Our tragic mortality never feels so real as when a parent or spouse or child dies. Losing my father left me feeling untethered….And nothing can fix this untethered-ness. Nothing can repair the loss that death deals out in cruel doses. Nothing, that is, except resurrection and the death-defeating love of Christ.   In the summer... Continue Reading

God’s knowledge reaches to our thoughts, desires, intents, and inclinations….The God “who knows the heart” (Acts 15:8) knows the sin of all people, and they will give an account for their disobedience to Him. But there is hope and comfort for all who believe in Jesus Christ because God’s covenant promise is to “remember their sin... Continue Reading

All those found in Jesus Christ—those who trust in Him—are clothed in His perfect righteousness. His obedient life is seen to be theirs….Go to Jesus, and you will find all that you need.   I have had on occasion the opportunity to preach on Luke 23:39-43, and I have titled that sermon, “The Merciful Christ.”... Continue Reading

The man of conviction is going to be criticized. The man who speaks his mind, even with humility and love, is likely to be assaulted. However, we must be concerned first to honor God by faithfulness to all his revealed truth, in its proper place, perspective, and proportion, and to serve men by speaking that... Continue Reading

As the only way to salvation, Jesus is worthy of our love, trust, and worship. He is also worthy of our gospel witness. May our recognition of Jesus’s uniqueness burden our hearts for the lost and stir our feet to take the good news about him to our universities and through them to the nations.... Continue Reading

We should still work towards explaining the gospel message. But as a starting point, people are often genuinely interested in our personal testimony.   Traditionally, apologetics has been concerned with defending and commending the truth claims of the Christian faith. In the 1990s Christian apologist Alister McGrath, in response to changing social attitudes, suggested that... Continue Reading

In Isaiah 40, and in the Lord Jesus, we see a God who is mighty enough to overturn the idols of a culture that fails to recognise that life belongs to him. We see a God who is compassionate enough to draw close to those who are deeply suffering. And to draw close to their... Continue Reading

These four books were a lifeline of much needed comfort, wisdom, and encouragement for me, and it is my hope they will be the same for my brothers and sisters in Christ who are struggling to hold on to their faith amid devastating grief.   When my son died in 2006, it was hard—even painful—for... Continue Reading

While we should read the books of the Bible in their literary context, we mustn’t forget that God has inspired every word. He is the ultimate ‘series’ editor. This means that we should expect greater depth and more connection between books of the Bible than might be expected if they were only written by humans.... Continue Reading

God has most clearly shown us His goodness in the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. The Goodness of God is the Goodness of Jesus. He has saved us apart from our works. He regenerates us, renews us, gives us His Spirit, and justifies us freely. Now we are heirs of heaven and have... Continue Reading

[After twenty-two years of imprisonment. Marie offers to manage Anne’s finances, urges her to work hard, to be wise and godly, and not to rush into marriage.] “to Mademoiselle [Anne] Durand, at Onex, near Geneva, The Tour de Constance, April 27, 1752. The time must seem very long to you, my darling daughter, and no... Continue Reading

We tend to look at gratitude the way we look at honesty, you either have it or you don’t. However, neither of these virtues works this way. As with all the fruit and characteristics of the Spirit, thanksgiving grows in us through dedicated focus and pursuit. Appreciation for God’s goodness to us is a learned... Continue Reading

Graham has been criticized by some Reformed observers for embracing “revivalism” and “decisionism.” Opinions will vary on those questions, but regardless of their soteriological preferences, most evangelicals still believe that God used Graham to contribute to the salvation of thousands of sinners over his ministry. The L.A. Crusade lets us reflect on the mysterious relationship... Continue Reading

Pride isn’t just the bombastic statements like the boxer Muhammad Ali declaring, “I am the greatest.” It comes out in making God a footnote to our accomplishments. Pride always lowers our estimation of God. Charles Spurgeon’s peer Archibald G. Brown preached on pride and said, “The proud man is simply one who bends the knee... Continue Reading

We know he does not always answer, ‘yes’. He sometimes says, ‘no’, and often he says, ‘wait’; but we must get to the point where we are aware he has heard and answered. The call to prayer is a call to perseverance – Jesus tells us to ‘ask, seek, knock (Matthew 7:7-12)’, to keep on... Continue Reading

