Forgiving God?
If God deals wrongly with me, God has sinned, and He is no God at all.
I must learn the humility of a creature, that there are many—if not most or all—things beyond my grasp, and that God’s ways and wisdom are not my own. Scripture assures me this King is for me, not against me (Romans 8:31ff), calling me to entrust myself to him amidst the hardest providences. Plans... Continue Reading
Sovereignty and Evangelism
God can give us peace in our hearts as we present the Gospel and trust in the Holy Spirit to do His work.
What a joy it is to believe in a sovereign God. He has not sent us on a fool’s errand. He is faithful. He saves sinners. He uses foolish means to bring people to faith. What a joy it is to serve that type of sovereign King. I recently sat across the table from... Continue Reading
Hey Leaders: Let’s Do Hard (Christian) Things
Real toughness is not about callous bravado, but instead about the ability to navigate difficulty with grace and an unwavering focus on what matters.
The evangelical church over the next thirty years is going to pay the price for paying too much attention to the wrong kind of leadership toughness. It already is. Just read the books that are dealing with the outflow of poor leadership. And it seems to me that at a sophisticated level, there are often... Continue Reading
Where Are You Put?
Whatever our situation, God is in control.
When we are “put” somewhere we don’t like or don’t find comfortable, it can be tempting to ask for a change of location. But what if God wants us in that very place to advance the gospel? I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served... Continue Reading
Oaths in God’s Name—Deuteronomy 6:13
God calls on us to be honest and truthful in our oaths made in His Name.
In the Third Commandment God forbids using his name vainly, but does that include taking an oath in God’s name as is often done in courts of law, entering government service, and in marriage vows? In Scripture God very specifically addresses the matter of using his name in a reverent manner: “You shall not take... Continue Reading
But Johnny Can’t Spell G-A-Y
With large majorities of their students incompetent in English and math, Los Angeles schools are ramping up efforts—for more gay pride and gender indoctrination.
The number of trans-identifying students is rising exponentially, leading to majorities in the student bodies of the most progressive schools. This rise is without any historical precedent. It is proof of social contagion, not of a preexisting biological reality. It has been almost 90 days since Gay Pride month. According to the Los Angeles... Continue Reading
The Great Schism of 1054
There is a unity to the one, true church, and that unity comes only as a result of the gospel.
Jesus prayed for the church on earth to be one (John 17), and those who recite the Nicene Creed affirm a commitment to “the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” Such unity, however, often seems to escape us in practice. You had to see it to believe it. During the pope’s September 2010 visit... Continue Reading
Canonicity, the Old Testament, and the Apocrypha
What is the standard for canonicity?
Bible believers may still benefit from some apocryphal writings as historical or devotional materials. The testimony of Jesus and the apostles as well as the mainstream of church history, however, weighs against their being recognized as Scripture. When Protestants talk about the Bible they mean the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments.... Continue Reading
Judgment Day—Good News, Bad News
Either you are right with God through Christ, and He has taken the judgment you deserved, or you are not right with God, and your judgment awaits.
God will vindicate his people and fight for them. God will fight against his enemies and he will prevail. So everyone faces this coming day of judgment, but depending on who you are and where you stand with your Creator will fully determine how you stand before him as Judge. What do you think... Continue Reading
The Spirit’s Fruit: Joy
Joy is more fully recognized the closer we draw to God through prayer, study of His Word, and contemplation of who He is.
By contemplating the goodness of God, the attributes of God, the acts of God, the promises of God, the Word of God, and especially the gospel of God, we find we can actively begin to increase our sense of joy, and even happiness and contentment, in Christ. Contemplation of the Lord lifts our spirits in... Continue Reading
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