For believers, over time, our belief systems and thought patterns are conformed more and more to God’s Word. Triggers will lose their power to tempt us towards sin and self as God’s Word becomes more real to us.   “What are you thinking?” We ask this of each other often, don’t we? When our minds... Continue Reading

Transcendence, for the Christian, is more than a life of eternal consciousness. It is a visceral, bodily eternity, where men and women live in a glorified earth with glorified bodies (Rev. 21). Whereas transhumanism dreams of a disembodied, mechanical immortality for humanity, we Christians—trusting in the sure promises and work of our Lord Jesus Christ—look... Continue Reading

Donald Macleod’s beautiful new book, Therefore the Truth I Speak, is an engaging look at Scottish theology that mines the past and brings it into the present. Part church history, part historical theology, this book introduces some fascinating figures and events.   Biographical Sketch of the Author Donald Macleod was Principal of the Free Church of... Continue Reading

Shouldn’t we believe that God treasures what we do, however feeble, however immature, however bungled and blundered it is? For though what we do is most certainly not faultless, it is any father’s joy to count his children as blameless.   A devotional writer from a bygone era believed it was crucial to carefully distinguish... Continue Reading

The filmmakers insist 1946 is “not an attack on Christianity or the Bible” but rather “a quest to discover biblical truth and honor God’s Word.” However well-intentioned the film might be, its ultimate claim does not stand up to linguistic and historical critique.   “What if the word ‘homosexual’ was never meant to be in the Bible?”... Continue Reading

Do ministries suffer from the innovator’s dilemma? Yes, they do. It is hard for us in leadership to see it, though, because often we are living inside the system that is suffering from it.    A problem we face as leaders is that the original mission is almost always overtaken by the way that mission... Continue Reading

Matthes argues for the power of the pulpit—or what she labels “sermonic influence” on political and cultural life. Such an influence, she demonstrates, has proven especially notable during times of national crisis: it is here that Protestant sermons have resonated with the greatest force.   In her new book, When Sorrow Comes: The Power of Sermons... Continue Reading

In Psalm 13, we hear the voice of Jesus Christ speaking prophetically about His own suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection. He has plumbed the depths of human suffering. He has walked through your valley of the shadow. He has faced and fought your enemy the devil, and He has won that war for you.   The... Continue Reading

Indeed, when a Christian’s best testimony to his neighbors is found in waiting patiently for governing officials to permit churches to gather again, thus denying Christ’s command to gather, we have a new instance of Corban—replacing the law of God with human traditions. In January, a few members of our church put on our masks,... Continue Reading

Whatever our cooperative situation with other believers—be it church membership, ministry, the workplace, the family—let’s strive to more often view others through the lenses of sovereign gifts that might at some point save the day.   We recently had a mini team retreat where we looked into the spiritual gifting and personality wiring of the... Continue Reading