Many evangelicals—including pastors—see the doctrine as best left alone, forbidden theological fruit, fraught with speculation. It’s just not practical, they argue. It’s a debate for seminary classes with no real bearing on the full-court press of everyday life.   In some churches, it is a word that conjures up images of an angry and capricious... Continue Reading

The term “criteria” gives the impression that someone is standing over canonical books, judging them by some external standard not found in the canonical books themselves. It can imply that there is some neutral investigative starting place where we can use scientific criteria to evaluate books.   If a person asks how we know which books belong... Continue Reading

The imagery of a shepherd was also applied to God Himself (e.g., Hos. 4:16). Throughout redemptive history, it became increasingly evident that God would raise up a shepherd who would faithfully mete out justice, protect His sheep, guard and care for them, bind up their wounds, and lead them into peaceful places.   One of... Continue Reading

But the fall of mankind didn’t begin when the first pair took their first bite. That is, it didn’t begin with a disobedient deed. Rather, it began with an incorrect idea. Specifically, the serpent—the devil—planted false ideas about God in the minds of the original pair.   We are continuing in our series on false ideas about God. You... Continue Reading

These bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. You cannot separate your walk with God from your body. And part of this is really very humbling: but God, it’s a mess in there. And part of this is also really very comforting: He knew it was a mess when He moved in. Which is all... Continue Reading

Sharing “the hope that is within us” goes beyond knowing the bare facts, having great training, using techniques, or employing a variety of tools or tactics. It’s not less than any of that, but there’s a lot more than that to share our faith with others. Here are five things that must happen every time we... Continue Reading

I want to consider a church member’s responsibility to hold elders accountable. The first area concerns what they teach, and the second area involves how they live (and lead). Paul’s exhortation to Timothy comes to mind to frame this up: “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by... Continue Reading

Our ever-blessed, ever-joyful God wants to be proclaimed by those who are brimful of the joy his grace in Christ brings. He calls us to delight in him and, out of that joy, to call others to the feast. Preacher and sermon must be filled with gospel joy. “With joy you will draw water from... Continue Reading

Depression can cloud our view of God, weigh down our spirits, distort reality, and tempt us to question all that we’ve known to be true. Sometimes, our depression is due to circumstances that have pounded us, wave upon wave, until we can no longer hold our heads above the water. Other times, it comes as... Continue Reading

This is a great question—not least because this brother was not awash in pessimism. While working faithfully in a day of small things, he retained confidence that the Lord’s arm is not shortened, such that he could not save. By this time, the pastor in question has a pretty good idea of what godly ministry... Continue Reading