Christians are not passive participants in this world. Instead, God has called us to push His message of reconciliation forward and against the opposing spiritual forces so that the world may know the love of Christ and that the symphony of nations would glorify God. In other words, the flock is perhaps most protected when... Continue Reading

It is Jesus who enables us to approach the Father even in the first place. It is purely through the grace of God in Christ that we find ourselves placed before the Father, but it is not as if the Lord saves us by grace and then changes the rules of engagement. When we sin... Continue Reading

Our trials should make us better, not worse. They should strengthen our character, not diminish it. They should grow our virtues, and amplify our Godward desires, and more prominently display the fruit of the Spirit. We may emerge from them with broken bodies and broken hearts, but should never emerge from them with broken vows,... Continue Reading

But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand. Here is certainly a warning for we who do not yet live in a time of tribulation to make ourselves ready for if they should befall us. Now, by making ourselves ready, I do not mean doomsday prepping. I mean preparing as Daniel and his friends prepared for... Continue Reading

Paul teaches his readers to understand the Lord’s Supper as a spiritual eating and drinking that, like baptism, physically symbolizes and mediates a spiritual reality. Through the meal, we remember that by faith we receive what Jesus has done for us, and in faith we proclaim that reality to others. Receive and proclaim what? What... Continue Reading

Samson’s hair grew again. He enjoyed communion with the Lord again. He could pray to God again—and his prayer was heard and answered. Samson was used by the Lord again. This obviously doesn’t mean that every man who falls into sexual sin would be restored to the same area of usefulness in which they previously... Continue Reading

Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan doesn’t forgive debt—it simply redistributes and transfers the debt to unwilling citizens. That makes it unjust. It’s unjust to force others to pay for a debt that isn’t their own. It’s therefore troubling that some Christians are comparing Biden’s student loan “forgiveness” plan with God’s forgiveness of sin.   Christians who... Continue Reading

Cancel culture also shows how difficult it is to separate sin from sinners. In our current climate, sinners seem irredeemable—even if a sin occurred a long time ago, or in a different social environment, or seems minor (I recently heard of a cover band banning Van Morrison songs because of his views on COVID). Apologies... Continue Reading

Depression tempts us to curve inward rather than reaching out to God. We easily succumb to this temptation because, after all, it is the ordinary human condition is to curve in on ourselves. In my experience, during the later stages of my depression, I became tired of calling out to God and soon became skeptical... Continue Reading

What does that make death for the saved person? Death is 100% not your enemy. There is no fear in death. When you die, you simply pass from this life to the next. As Dr. Bob Smith used to teach: Death is a door from here on earth to God’s presence in heaven.    This... Continue Reading