I can only imagine that this question was going through his disciples’ minds when Jesus announced that he was leaving them (John 16:5–6). What advantage would it be to them for the Messiah to leave, when his mission was not yet complete, and to send them as his replacements? How could they be more effective... Continue Reading

“What is the relationship between the Christian and the church?” Increasingly, more people see less of a connection between the two. Sixty percent of Americans who never attend church during the course of a year view themselves as Christians.[1] But a sincere perusal of Scripture shows a much tighter relationship between the Christian and the... Continue Reading

Depending on the season we are in, there might be all kinds of reasons why we could be drawn away from contentment in Jesus. But it seems, ironically, that the greater danger of that happening actually comes during seasons of prosperity. We find far more warnings in the Bible about the dangers of money and... Continue Reading

We cannot separate turning from sin in repentance and coming to Christ in faith. They describe the same person in the same action, but from different perspectives. In one instance (repentance), the person is viewed in relation to sin; in the other (faith), the person is viewed in relation to the Lord Jesus.   When... Continue Reading

As those called to love our neighbors as ourselves and those who have seen this modeled perfectly in the One who was rightly called the “friend of sinners,” we want to have friendships for reasons of offering a blessing to others. We ought to pursue friendships not just for what we can gain from the... Continue Reading

I lie awake in bed overwhelmed by the sting of death and the very darkness seems to suffocate me. Death is a powerful enemy that I am completely powerless to overcome. It can strike at any moment and take away those you care about most, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.... Continue Reading

You may remember geometry class in high school. You were taught “all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares.” A similar relationship exists between forgiveness and trust or reconciliation; “All trust and reconciliation are rooted in forgiveness, but not all forgiveness results in trust and reconciliation.”   From the first reflection to the... Continue Reading

The spirituality of the New Testament is always absolutely defined by the presence of the Spirit of God. It is not a quality latent in humans. It is not something our meditating and travelling neighbor can develop outside of faith in Christ.   Apparently, we live in an age of increasing spirituality.  Magazines and websites... Continue Reading

Should we divide over a church, pastor, or leader who teaches that homosexual behavior is permissible and celebrates same-sex unions? Due to the egregious theological error and the grim penalty associated with it, a believer is justified in parting ways from such a pastor or church. Why? They are giving practicing homosexuals confidence that they... Continue Reading

The instructions for the earthly sanctuary of God were not arbitrary; they reflect and picture the heavenly realities of God’s dwelling place. This implies that the specific details of the tabernacle are not unimportant even for the church today. Since they image spiritual, heavenly realities, they have direct application to our theology of worship and... Continue Reading