A Tale of Three Pastors
Even if it sometimes seems as if corruption is the norm, there still remain many faithful pastors. You just never hear about them.
Pastor 1 has rightly been defrocked. Even apart from the relationship, I think it’s hard to square his other behaviors with the requirements for pastors given in Scripture. We need to become far more serious than we have been about corruption, starting with the actual real enforcement of all the Pauline and Petrine demands for pastoral... Continue Reading
Evangelical Denominational Storm Brewing?
Questions of policy within the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
The issue arose because Greg Johnson, the Presbyterian pastor of Memorial Presbyterian in St. Louis who says he is homosexual but celibate, left the Presbyterian Church in America in 2022. Now his church wants to join the EPC. “That has stirred up all kinds of controversy because we’ve got some in the EPC that appear... Continue Reading
Suffer No Rival Part 1: Getting Serious About Pornography
Fighting Porn at the Root
We must believe that forgiveness is possible. Habitual porn use brings guilt and shame—and to some extent it should—but that should drive us to Christ not away from Him.[14] We already saw that Judah forgot Tamar’s humanity much like all men do when they view porn. But when his sin was revealed, his repentance was... Continue Reading
Church Discipline is Not Fun, But It’s Good
Church discipline is good, even without my three reasons.
So no, church discipline is not fun. It is hard and uncomfortable and often messy. But is is good. It is good for the one caught in sin, and it is good for the church as a whole. And as we seek to be faithful to the word of God, the world watches. May we... Continue Reading
Effectual Atonement and Eternal Assurance
Spurgeon explains the source of our security: The logic of eternal security rests on a belief in the finished work of Christ.
Though the mountains may depart and the hills; be removed, the covenant of his love shall never depart from us. “For,” saith Jehovah, “I will never forget thee, O Zion;” “I have graven thee, upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” O Christian, that is a firm foundation, cemented with... Continue Reading
The Shepherd’s Self-Esteem: How Pastors Find Their Identity in Christ
What if we fully leaned into Christ-esteem? Here are five critical steps to making this much-needed shift as a shepherd.
Living with Christ-esteem takes time to master. Negative habits, toxic playlists, and even overconfidence can hijack us for months or even years. Healing is not overnight. It takes conscious, gospel-centered action to step out in faith. My reflex is still sometimes to slip into negative thinking, but we err with grace, and then we get... Continue Reading
A Dream-Big Prayer
What does it look like to dream big for the glory of God?
Until we realize that God is able to do “far more abundantly” than all that we can pray about or dream, we’ll keep operating in the kingdom of this world. We’ll develop a scarcity mindset that leads to anxiety and fear and exhaustion and apathy and impotence toward the kingdom of God. We can risk our... Continue Reading
The Whole Counsel of God
The whole counsel of God is revealed in His Word and is therefore limited to that which is revealed in His Word.
Luke describes “the whole counsel of God” in Acts 20:27 as the person and work of Christ proclaimed by Paul during his gentile mission. But the Christ whom Paul preaches tells us that the whole of redemptive history (i.e., the whole of Scripture) speaks of Him. It is proper, then, to understand the whole counsel of God... Continue Reading
Lighten My Load or Strengthen My Back
Among the many blessings God offers, the most beautiful is keeping us close to Jesus. To that end, God will provide the strength we need in every trial.
God encourages us to cry out to him for whatever we need; he wants us to bring our troubles to him. He may lighten our load and miraculously deliver us, bringing long-prayed-for rescue and relief. Or he may strengthen us in the battle, offering his sustaining grace, the grace that draws us back to him.... Continue Reading
Updates from Churches Impacted by Hurricane Helene
Congregations from Florida to Virginia continue to deal with the fallout of Hurricane Helene and the flooding that followed. Here are updates from a few congregations on how God has been providing amid the devastation.
