The Spirit arrived with force and clarity. Voices rose at once, shaped by languages that had never passed through these mouths. Praise spilled without instruction. I recognized the sound immediately. My chest tightened. I had heard it before in Jerusalem. My companions heard it too. I watched their faces change as understanding reached them.  ... Continue Reading

It can be easy to keep your prayers at a surface level out of fear of admitting weaknesses or because you’ve practiced covering up in other conversations. Yet God already fully knows you, he’ll never sin against you, and he wants to help you.   One of my closest friends moved across the country. I’ve... Continue Reading

God’s thoughts soar as far above ours as the heavens are above the earth. So “do not lean” on your own way of thinking. “Lean” means “rely”—don’t rely on your mind, strength, righteousness, works. Put your weight totally on God in Christ.   How precious it is to know that the God who created and... Continue Reading

You purify the outside of the cup, but inside you’re full of impurity. You’re blind! You’re lying to yourselves! First purify the inside of the cup, and then you’ll be the right kind of pure on the outside. Outside purity without inside purity is no purity at all. So, what does it mean to be... Continue Reading

His daughter was dead. Had Jesus only responded more quickly. Had Jesus set aside the woman and sensed the urgency that was there, maybe it would have ended differently. Why would Jesus heal this woman and allow his daughter to die? I have struggled with these same questions. I have experienced the disappointment that comes... Continue Reading

Let’s instruct people that the Bible’s promises are not magical, mechanical, or automatic. But let’s also euthanize the false and confusing reflex that communicates that, because proverbs are not mechanical, they are not “promises.” Stating the matter that way has only misled people and created worse problems than those we attempted to solve.   It’s... Continue Reading

Those who seek stability and unity [in the PCA] would do well to set aside their preferences and rely on the plain reading of our standards, without resorting to word games or excessive subtlety. Pushing the practice envelope and engaging in ecclesial disobedience in protest of our agreed polity cannot promote peace; these things can... Continue Reading

It is right to be intentional in how we live. If we don’t think about what we are doing, nothing will ever be different from how it is right now.   It’s that season when many of us think about how next year will be different to this one. Many make some form of New... Continue Reading

This is an opportunity for all of us to examine ourselves. If, as you read this, you recognize moments where your tone has been sharp, your patience thin, or your speech unkind, do not despair. The Christian life is marked not by perfection, but by repentance. Where we have fallen short, we are called not... Continue Reading

Luis correctly points out: “Marxist revolutions in Latin America and elsewhere have never transformed lives for the better. As Rosario’s story illustrates, the only revolution that works occurs every time someone becomes a new creation in Christ. He alone changes lives for good here and now—and for all eternity.”   Throughout Luis Palau’s long, fruitful... Continue Reading