We have seen the word “hell” used flippantly and jokingly. But the reason why we shouldn’t speak flippantly or joke about hell is because the biblical authors never do. The biblical authors are crystal clear about hell. It is a real place, where all unbelievers suffer consciously under the wrath of God as a just penalty... Continue Reading

Charles Spurgeon once said that if he wanted to, he could move congregations to tears by telling them sad stories of mothers with sick children or energize them by telling them stories of men and women who accomplished great things. He then went on to say, it would be a waste of time unless they... Continue Reading

For Moses, the fear of the Lord was inseparable from God’s promise that Israel was his treasured possession. His awe, wrapped in love, led to a response. Moses believed the Lord more than his own fears. He lived under the God of great love and great power. “You, O God, are strong, and that you,... Continue Reading

Reminding yourself of the Gospel takes practice. In fact, the Apostle Peter calls on followers of Christ to be diligent as we seek to live for God each day and warns us about forgetting the Gospel (2 Peter 1:2-11). When we forget, we suffer under the consequences of it. We do not produce the kinds... Continue Reading

The English word plague is πληγή (pla-ga’) in Greek. We ought to think of this word in relationship to wounds, stripes, or afflictions as it is often used to describe pain other than an infectious disease. The seven bowls described in Revelation 21 contain within them 7 afflictions, stripes, or wounds. If COVID-19 or a... Continue Reading

He is calling out to you today, “Come unto Me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will take you in and receive you unto Myself. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest for your souls. For... Continue Reading

I’m not responsible for the “deconversion” of anyone else. That’s entirely between that person and his or her Creator. However, in another sense, I am responsible, particularly for the brothers and sisters in my local church. I am accountable to them. I am obligated to intentionally find ways to give them reasons to love God,... Continue Reading

In a real sense, our government is exactly what we want it to be, or it wouldn’t be there. Change in culture doesn’t always come from the top down. It often comes from the bottom up. The change we need to work for, chiefly, is renewal within the church. As the church becomes the fellowship... Continue Reading

The significant exodus from Protestant Evangelicalism to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy in the last few decades is at least partly due to aesthetics: the perceived barrenness of beauty in the average Evangelical or low-church. If beauty exists, and if the human being is made in God’s image, a dearth of beauty must produce both a... Continue Reading

Without the power of the Holy Spirit, we are powerless to conquer sin in a way that honors God. Our ability to fight sin and do good works is a gift, for, as Augustine loved to quote, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Every temptation resisted, every thought captured, every... Continue Reading