How the Charges Against Paul Frame Luke’s Purpose
With Paul on trial, Christianity is on trial.
Nearly every commentator and overview article highlights a number of major themes that receive exceptional emphasis in Luke’s gospel: the poor, women, Gentiles, outsiders, prayer, the word, and the Holy Spirit. The charges against Paul explain why these themes mattered so much to Luke. Last week, I presented evidence from both Acts and Luke... Continue Reading
What If the Church Today Followed the Message of Ezra?
Ezra was a man who had given himself to the Law of the LORD and was determined to obey the Word, practice the Word, and teach the Word to God’s people.
The church today lacks a full commitment to God’s Word. While the church and her leaders (pastors in local churches) today often talk about marketing, programs, and other ideologies as opposed to the need for true revival. The clear commitment to God’s Word has been abandoned. The principle of sola Scriptura has been replaced with... Continue Reading
Three ways the prosperity gospel has infected our churches.
We withhold our worship because, as far as we’re concerned, we we aren’t feeling it because the Lord hasn’t given us what we demand.
Be honest, how many of your prayers start and end with thoughts about the glory of God? How many of the things you ask the Lord to do are to serve his glory? Now there are things in the everyday life of the believer that, should we ask the Lord for them and should he... Continue Reading
Some Practical Consequences Of Reformed Covenant Theology (1)
The covenant of grace and the church are bound up together.
A covenant theology is a churchly theology. Covenant theology draws the Christian into the church as the Christ-confessing covenant community, where burdens are shared, prayers are offered together, where the Word is preached, and the sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper) are administered. The church is important but she is not the Lord. She is... Continue Reading
Loving Enemies (And Why It Seems Impossible)
Who are your real enemies today, those who drop trouble on you, who bear an angry grudge against you, those who have used their power to lay traps for you?
Loving our enemies. It’s a tall order, a hard saying. There’s nothing easy about it. Let me get this straight, we say, you want me to love the people who hate me, who have set out to harm me, who’ve plotted to bring about my downfall. How am I supposed to love those who discredit... Continue Reading
“The Sacrifice of Praise” by Herman Bavinck
(Translated & Edited by Cameron Clausing and Gregory Parker Jr.)
Bavinck writes with warmth and life. Each page is replete with biblical references. He treats all sides of his topic and goes from baptism and parental instruction, to church confessions, to Christian unity in the faith and Christian duty in the public sphere, and ends with an exultation in the ultimate confession the Church will... Continue Reading
Aspire to Live Quietly
If I’m out of touch with how social media affects my soul, then I’m out of touch with the will of God for my life.
I was asking God, “Why isn’t my book published? Why don’t I have more followers? I’ve been working like crazy for your will and I’ve seen very little reward.” And God answered me through 1 Thessalonians, as if saying, “You’ve been looking for the wrong reward. My will is to sanctify you.” When I... Continue Reading
5 Effects of Being Rooted and Established in Love
This love is not the stuff of intellectual pursuit, but instead of experience.
We are indeed rooted and firmly established in the love of God, for God has not left His love in doubt. No matter what might happen to us or around us circumstantially, God has demonstrated His love for us in that Christ has died. This case is closed. But the love of God is not... Continue Reading
The Work of the Pastor
Staying faithful to our work as pastors.
Still offers practical, solid advice that can only come from someone with much experience in ministry: on expecting opposition, experiencing early fruits, handling problem people, managing expectations, dealing with our own tendencies, and more. I love learning from old, faithful pastors. We’re often drawn to the young and charismatic. I’m learning we need the... Continue Reading
The Danger of Me-Focused Guilt
Satan’s strategy is to attack our egos, taunting us for not sufficiently employing our own wisdom and strength.
Here lies the danger of me-focused guilt. The danger is not just that it’s wrong or dishonoring to God or unbiblical—although those are true. The danger is how it leads us to find the solution to our problem in ourselves, to trust in ourselves, to find hope in what we can do better next time—and... Continue Reading