Fairview Christian Fellowship Church is in one of the hardest-hit areas of Highlands County, North Carolina. With no electricity and spotty cellular reception, Pastor Trevor Allen had no way of letting people know whether there would be a worship service on September 29, but 18 people showed up anyway. They sang and prayed together, celebrated... Continue Reading
Blessed Mourning for an LGBT+ Child
I can quit blaming others or myself in a futile attempt to control the situation—after all, I’m not in control. God is. What a blessed relief.
Why do I ask God to save my son? Am I praying that the Lord would draw him to himself so I can be comforted? Surely, that comfort is just a side effect—joyful though it would be. Or do I plead with God so my son can be comforted? Certainly, that would be a blessing. But is... Continue Reading
Yet Not Crushed
“Not crushed” testifies that for the Christian, our circumstances do not have the last word. Jesus does.
The burdens and suffering of Southern Appalachians are real and heavy, but they are not too heavy for Jesus. His wounds and scars say otherwise, as does the resounding hope of the empty tomb. Times of crisis also prompt questions such as, “What can we do?” or “How can I help?” Scripture teaches us that... Continue Reading
Prelude to a Prayer
Prayer in Nehemiah (3)
Nehemiah adopts the posture of one who can make no demands, who will assert no rights. He casts himself upon the good pleasure of the God of heaven. He prays as a leader on behalf of a sinful people, among whom he counts himself. He does not cover up the sin that should disqualify him... Continue Reading
Are Black People My People?
The colour of our skin cannot make us a people. The blood of Christ, however, makes us a people.
The Bible commands us to love Christians, our church members, our families, and our nations in specific ways. But it doesn’t command us to prefer people with our skin colour over others. Black people are not my people, and white people are not your people either. Unlike our ethnicities, nationalities, and religions, our skin colours do... Continue Reading
Those Who Make Them Become Like Them
The inside-out idolatry of the digital age
If for most ancient idolaters it was the human form with its physical qualities that represented their highest conception of themselves, for us as moderns it is the human mind, a calculating rationality or unconstrained will, disembodied and stripped of embodied particularity. Pursuing this ideal, we constructed computers in this image—an image of ourselves as... Continue Reading
The ‘Arcissistic EcoSystem Part 1
When ecosystems reach the aristocracy stage they are in desperate need of renewal and revival.
All ecosystems are in need of renewal and revival. Christian ecosystems especially. And I believe a marker of both renewal and revival is a brave commitment to flush out the toxins within a system whatever the personal cost to you, or the relational ties to others. We need to heed the words of 1Peter 5. ... Continue Reading
Why We Should Expect Witnesses to Disagree
Three simple characteristics of reliable eyewitness testimony and relate these three characteristics to the Gospels.
I spent the first nine years of my career investigating crimes as a committed atheist. Even then, I would have approved the notion that witnesses who fail to agree on every detail, raise as many questions as they seem to answer and are inaccurate in some detail of the event, could still be trusted as... Continue Reading
Preaching to the Heart
Preaching That Influences the Very Core and Center of an Individual’s Being
We need to return to a true preaching to the heart, rooted in the principle of grace and focused on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.…And when you have experienced such preaching, or seen its fruit, you will know what true preaching is. No more poignant or instructive description of the work of... Continue Reading
Colorado Supreme Court Dismisses Lawsuit Harassing Cake Artist Jack Phillips
State high court rules in favor of Masterpiece Cakeshop owner, brings an end to attorney’s harassment of Phillips.
Just last year, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in 303 Creative v. Elenis, which upheld free speech for creative professionals like Phillips. ADF attorneys asked the Colorado high court to apply that ruling and similarly affirm Phillips’ free-speech rights in this case. Though the Colorado Supreme Court did not decide that issue... Continue Reading
Pursue Healthy Eldership
As elders submit themselves to the Lord, to his Word, and to each other, they can work side-by-side to shepherd a healthy flock.