Intentionally or not, the writers of this screenplay portrayed the sinful downside of popular, image-driven piety as well as has ever been done. While saying grace, the narcissistic and vapid Ricky reveals that he prefers an oddly specific (8 pounds, 6 ounces!) version of Jesus—the pudgy, non-threatening, cute baby version common to the seasonal piety of... Continue Reading

Sadly, the blessing that was enjoyed in paradise was lost as a result of the fall. The rest of the Bible tells the unexpected story of how God’s blessing from creation is rediscovered by means of God’s gracious covenant. Hints of how this would be accomplished were given to Adam (Gen. 3:15), Noah (Gen. 9:1),... Continue Reading

In a world that prizes autonomy and convenience, the church can model a different way—a way of sacrificial love, covenantal commitment, and the beauty of generational faithfulness. It’s true the “nones” are on the rise in the West, but globally, Pew Research Forum predicts “secular” people in 2060 will make up a smaller percentage of the world’s... Continue Reading

Humanists UK fail to acknowledge that every organisation has its reasons for what it does and every organisation operates in line with its core convictions. What they seem to believe is that such is fine when those core convictions are secular humanist ones, but not if they happen to be Christian. Even, it seems worth... Continue Reading

Those and many other things in our theory and practice of church government follow from an inference, and in many cases one that is much less clear and logically necessary than the inference that it is imprudent in the extreme to ordain men given to unnatural lust, or that the church may act on such... Continue Reading

‘The best, the only explanation of the psalms….is this: that [Christ’s] Humanity found in them a collection of appropriate devotions: Prayer-book, liturgy, hymn-book, fitted and pre-harmonised for a Divine Sufferer and Pilgrim…They are lyrics primarily of the Humanity of our Lord, secondarily of ours’.  ‘Read these psalms without this thought; they are petrifactions for a... Continue Reading

It’s puberty-blocking drugs—not puberty itself—that require consent. Even so, children can’t possibly understand the long-term effects and implications of synthetic hormones that pause a critical physiological process like puberty. Adults should be responsible for the welfare of their children, but sadly, too many have been deceived by society’s infatuation with transgender ideology.   The United... Continue Reading

We are not ultimately in control of this world we did not create. In fact, as Job learned when he asked why all of the bad things had happened to him … a good person …, his questions were answered with other questions. They were harder questions asked by God that revealed Job’s ignorance about... Continue Reading

Observing the landscape today in Christianity, the idea of taking dominion is often viewed with skepticism, if not outright hostility. Some will say it is simply sinful to care about any earthly good. Others will concede some earthly good is appropriate, but not too much, and you must achieve it through pious means. This aversion... Continue Reading

Sin immediately affected Adam and Eve’s relationship. They began to live selfishly and blame others for their own sinful actions (3:8-13). The perfect unity that they enjoyed since their creation with God and one another, of which their sexual relationship was a symbol, was now damaged. And the corruption of sin would wreak havoc on... Continue Reading

The next time you’re paralyzed by inaction, ask yourself why. Is it because you don’t know what the next step should be, or how to take the next step? Or is it because you know what to do, but aren’t doing it? Don’t just pray for wisdom. Also pray for strength and courage to take... Continue Reading

Younger pastors and other church leaders were reaching out to me for help and advice. This consumed more of my time and was God’s way of preparing me for what was next. I sensed God leading me into a new ministry focused less on a single local church and more on the health of many local... Continue Reading

We must shed the chameleon’s skin and rise as the radiant bride of Christ, unashamed of the Gospel and unafraid of the world’s wrath. Pastors must stop pandering to the culture and start proclaiming the unfiltered Word of God. Congregations must stop shrinking in the shadows and start blazing with the light of Christ. Let us... Continue Reading

Amid this world’s darkness, the Enemy’s relentless attacks, and the weakness of our flesh, we are continually finding grace from our Father, even in the wilderness. In fact, especially in the wilderness. And why is that grace so abundant? “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” His persistent love—even in... Continue Reading

To live in this age will always be a mixed bag. We will always be dual citizens. We can appreciate and celebrate all that is true and good and beautiful in this world. But we also know that there is so much that is evil and horrible and ugly and demonic. We have to live with... Continue Reading