Moments like this do more than stir debate. They reveal what we love, what we fear, and what we trust. If the reaction to a clear testimony of repentance and faith is scorn, then the issue is not merely cultural drift or poor judgment. It is that we do not believe the gospel as much... Continue Reading

What will you see, and feel, when you look into the fire of His eyes? What a fearsome wonder that will be. What a horror for an unshielded sinner. And what a purifying, exhilarating, unnerving, satisfying thrill for those who love Him, worship Him, and know themselves rescued by Him.   I turned to see... Continue Reading

The Westminster Assembly began the debate with Matthew 16:19 and the power of the keys, but they “quickly realized that there was no settled reformed position regarding to whom church power passed after Peter—whether it was visible saints, elders, presbyteries, synods, national assemblies etc.” (242–243).   A review of The Crisis of British Protestantism: Church... Continue Reading

Just because God is faithful to bring about good outcomes from evil actions, that doesn’t mean our evil desires and sinful actions are somehow justified. Sin is sin no matter what may result from it. All sin is treason against the sovereign Lord of the universe and worthy of death.   Read: Romans 3:1-8 Devotion There... Continue Reading

Perspective is not pretending life is easy. It is remembering God is good even when life is hard. It is choosing to believe that God’s character is more reliable than our emotions and that His promises are more trustworthy than our perceptions.   Introduction: When Circumstances Try to Define You One of the greatest struggles... Continue Reading

As the pastor, or any person for that matter, you need to be in constant prayer to ask Christ to give you boldness and confidence to ignore inane or baseless complaints on the one hand, and to have humility to accept valid criticism with grace and charity on the other. Pray therefore, that Christ would... Continue Reading

We can follow biblical rules of confrontation primarily with fellow Christians, as we share the same common ground. We can also strive to apply them in principle with non-Christians when we have offended someone or when someone has offended us.   Jesus gives a couple of rules to follow when trouble happens in our personal... Continue Reading

Christians should rejoice when God brings a sexually immoral sinner from death to new life. They should encourage and build up such people in the church, and they should never blanketly bar another person from entering into relationships with them.   Recently, there was a something of a dust-up in Christian circles on the social... Continue Reading

As pastors, we labor week in and week out to get people to take their sin more seriously, to see what they don’t want to see. The scrupulous see it all too well, and then some. But that’s all they see. And yet, as Richard Sibbes so famously put it, “There is more grace in... Continue Reading

We are the Church; we are not a business. Our unity is found in Christ and under the authority of His Word. We seek the wisdom of the church of all times and ages. Various pastors and ministries are able to assist in that, but no one pastor will be able to do that in... Continue Reading