“What are the ways men get identity wrong? Perhaps you construct a self by the roles and accomplishments listed on your résumé. You might identify yourself by your lineage or ethnicity, by your job history or the schools you attended, by your marital status or parental role.”   Who are you? What gives a man... Continue Reading

“Faith changes the sinner’s mind concerning the Word of God. Once the things of God and his Word seemed dull and foolish, but now these same Scriptures compel the soul as wisdom from the all-wise God. The once seemingly empty message of a crucified Carpenter from Nazareth becomes the life-transforming hope in the heart of... Continue Reading

“During the course of his 57-year career, Kuyper started two newspapers, founded an influential political party, helped create a new denomination, started a university, was elected as his nation’s prime minister, and authored numerous important books.”   Have you ever heard of a theologian being so well-known that his birthday was a national holiday? The... Continue Reading

“How can one explain this phenomenon? I think that one reason why the charismatic movement in Africa has been like a wild bushfire is because it has not challenged the African religious worldview but has instead adopted it. It has simply baptised it with Bible verses and Christian words that previously meant something totally different.”... Continue Reading

“The whole Old Testament is a story of Israel’s apostasy. In the New Testament, we have individual apostates such as Judas and Demas. Some in Corinth denied the resurrection, and some in Galatia went back to the law as a way of salvation.”   What would you say to a church where two of its... Continue Reading

“The seminary’s role in this act of entrusting is to deepen the student’s engagement of God’s word and his ability to articulate it in the contemporary vernacular. Rigorous theological study and research can seem superfluously cerebral if it is not directed toward a profound encounter of the character of God.”   Sometime over the last... Continue Reading

All three preachers refuse to begin their sermons with cute anecdotes or even any sense of “hook”: they all begin their sermons simply by examining the exegetical context of their passage. They give historical, grammatical and literary background to the text. There’s no promise of practical help, no catchy story, no curious questions raised. They... Continue Reading

“I eventually gave up trying to get things done. Midway through the afternoon I finally came to a point of surrender. I surrendered my plans for the day, admitted my weakness, and the how my simplest plans are beyond my ability.”   I woke up Monday with a million things to do. Midway through the... Continue Reading

We see clearly that our walking in the light isn’t perfect—not even close. We will never reach perfection on this earth. That’s why repentance is such a beautiful gift from our God. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1... Continue Reading

Timothy himself was dealing with being ashamed of Paul’s sufferings. Onesiphorus on the other hand pursued Paul, searching for him, and then when he found him he refreshed him. What is this if it is not a remarkable work of grace?   Ministry in the life of the church is both a blessing and a heartache.... Continue Reading