It’s tempting these days to see a secessionist movement coming out of the sharp divide between Trump and Biden supporters. But long before Trump ran for office, back when Biden was a grandfatherly senator and later vice president, state officials began acting as if their colleagues in other states were the moral equivalent of leaders... Continue Reading

Christ’s commission to make disciples is directly connected with his worship—making disciples is making worshipers of God through Christ, and the sincere worship of God’s people will help to draw more people in that communion.   After Jesus died and rose again, he appeared to his disciples and many others, beginning a short period of... Continue Reading

Jacob had waited seven years to marry Rachel. Now, decades later, she is gone. The pillar he erected over her tomb in her memory (Gen. 35:20) was a witness to the sadness and hope that surrounded his life. Sadness in the loss; hope in the covenant promises that now assured him of a love that will... Continue Reading

If judgment begins with the house of God, and we know the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God (1 Pet. 4:17), then the greatest need of the moment is for us to display before the world a broken and contrite heart in true humility and repentance.   One of the... Continue Reading

While there are real reasons to be cautious and critical of key dimensions of Peterson’s broader message, churches have much to learn from reflection upon the reasons why he resonates with so many young men.    The Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, author of the bestselling books 12 Rules for Life and Beyond Order, has exploded into mainstream evangelical... Continue Reading

The best of us take great strides in perhaps one or two areas—in humility or sympathy, in patience or gentleness. But the best of us still have such great flaws, such tragic imperfections, and will take them with us to the grave. The best of us are like these few acres of natural beauty in... Continue Reading

We can weep, we can be angry over wrongs, we can be upset about situations. But we can’t be bitter. And of course, if we are bitter, we end up hurting people. How can we not be bitter? Because God, Jesus is walking with us through the pain. And we have comfort and strength.  ... Continue Reading

Chao is mostly remembered for his role in RFT, which, in the words of Bruce P. Baugus, editor of China’s Reforming Churches: Mission, Polity, and Ministry in the Next Christendom,  “helped form a new generation of Reformed leadership within China and throughout the global Chinese church.”   From the earliest days of Protestant missions, foreign... Continue Reading

May we never forget that God is building us together as we are joined in Christ to become a beacon of hope to a world that feels abandoned and mistreated. It is our service to the Lord to love the unloving and be reconciled to each other. May we minister to the cuts in our... Continue Reading

Christians can strain the relationship with God through our sin. But if we are repentant, we don’t need to fear that we will be removed from God’s family.    Christians all love the idea of being forgiven. We love to sing of our sins being paid for and know how kind our God has been... Continue Reading