If we are discouraged about good works, it might be because we think of them mainly as great public achievements for the gospel. But notice how important to Jesus are the small acts of daily kindness, sacrificial ministry, and tender love for those in need. If God is working in you and if you are... Continue Reading

Appreciating your inner-connectedness and the good that is happening in your community reminds you that both believers and unbelievers are human beings made in God’s image. It can help you to endure in ministry by growing in thankfulness for what you have where you live instead of what you don’t have.   All was silent... Continue Reading

Beware of pride and self-reliance. Beware of filtering the Gospel in order to dodge criticism or mockery. Beware of idolatrous revisions to the person and work of Christ. Beware of neglecting the Gospel, of going to your death without it.   John Shelby Spong was a boring liberal who swallowed and regurgitated every possible progressivist... Continue Reading

What was true of Corinth is true of us. We have been enriched in every way. We don’t lack any spiritual gift. But just like them we must learn how to use them for God’s glory and our collective good.   I wonder how you’ve read the word ‘you’ so far in these opening 9... Continue Reading

Once a major asset to American life, the independence of nonprofits is being eroded by politics. Their effectiveness is ebbing. There may be a lesson for the church in that story as well. The Nonprofit Crisis offers valuable insight into what we’re losing as polarized politics takes over our culture.   Nonprofits have a long and storied... Continue Reading

The church does not serve the world by muting the truth. She serves the world by bearing faithful witness to it, patiently, honestly, and without fear. Christ is not an idea to be negotiated. He is Lord. The gospel does not need supplementing, softening, or strategic silence. It saves because it is true.   This... Continue Reading

If there is only one lesson to be learned from the life and ministry of W.S. Plumer, it is from his marriage of sound doctrine with simple brevity of expression for those who want to know the basics of Christian living. This does not mean he was superficial or simplistic but instead capable of teaching... Continue Reading

In Christ, you can live in every blood-bought season of life fully communing with your God, and growing in godliness through intentionally crafted habits, hobbies, and traditions.   All sexual sin pursues a pattern to life that’s contrary to God’s design for seasonal living. Thus, fighting sexual sin involves our submission to God’s ordered seasons... Continue Reading

When we sing the Psalms, we are singing the very words of Christ in His agony (Psalms 22:1–21; 69:1–29; 88) and His ecstasy (Psalms 16:11; 17:15; 22:21–31). Putting His words on our lips means that we are uniting ourselves to Him by faith and identifying ourselves with His sufferings and glories.   Introduction “The 150... Continue Reading

When God supplies ordinary means for preserving life, building strength, and sustaining vigor, and we consistently reject them, we participate in a slow, cumulative form of self-destruction that accrues over years and decades and eventually bears the full weight of death.   You shall not murder. Exodus 20:13 When most people consider the Sixth Commandment,... Continue Reading