Worship the Spirit
We should expect the Holy Spirit’s ordinary work to be that of sanctifying us through the effectual means of grace that he has prescribed in his Word.
The Holy Spirit inspired the sufficient revelation concerning the elements of gathered worship, and so we should expect that he would naturally work through those elements—reading the Word, preaching the Word, praying the Word, singing the Word, and visualizing the Word through baptism and the Lord’s Supper. This is why Christians have traditionally called these prescribed... Continue Reading
Introducing the Bible Answers Project
The goal of the Bible Answers Project is to connect unchurched people with presbyterian and reformed churches
“The good news is that every day, 100,000s of online searches (Google, Bing, etc.) are conducted for search queries related to the Bible and Christianity. The bad news is that, more often than not, search results for Bible-related queries never connect people back to confessional Presbyterian and Reformed churches — despite our robust commitment to... Continue Reading
Respond to Conflict Like Francis Schaeffer
Review: ‘The Mark of the Christian’ by Francis A. Schaeffer
Schaeffer says our love must be observable, something others can see. Observable love often requires saying sorry and asking for forgiveness—with a spouse, a friend, a child, a parent, or another person or group we’ve wronged. This is simple, but it won’t be easy. In my experience, it takes great strength of character to say,... Continue Reading
No, It’s Still Not Right
Twenty years later, you still cannot redefine marriage.
Same-sex marriage has also fueled the redefinition and imagination around how we conceive of family structure and how children are to be brought into this world. While a child with two moms or two dads may seem commonplace now, nature persists in telling us that it is unnatural. Children need moms and dads in conjoined... Continue Reading
One of the Toughest Ministry Lessons I’ve Had to Learn . . . and Why I Love Having Learned It Today
None of us is as strong a leader as we think, and not one of us is effective in ministry apart from His power.
I live in the tension of wanting to give my best for God’s work while not worrying about whether others recognize my best. My goal ought to be that only the name of Jesus gets glory before, during, and after I’m in my current seat of ministry. So, the work goes on, even beyond us,... Continue Reading
The Big Impact of Little Faith
Too often we readily diminish our expectations of God’s power to work.
Tiny, mustard-seed-size faith can move mountains. Here is Jesus’ vivid word picture, proverbial for overcoming great challenges. Jesus did not say, “You need giant faith!” No, tiny faith will do. Jesus’ followers need true faith, rightly rooted with deep, personal trust that heartily expects God to work! For all our endeavors—big and small—he calls us... Continue Reading
This, Too, Could Pass: Christian Group’s Rule Keeping Beaches Closed on Sunday Mornings May End
The Sunday morning beach closures dismay some but delight others.
“I feel less comfortable because of the imposition of their religion on everybody that lives here,” Bernstein said. Referring to images of a cross on the badges people are required to purchase in order to use the beach, she said, “I’m Jewish; I don’t wear crosses.” The association did not respond to repeated requests for an... Continue Reading
Teaching Our Children about Forgiveness
Our children learn the most about forgiveness when we forgive each other.
Family is wonderful. It can also, at times, be volatile. Establish a regular rhythm of prayer together as a family. This can be as easy as praying at mealtimes. This regular rhythm, even if it is only at one meal a day, gives us an opportunity to go before the Lord whenever inevitable tensions arise.... Continue Reading
Foster Children: The New Pawn in the Gender Wars
A foster-care regulation from the Biden administration conditions federal funds on support for a child’s transgender identity.
Emerging evidence suggests that “social transition” may interfere with the natural resolution of gender dysphoria and greatly increase the chances that a passing phase becomes the basis for lifelong and potentially harmful medical interventions. The Cass Review alludes to this possibility, emphasizing that social transition is “an active intervention because it may have significant effects on... Continue Reading
How Pop Nietzscheanism Masquerades as Christianity
Pastoral ministry goes on, day to day, year to year, whatever the political officer class, right and left, are debating.
