A church that loves their pastors will enable their leaders to serve them with joy which is far better for the life of the pastor, his family, and the entire church as a whole. Not only has the church honored me well, but they have loved me and befriended me. My closest relationships are within... Continue Reading

Jesus emphasizes three characteristics of the fruit associated with life in Him. One, it is authentic. It organically proceeds from union with Him. It is not of our own stark effort, yielding artificial fruit that looks real but is not. Two, it is abundant. Jesus says, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear... Continue Reading

The Word sums up all things that belong to him, in himself, being the eschatological human, the new Adam. Why might he do this? Well, because is good. But also because he foresaw human sin. So that which he created, he saves. He liberates them from the enemy, Satan and Death. But at the heart, he—in himself—unites... Continue Reading

Consider the Apostle Paul and how he appealed to his burden to take the gospel to Spain. After preaching the gospel from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum,[5] Paul claimed, ‘I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ’ (Rom. 15:19). Paul apparently interpreted his ministry of sowing gospel seeds and planting gospel churches... Continue Reading

The essential truths of the Scriptures are plain, but we often treat the Bible as a grade school grammar book. We give it ten minutes of our attention and try to harvest a lesson for the day. If this book really is God’s word, and if we really have an invitation to the depths of God’s... Continue Reading

What a desolation was wrought in Eden! Would that only our ligaments were twisted and torn, and not the very fabric of our being! Man, by nature, is now detached, defiled, and dead in trespasses and sins. And unless the Lord lifts up his feet and runs to him, he will stay that way. But thanks... Continue Reading

When someone strikes us, we may want to strike back, but when we patiently endure, we convey an astonishing message by our actions. We have hope that the world does not know. We expect to win in the end because God has promised to save us. We have an inheritance that we cannot lose. This... Continue Reading

What about the pastor’s preaching? Should it be funny? Is the pastor to be looking for the ultra-relevant sermon style in order to connect with his modern audience? Is it his job to entertain people—causing them to leave feeling good each week as they have been presented with a helpful moralistic speech filled with relevant... Continue Reading

Government authority exists for our benefit by maintaining order in society, punishing evil doers and protecting the innocent (in recent weeks, numerous state governors and city mayors in America have abnegated their responsibilities in this area, allowing evil doers to literally run riot, without consequence).  We follow the law not simply because we don’t want... Continue Reading

Since Christians believe we live in an ordered universe that was designed and created by an Intelligent Being, it only follows that we should examine all of life for meaning. The Examined Life, however, is not popular amongst many modern Christians.    “The unexamined life is not worth living”, said Socrates. Socrates was teaching the need... Continue Reading