The End of (Secular) Babies
The West is defined by its incredible shrinking families.
Having children, multiple amounts of them, will make your families outliers in the culture. In this late modern age having children—and plenty of them—is an increasingly outrageous, if not to say subversive and scandalous act. Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior... Continue Reading
Taste Spoiled By Sweetness
Aesthetic immaturity is one of the reasons for a discrepancy in taste among people.
Since Scripture describes man’s propensity for self-deception, and his inclination towards self-worship, it is no surprise that sentimental art is popular and that unreflective people consider it their preference. A discussion of taste is one of the most difficult (and unrewarding) ones to have, for most people are unreflective about their likes. “I know... Continue Reading
Rejoice Always
Obedience to this command is not accomplished by an act of the will.
The tribulations of life are inevitable. But they do not have the last word. The crucified and risen Christ is the world conqueror. The Lord Jesus Christ reigns over heaven and earth. This includes all of the blessings and burdens of your private world. Do you know what the shortest verse in the New... Continue Reading
Why the cancellation of Franklin Graham should concern us all.
If we value our right to speak, and if we think free speech matters, we should be bothered about this case.
You may or may not agree with Graham’s politics. You may or may not agree with his religious views and the way he puts them across. But that he should be permitted to voice them was once a universally accepted basic right. But not any longer. One of the difficulties of being a free... Continue Reading
PCA’s Defiant Greg Johnson Scheduled to Speak Revoice 2020 as PCA Splits
No denomination has grown in reach or numbers after embracing “gay Christianity” or gay marriage.
It appears the activists in the Revoice movement are excited that their movement is helping split one of the conservative denominations in America. PCA Pastor Greg Johnson may even be flaunting it. Some Revoice History The idea of “LGBTQ Thriving in Historic Christian Tradition” is the theme of Revoice .The movement began in 2017... Continue Reading
5 Questions Your Listeners Will Have When They Hear You Preach
Your desire should be to be faithful to the passage at all costs, but understanding what goes through the minds of your hearers will help you in that endeavor.
Preachers tend to think about exegesis, appropriately relating the text to Christ, contextualization, and so on. This is all so very important. But most of your listeners don’t look for these elements; instead, they have much more simple and practical things on their minds. As a preacher, your aim is to please God and... Continue Reading
The Gravity of Gravity
A Quick Look at Astronomy and Its Relevance
What was so amazing about Newton anyway? An apple falls, and he’s a genius? Everyone has always known that things fall. As one of my students said about something, “It’s as obvious as gravity.” And yet it was revolutionary? To understand a revolution, you have to understand from what it revolted. Like most of... Continue Reading
Sanctified Minds and Bodies
Culture has increasingly accepted a sexual ethic in which nearly everything goes. Sex between unmarried people, premarital cohabitation, homosexuality, and a host of other practices enjoy societal approval.
Christians are not to be controlled by their sexual desires; rather, we are to practice self-control and abstain from all forbidden sexual activity, whether in thought, word, or deed (1 Thess. 4:4–5). Any professing believer who claims otherwise is in grave spiritual peril. The gospel sets us free from sin to honor God with our... Continue Reading
What is Necessary for a Christian to Believe?
What are the essentials?
The Christian faith has objective content that must be believed. Those propositions are more extensive than many might like to think, but all that content must be appropriated personally by faith or it remains only theoretical. The Spirit works through the proclamation of this gospel, these truths, to produce new life, true faith, and sanctity.... Continue Reading
“Forgive Us Our Debts”: Getting Specific When Confessing Our Sins to God
We have to acknowledge our need of a savior, Christ, which means we are in need of salvation.
I think one of the more difficult parts of prayer is making a serious effort at confessing our sins. In my own personal prayers, I have no problem confessing my sin. I regularly pray, “Lord, please forgive me of my many sins.” Who of us can go but a few moments without sinning? Hence, I... Continue Reading