The threat to religious liberty remains and has indeed expanded, but a new one has also emerged: the temptation to combat this by fusing Christianity with worldly forms of power and worldly ways of achieving the same. For want of a better term, it’s a kind of pop Nietzscheanism that uses the idioms of Christianity.... Continue Reading
Target Audience
A geofencing controversy highlights growing efforts to silence pro-life activism in the digital space.
It’s become much more challenging for pregnancy resource centers to advertise on Google and Yelp, with the latter even requiring consumer alerts notifying searchers that pregnancy resource centers do not provide abortions. Trudden said Heartbeat International hasn’t been able to advertise its abortion pill rescue network on Google since the platform deemed it “misinformation” in... Continue Reading
Mission in the 21st Century: When It’s for God’s Glory…and When It Isn’t
If mission is ultimately about the glory of God, we will think carefully about what we do and how we do it.
If our desire in mission is to bring glory to God, what we do and how we do it must be God-glorifying. Mission as listening has lots of useful things to teach us–but God is not glorified if we only listen and never proclaim the gospel. Similarly, mission as growth has lots of useful things... Continue Reading
Love the Lord with All Your Mind
Is it time to reevaluate how you are using your mind to glorify God?
Scripture tells us we are to love the Lord with all our minds. Yes, we are to love God with more than the mind alone, but in our current culture, we quickly spend hours giving our minds to countless trivialities. The reason we do it is because it is easy. Everything tends toward the path... Continue Reading
Why “Deconstruction” Isn’t the Right Word
Putting the right perspective on the trending term.
The problem with the word deconstruction, at the risk of committing an etymological fallacy, is that it carries the philosophical baggage of postmodernism, particularly the denial that truth can be known. It also carries the assumption of permanent doubt and the skepticism of authority. That’s why, when applied to Christian faith, so much deconstruction is... Continue Reading
The NFL’s Condemnation of Harrison Butker Exemplifies the Left’s Anti-Christian Bigotry
If you just want to be left alone, to live and let live, you need to understand that the left is not going to allow that.
Anti-Christian, and especially anti-Catholic, bigotry is the last acceptable prejudice in America. For such people, there can be only one faith in post-Christian America. They are not going to share a republic with people like Butker, and will do whatever they can to silence, deplatform, and discredit every prominent Christian who stands against them. At the same... Continue Reading
Knit Together
For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.
If our time in the womb as we develop is called by God a “knitting together,” a complex process that takes place over time, an intentional and careful and loving process by the very hand of God, then this truth will teach us something about the nature of the inverse as well. If time in... Continue Reading
Leaning, Idolatry, and Trusting Christ
Let us relinquish our stubborn grip on trying to construct our sense of worth, security, and purpose apart from Him.
Like Peter, our gaze shifts from Christ to focus on the storm, looking to temporal things for rescue instead of our faithful Lord. This unbelief assaults God’s glory, arrogantly dismissing His all-sufficiency as if He were not enough. It must be confessed and repented of. But thank God He has not left us alone in our... Continue Reading
The Many Names of God
Perhaps the most dramatic name change in the Old Testament took place when Jacob’s name was changed to Israel.
The old name, which means “deceiver,” suited him because of the crooked, hypocritical, devious tricks he pulled on his own family. Jacob is over. From now on, his name will be Israel, the one who wrestles with God. What a beautiful name. The rest of the Old Testament is the history of a nation that... Continue Reading
What it Means to Be Reformed Part 3: Confessionalism
The Importance of Confessions
In our day it is especially important to be confessional. When we looked at the dismal state of theology in the American Church, we saw significant and disheartening errors in the average Christian’s views of Scripture, God, man and sin, salvation, the Church, and current issues like extramarital sex, abortion, gender identity, and homosexuality. Basically all of these errors are clearly addressed in the confessions, so... Continue Reading
The Visible Church vs. the Invisible Church — What’s the Difference?
The invisible church consists of those throughout the ages who have new life in Christ, which will never be taken away from them.
