The Roller Coaster Effect of Ministry
The roller coaster effect is true in a heightened sense for those who are called to parachute plant or plant in an extremely spiritually difficult part of the world, but it is equally true for all ministers of the Gospel who are seeking to carry out a God-honoring ministry of the word.
One of the ways that we prepare ourselves is by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and not on our experiences. We have to guard our hearts from getting too excited about the highs and too discouraged by the lows. I have had some of the highest highs and lowest lows literally occur a day... Continue Reading
Whatever You Do, Do It to the Glory of God
If we think that the God of Scripture has no relation to plastic or political elections, we err and rob God of his glory.
The Bible is sufficient for the purpose God gave it. It is concerned with our redemption. But it is not only concerned with our redemption. It is also concerned with God’s glory and our faith and life. Paul also tells us that what is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). If we study the... Continue Reading
A High School Counselor’s Tips on Parenting Teenagers
Persevere in loving, praying, and trusting that God loves your children even more than you do.
Implement basic counseling principles into your parenting during these years. Ask lots of questions, but also study body language and mood (remember the raging hormones), and realize that sometimes simply your presence and listening ear are all that is required, while at other times you will find golden opportunities for conversation. I have had... Continue Reading
Places Preach
Church architecture affects our view of the gospel.
We seem more concerned with the amenities of our buildings than the God we have gathered to worship. Instead of thinking about the message of our buildings we focus on HD jumbotrons, a bigger parking lot, an organic coffee shop. Your church building preaches a gospel whether you know it or not. It portrays... Continue Reading
9 Glorious Things the Resurrection Means
The resurrection is one of the most astounding, glorious, overwhelming events in history. It. Changed. Everything.
…The resurrection IS true, which means that Jesus is alive, which means that everything he promised will happen. It’s not a myth, fairy tale, or children’s tale. Christ is risen from the dead and is achieving EVERYTHING he said he would. The resurrection baffled everyone. When the disciples came to Jesus’ empty tomb, they... Continue Reading
How Can Justification Make me Joyful?
Jesus Christ’s perfect birth, life, death, and resurrection were mine through faith alone apart from any of my own efforts.
After I was converted there was the inevitable spiritual joy of a newly born child of God. But only a year or so later, I was in despair. When I looked at so much of the sin and hypocrisy that was going on among other believers my age, I wondered if my conversion was real.... Continue Reading
Glorious Traitors
Human beings are neither semi-divine nor demonic, but creatures who have been given a royal dignity as God’s viceroys.
While we know by nature enough to condemn us, we can only be saved by the special revelation that God gives us in the gospel (3:21–31). The story of creation and the fall presents an apologetic basis for explaining both the dignity and depravity of man, and thus why all people are in need of... Continue Reading
Finding Contentment in a Discontented World
Paul claims that “whether living in plenty or in want” he has “learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.”
Whether it’s driving woes, health problems, job tensions, relational troubles, financial issues, our personal appearance, or numerous other circumstances, it is quite easy to become discontented/dissatisfied with the way things are. And discontentment tends to breed a whole host of additional vices: worry, frustration, envy, jealousy, condemnation, control, etc. How different our lives would be... Continue Reading
The ‘More and More’ of Holiness
Holiness is the great goal of Christ’s saving mission.
Holiness matters. And it matters far more than we are willing to admit. We may be quite happy to engage in argument and debate over the meaning of the concept in Scripture, but make little effort to fight the inward battles involved in the pursuit of holiness in our daily lives. Holiness has too... Continue Reading
Ultimate Blame Shifting
We live in a culture of blame, not a culture of admission.
We flail around looking for someone else to blame instead of putting our hands up and saying, “I was wrong”. Presidents, politicians, government officials, police, bankers, clergy, doctors, teachers, pupils, husbands, wives, parents, children—how much clearer the air would be if we could swallow our pride and say it. Instead we double down; we go... Continue Reading