedy strike, we are usually so quick to forget the character and nature of God. Like the ancient Israelites, our spiritual amnesia sets in rapidly.
This is the art of the Christian life: reconciling what needs to be remembered with what needs to be forgotten—concerning both our faithful God and our sinful selves. Jesus and his disciples point us to this reconciliation of remembering and forgetting at the Last Supper and the days that follow Jesus’s death. As Jesus—a real-life... Continue Reading
Machen’s “Attack”
The things about which men will fight...and flay heads?
“The present condition of the Presbyterian Church is an offence against God. But the Spirit of God is all-powerful, and the darkest hour sometimes just precedes the dawn.” Machen was direct, forthright…salty, even. This is obviously not the (summarized) “sermon” you’d want to hear on a Lord’s Day morning if that was all there was... Continue Reading
Is Modern Postmillennialism Confessional?
Westminster Affirms the Historic Doctrine of the Imminent Second Coming
Specifically, Westminster affirms that the day and hour of the second coming are unknown but that believers ought to watch and pray expectantly for it, believing that it is near. The WCF thereby makes no allowance for modern—that is, partial-preterist—postmillennialism. In the final portion of its concluding chapter, “Of the Last Judgment,” the Confession delivers... Continue Reading
Is the New Pro-Choice GOP Committing Political Suicide?
Each of us is shut up to the Ruler and Judge of men and nations (Romans 14:12). Therefore let each earnestly seek his mind, and then, having found it, vote as his or her conscience dictates.
Speaking personally, I judge that at times it may be necessary for me to vote for a better pro-choice candidate in order to avoid the election of a worse one and the dire consequences that would ensue. Pro-life stalwart Steven Mosher agrees, arguing that only a Trump victory—unlikely without the support of pro-lifers—gives hope of... Continue Reading
What Is Distinct about the Theology of Hebrews?
Hebrews introduces us to the only mediator who can reconcile sinful human beings to the infinitely holy God.
While Hebrews urges us to fix our hearts and hopes on Jesus, who sits at God’s right hand in heaven (Heb. 12:1–2), our preacher is vividly aware of the faith-threatening challenges that confront his hearers on this sin-sick earth. The original congregation had endured the loss of social acceptance, property, physical safety, and freedom (Heb.... Continue Reading
London’s Suffering; London’s Sin
St. Paul's was "as much a den of thieves as a house of prayer." On a daily basis St. Paul's welcomed "respectable citizens such as merchants, lawyers and their clients, but a various and colorful collection of crooks, con-men, and others."
The Puritan Thomas Brooks would preach about the Great London Fire and the collapse of St. Paul’s, calling his hearers to faith in Christ. He would write, “London’s sufferings should warn others to take heed of London’s sins. London’s conflagration should warn others to take head of London’s abominations. It should warn others to stand... Continue Reading
Past Them, through Them, over Them, around Them
God has placed his richest blessings within our deepest wounds.
As we entrust our sorrows to him, we find that he has first entrusted them to us. He has assigned to us these sorrows so we can in turn consecrate them to him. He means for us to faithfully steward them, confident that they will guide us into deeper submission to his purposes and deeper... Continue Reading
10 Ways to Fracture Your Church
Church is a place to love others and to be loved, to give and take.
To arrest a possible breakup, you need to talk about the threat before the root of bitterness grows. Deal with it quickly. Like cancer, it must be handled as soon as it is discovered because any delay only allows the cancer to grow. Jesus’s Prayer for the Church Toward the end of Jesus’s life... Continue Reading
An Army of the Ordinary
You and I can make a difference.
Keep working for the Lord…You and I may be just very ordinary people. But we can do some extraordinary things with the help of our Lord. We might just be ordinary, but our God certainly is not. The longer you are a Christian, the less you speak about “coincidence” and the more you speak... Continue Reading
Where Does Your Help Come From? (Psalm 121)
Jesus is the helper of his people now and for eternity.
[God’s] got you now, present tense. But he’s got you in the future too. He will keep you from evil. He will keep your life. He will keep your going out and coming in not just now but into eternity. It’s not just a promise for this life but for all time. God has promised good to his people throughout... Continue Reading