If I say I believe in God and yet regularly neglect prayer, reading of God’s Word, and worship of God, while also unrepentantly practicing the works of the flesh, I am, in Charnock’s words, “deservedly termed” an atheist.   In Stephen Charnock’s classic work, The Existence and Attributes of God (published 1682), he includes a... Continue Reading

Ministers of the gospel in this age need to be ready and willing to lose their place in polite society to boldly proclaim the whole counsel of God and defend the witness of the church towards the good news of salvation in Christ alone, and the biblical holiness without which no man will see the... Continue Reading

With hundreds of visitors that attended each week, there was no way that Spurgeon could meet with every single one of them. This is why he taught his congregation not merely to visit with one another after the service but to be ready to engage those around them.   When Charles Spurgeon first arrived in... Continue Reading

The foundation of Daniel’s life and ministry was his absolute determination and resolve to serve the God of Israel and remain true to Him, even in the pagan land of Babylon (Dan. 1:8). He displayed moral integrity in the most difficult of situations.   Of all the great characters found on the pages of Holy... Continue Reading

Tough circumstances, continued disappointment, unmet desires, unfulfilled expectations, and unheeded demands work together in some fashion to produce the perfect environment for bitterness.   Have you ever been bitter about something? Are you bitter now? This week I have been studying through the Book of Ruth. In it, if you are one who currently is... Continue Reading

Owen’s career was carried on in tumultuous times and in the midst of much personal trouble, ill-health, grief, and even fear for his life. He achieved much in his lifetime, but Gribben explains that by the end he was surrounded by the scent of failure.   Crawford Gribben is a professor at Queen’s University in... Continue Reading

Salvation is of the Lord from beginning to end. Yes, I must believe. Yes, I must respond. Yes, I must receive Christ. But for me to say “yes” to any of those things, my heart must first be changed by the sovereign, effectual power of God the Holy Spirit.   Soli Deo gloria is the... Continue Reading

We need to be ready for the next false philosophy—in a year, in five years, or in a decade—that will spawn the next cultural revolution. I can’t predict what it will be, but I know it will happen. I also know what we can do to be ready, prevent Christian defectors, and answer the challenge... Continue Reading

Out of all the reasons you would want more time, how many of those reasons involve God? How much of your desire for more time for more productivity involves doing the work of the Lord?   Did you get everything accomplished this past week that you wanted to accomplish? Do you have deadlines and projects... Continue Reading

The Nicene Creed remains significant for us today as both in its means of formulation, and its creedal statements, it empowers us with a humility necessary to know God. That humility is God-like and from God.   The Church is often weak and prone to listen to the culture’s seductive call. We need help to... Continue Reading