When some of Jesus’ disciples decided to stop following Him, Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” (John 6:66-67). Peter replied: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of... Continue Reading

She spent the rest of her life in Los Angeles, ministering to the Chinese community, writing her autobiography, and sharing her story with the help of translators. One of these translators was Rev. Samuel E. Boyle, a missionary to South China who traveled with Jeanette around California. Once, he asked her if she thought the church... Continue Reading

Parenting, again, is not so much about single actions of teaching, grace, mercy, and provision, but instead about a long, sustained pattern of consistency. That’s where the true power is. It’s true in parenting, just as it is in exercise, in budgeting, even in reading. And it’s also true in discipleship. Gates’ quote rings especially... Continue Reading

If the holiness of God requires that sin shall be punished, if the law of God requires a satisfaction should be rendered its honor, how can its transgressors possibly escape? Sin has imposed a gulf between the thrice holy One and those who have rebelled against Him (Isa. 59:2). Man is utterly incapable of filling... Continue Reading

The OT account of Israel testifies to the inability of the people to keep the obligations of the Sinai covenant. Centuries after their rescue from Egypt, various prophets announce that God will establish a new covenant with his people (e.g. Isa. 54:10; 55:3; 61:8; Jer. 31:31–34; 32:40; Ezek. 34:25; 37:26-27). This new covenant is later... Continue Reading

The woman spoke of water. Jesus turned the conversation to living water (4:10). She did not understand right away, but He persisted in steering the conversation to dealing with her sin and what she thought of Himself as the Messiah. While we don’t want to rudely force an unwanted conversation onto someone, it may be... Continue Reading

The church is God’s plan for his people. We are called the body of Christ and the body has a functionality that is greatly disrupted by disconnect. It’s extremely important for leaders to listen, pray, and use the necessary technological tools that will enable the local church to remain connected, serving, worshipping, and caring for... Continue Reading

The Psalms are not merely God’s Word to us, they are God’s Word to God, God’s Word about God, God praising God. And that is why they are a reliable guide for our praise of God. “God has praised himself” in the Psalms, Augustine tells us, in order that “men and women [might] know how... Continue Reading

Too often Christians are inclined to regard salvation as private and personal; but its scope is infinitely greater. God’s ‘purpose in Christ’ when ‘the times have reached their fulfilment’ is ‘to bring all things under him’ (1.9-10). For our generation, obsessed as it is with the dream of saving the planet, we would do well... Continue Reading

Maybe we’ll get to laugh at the Great Toilet Paper Run of 2020.  Or maybe shake our heads in twenty years time, still aghast at the Great Coronavirus Plague of 2020.  Time will tell. The cracks in our culture are sitting there, the fear of the unknown, the so many “what ifs” that go around... Continue Reading