Believers did nothing to earn regeneration and there is nothing they can do to become unregenerated. The Spirit indwells all true believers, and he convicts God’s children of their sin in his sanctifying work. No one will snatch Jesus’ sheep from his hand (John 10:28). There exist the visible church and the invisible church.... Continue Reading
Sin Leading to Death
It’s hard to imagine God telling us not to pray about something.
John is not prohibiting us from praying for the salvation of our lost family and friends. Rather, he is saying that we cannot pray for salvation apart from Jesus Christ. That would be the unanswerable prayer in the face of the unforgivable sin. Rejection of Jesus is unforgivable because God has given no other name... Continue Reading
God Understands and Is Compassionate Toward Parents of Prodigal Children
God is the perfect Parent, and even he reared children who rebelled against him and went their own way!
God knows what it is to be rejected by those whom he has loved and cared for (see John 1:11). He knows what it is like to see a loved one headed for disaster. He knows what it is to long for his children to return to their senses (see Matt. 23:37). He knows what it is... Continue Reading
Don’t Be Ashamed of Repentance
Our pride keeps us from admitting our foolishness.
Here’s the good news: Jesus always accepts those who repent and believe the gospel. This is the Christian way. This is how we entered the Christian life (Mark 1:15), and this is how we continue in the Christian life (Gal 2:20). If you are still in your sin, hear this word: “Repent therefore, and turn... Continue Reading
Burning Out for God: Lessons from Henry Martyn
Review: ‘Henry Martyn’ by Constance Padwick
Though Martyn preferred a quiet life of prayer and study, he demonstrated a commitment to what many today would call being incarnational. As chaplain aboard multiple East India Company vessels, he ministered to the sailors and crew. In India, he opened his home to British soldiers and Indians alike for Bible studies and church services.... Continue Reading
Praying in Grace By the Power of God
How the Trinity Informs and Enlivens Our Time Spent in Prayer
Prayer is worship. It is why that word adoration is used in the A.C.T.S. You are confessing your faith in Him, in His person as the Creator, and in His Work as the giver of all things by the word of His power. It is a statement of humble reliance upon the one who alone is able... Continue Reading
Who Is a God Like You?
Finding hope in the incomparable character of God.
The insanity of the world has reached a fever pitch in recent years, but let’s not forget that the God who upholds the universe, and the God who sent His Son into the world to save sinners, is a God who delights in steadfast love. Ultimate reality, the bedrock beneath this whole terrestrial ball, is... Continue Reading
Remember the 4 ‘Alls’ of the Great Commission
The missionary mandate Jesus gave his disciples, as seen in Matthew’s formulation.
The call of discipleship includes teaching everything Christ taught. The goal isn’t just a cognitive level of doctrinal understanding but total obedience. To obey all that Christ teaches. Nakah and Poobalan comment: The Great Commission forbids a selective attitude to Christ’s demands on all who follow him. We cannot pick and choose or add what we like. His... Continue Reading
What Was the Burning Bush?
The fire was in the bush, but not of the bush.
It’s not so much what was in that bush, but who was in that bush—who it was who was speaking to Moses centuries before Moses would speak with Him on the Mount of Transfiguration, which was clearly the most magnificent display of the shekinah glory anywhere in the New Testament (Matt. 17:1–8). Just as that bush was burning... Continue Reading
Who Can Understand Sin?
Deep Mercy for Our Dark Insanity
In our sin, we need the desperation of the prodigal son who, after he squandered all his inheritance, recognizes his only hope is to return to his father (Luke 15:17–19). Or like the psalmist who calls to the Lord for mercy from the abyss of his sin (Psalm 130:1–2), we too must turn to God... Continue Reading
Two Sides of Motherhood; Joy and Pain
Processing a Miscarriage
As much as you may feel like it is your fault, it is NOT. There is nothing that could have been done to change the will of God for your life and for the life of your child. This miscarriage is not a fault of you, it is a fact of the world and a... Continue Reading