The elder-led church will only be effective…when their work is undertaken, not as detached directors, but as godly men active in church life and engaged in people’s lives. Many elder-led churches are broken. Think, for example, about these all-too-familiar scenarios. Laissez-faire elders: The elders are mere “yes men” to the lead minister. They look... Continue Reading
Seeing the Face of God
One look into His eyes will tell us all.
I cannot imagine the unbounded joy and deep fulfillment of seeing God’s face. It would seem that one look there will explain everything. We will see who He is and understand the height, depth, width, and depth of His love. There will no longer be any curse and the throne of God and of... Continue Reading
Stuck in Neutral
Why Outdated Frameworks Can’t Advance Christian Higher Education
In many ways, the Christian academy has entered an uncharted territory, one that will require the fortitude of a pioneering spirit. For the sake of our callings as scholars and practitioners within Christian higher education, now is the time to lay aside our neutral world maps and get to the business of negative world exploration,... Continue Reading
Handling Disagreements in the Church
Conflict and Disagreement Remain Hallmarks of Humanity
Handling disagreements in the church goes beyond just managing conflict; it’s about truly reflecting Christ’s love and wisdom. When we approach disagreements with grace, humility, and a dedication to unity, we not only build up our church family but also become a strong testimony of God’s reconciling peace to the world. Introduction Rodney King... Continue Reading
What is the Church Militant?
Book Excerpt—The Army of God: Spurgeon’s Vision for the Church
For Spurgeon, the mark of spiritual life was not perfection, but persistent struggle against sin. In this life, the Christian was, fundamentally, a soldier. “To be a Christian is to be a warrior. The good soldier of Jesus Christ must not expect to find ease in this world: it is a battle-field. Neither must he... Continue Reading
The Believer and “Strange Things”
Sometimes we wonder what God is up to.
God did sometimes ask his people to do some rather odd things as recorded in the Bible. It is possible he might ask us to do some strange things as well. But generally speaking, we have the whole of Scripture to give us directions and guidelines as to both proper speech and proper action. ... Continue Reading
It Is Good
The man who is full of hope in God has his feet firmly planted on the foundation.
The promises of God are Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20). That foundation is one that is sturdy. It will hold us. It is not overwhelmed by the waves. The river may rage, but the bottom remains unchanged. We may feel like the billows go over our heads, but be of good... Continue Reading
Loving Christ With All Our Minds: A Call for an Educational Reformation
Parents and educators must intentionally reference all disciplines back to their Christian center.
When educators intentionally omit God from the classroom for the alleged purpose of moral neutrality, another organizing principle and telos will necessarily fill the resulting vacuum. Many Christians have naively accepted what they thought was agnosticism in their educational models, but it turns out to be much worse. Over one hundred years ago, Abraham... Continue Reading
The Trinity Is Not a Team
God loves us as an outflow of his very nature—the one who loves perfectly and eternally.
The point is clear: the single, perfect, pure communion of love between the persons is poured out on us, as we are loved by the Father because of our union with the Son, whom the Father loves. The love of God is poured out on us by the inseparable work of Father, Son, and Holy... Continue Reading
Process with a Purpose
Knowing how our King was deprived due process during His suffering and recognizing the principles He has given us to govern the Church courts, we must carefully observe our duty in this regard, and leave the rest to Him.
Jews to work His glorious purposes to ensure that “all Israel will be saved” and the “fullness of the Gentiles” will come in to the Kingdom of God (cf. Rom. 11). All the unlawful disregard of process inflicted upon our King by the Jews was according to what God’s hand had “predestined to take place”... Continue Reading
Preachers “Landing the Plane”
Sunday’s sermon wasn't just "a story you found on Google".
Early on in serving the Lord by preaching (almost 25 years ago) I wrote full manuscripts and stuck to them rigorously. Then I’ve used various tools, manuscripts, outlines, passage overviews, 4-part-paper-fold, PowerPoint slides, and a few others to support the work of preaching. However, I’ve never found anything to replace or replicate the importance of... Continue Reading