Paul anticipated being personally refreshed by the church in Rome with the people he knew and loved (Romans 15:32). Maintaining personal relationships takes time. Email communications, letters, phone or video calls, coordinating hospitality, and being flexible all take our attention and energy. Relationships must also be maintained if they are to be refreshing. The body... Continue Reading

None of the beatitudes are natural tendencies. They do not exist in the heart of the natural man, nor are they even possible in people who have not been born again. Part of this misunderstanding stems from not understanding the Beatitudes themselves. They may assume that poverty of spirit means to sympathize with the poor... Continue Reading

How quickly I forget that I’m a sojourner. I am tempted to build my own personal kingdom filled with fortresses of comfort and towers of self-glorification. It’s no wonder the Apostle John told Christians that everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—come not from the... Continue Reading

An indentured servant, together with his family, was to be set free in the seventh year (Exodus 21:2–4). This was meant to remind Israel of what God had done in setting them free from their bondage in Egypt. That, in turn, serves as an Old Testament picture of the redemption that sinners experience through the... Continue Reading

With the Gospel as our basis for unity established, Paul turns his attention and ours to an expansion of how such unity is exhibited—likemindedness, or as the ESV translates it—“of the same mind.” Likemindedness is very important to Paul, he mentions it 10 times in Philippians. It literally means “to love the same things.” What... Continue Reading

Yes, ministry is important. Yes, you have been called to study, preach, and shepherd. And yet, before any of that can even be done, our Savior is calling you to love your wife and son. To serve them, guide them, model for them the great power of the gospel in your own life.   This... Continue Reading

 Jesus understood the OT to be the Word of God written, and he saw it as pointing to him. His view of the OT became the view of the writers of the NT. It seems to follow that Christian interpreters ought to follow the lead of Jesus and the authors of the NT.    Our... Continue Reading

For all the talk of “cultural transformation” and “redeeming the culture” and “taking back America” what Dias found is a cultural and religious minority practicing nothing less than Realpolitik, which the Oxford Dictionary of English defines as “a system of politics or principles based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations.” This means that for all the... Continue Reading

Here is the supreme irony and tragedy of sin: the more we repeat our sins, the greater the guilt we incur, but the less sensitive we become to the pangs of guilt in our consciences. Paul says that people store up wrath for themselves on the day of wrath (Rom. 2:5). That’s objective guilt—they are... Continue Reading

Brothers and sisters, let us be those who fear God and walk in the comfort of the Holy Spirit as we make much of King Jesus in these days. Consider your heart and ask yourself if your interactions, social media posts, and inward dialogues reflect a deep trembling before God and deep comfort in the... Continue Reading