Scholars place Irenaeus’ birth anywhere from 120 to 140 AD. In 177, eleven years after the martyrdom of Polycarp, Irenaeus went to Gaul and became the Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, which is today Lyons, France. One French church historian, Gregory of Tours, in his History of the French Church tells us that Irenaeus’ preaching... Continue Reading

We don’t even begin to know evil. We are truly innocent of it. And that is what stopped me cold. I am not innocent. I know way too much of the ways of this dark world and the ways of depraved humanity to be innocent of evil. From the shows I watch on TV, to... Continue Reading

The Bible describes Jesus Christ as dying to accomplish every aspect of our salvation. The heavenly choirs praise the Lamb. And in their praise we see the connection between what Christ did—“For you were slain . . . you ransomed people for God”—and what it has accomplished—“you have made them a kingdom and priests to... Continue Reading

Ministry is hard, slow and long-term. Change takes time. To go in guns blazing, mowing down every single person who stands in your way, expecting everyone to instantly jump on board, does not help build the body of Christ’s maturity.4 I know a brother who charged in like this, in light of his biblical ideals. Problem... Continue Reading

This taboo on death is something we impose on our culture, wittingly or not. But the taboo also imposes something on us that we ought to recognize and take seriously. Ignoring our mortality distorts our view of reality, and allows us to live as if death is someone else’s problem.   When I tell people... Continue Reading

The world watches. It watches when we sin—and it watches more closely how we respond to sin. Even though the world may deride our faith and morals, it still expects us to be different. Publicly responding to sin with integrity is a greater testimony to the gospel than is sweeping sin into the dungeons of... Continue Reading

 In 817, Louis the Pious appointed Claudius bishop of Turin, Italy. That’s when he came in contact with Italian idolatry, which seemed to know no bounds. There was, during his time, a lot of talk about religious images, especially in the Byzantine church, where some emperors banned them and empresses reinstated them. Claudius didn’t spend... Continue Reading

We firmly believe that God is redeeming the eyes all those who believe the glorious gospel but realize many who consider themselves “contenders for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all” have truncated the scope of the gospel message. That is to say, they primarily envision the gospel from a vertical... Continue Reading

Let me be clear: There are few guarantees in preaching. I recently spent all week prepping a sermon that I believe was fundamentally solid. Sunday morning came and I was so excited to preach it to the people I love. But as soon as I got to the front of the room, I experienced a... Continue Reading

Is not preaching the gospel a call to sinners to do the spiritually impossible? When Jesus proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand” (Matt. 4:17), who was His audience? Those who were not yet repentant. So, applying the logic of the syllogism above, how can you ask hardened sinners to repent? Unbelievers... Continue Reading