Humble Confidence, Not Self-Love
It is only when we are self-forgetful that we can possess the right kind of courageous confidence we need to face the challenges of life.
Paul warns about a forthcoming time of godlessness and argues that its chief characteristic will be that men will be “lovers of self” (2 Tim. 3:2). When one’s center of gravity shifts from God and others to self, it serves as fertilizer for the cultivation of a variety of other sins. One might well ask... Continue Reading
Our Identity Is Not in Their Performance
I just had to be faithful in loving Jesus through loving people and proclaiming truth. I am not in charge of how you respond.
My identity is firmly fixed in Christ and it is not wrapped up in my performance. As Bunyan said so many years before, “my righteousness is in heaven and it’s not dependent upon my good frames or my bad frames”. My standing with the Father is already settled. My record is established. I am in... Continue Reading
Your True Retirement Plan
Remember that you have an inheritance that is coming.
While it has been given to you by grace alone in Christ alone, remember that God is working in you both to will and to do those things that are in a response to His grace. You have a path to walk in this life, it is a path of trust and obedience. Your rest... Continue Reading
Tried with Fire: When Pain is Personal
Peter clearly states that Christians are called to suffer (1 Pet 2:20-21).
I am not much interested in responding to theoretical questions posed by philosophers and theologians (though I am one of them). My concern is with Christ’s lambs who find themselves staggering under the weight of affliction. If God has any purpose in allowing His people to suffer, then I want to find it. If Scripture... Continue Reading
The Mod: Don’t Be Deceived By Experiences
By the Holy Spirit opening our eyes in faith we can see past the temporal and into the spiritual.
Jesus is telling us that the only way to build our life in a way that the storms we experience around us won’t bring the house down is to build the house on the rock of ages himself. Jesus Christ is the truth (Jn. 14:6), and our lives need to be built within sanctifying design... Continue Reading
Money Matters
On judgment day, it won’t matter how much you possessed on earth but Whom you possessed.
Jesus didn’t mince words when He asked, “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25). You can have all this world but still not have the One who holds the world. Building bigger barns and fattening your soul with the comforts of this fleeting... Continue Reading
Three Biblical Signs of Spiritual Immaturity
Like any kind of growth, Christian maturity happens slowly over time.
As we mature in faith, certain perspectives we had about God often do develop, but the spiritually immature are marked by instability. With each new book or blog post they read, they change their views whichever way the wind is blowing. As we grow up in that gospel, the waves and winds of weird doctrines... Continue Reading
The God Who Disturbs Our Consciences
He brings uncomfortable truths back into the light—so that we can find cleansing and redemption.
I was preaching from the story of Joseph in Genesis 42. It might be ancient history, but we were drawing lessons for today—for God still works in similar ways. He often pokes at our consciences, or uses circumstances and trials to bring our guilt before our own eyes. Or sometimes He even uses the unsuspecting... Continue Reading
Cultural and Theological Stockholm Syndrome
With each small compromise we drift further from biblical reasoning.
Cultural and theological Stockholm syndrome is, in biblical terms, “friendship with the world” (Js. 4:4). We must remain vigilant to remain faithful to our redeeming, ransoming, and returning king. Like King David, we must express our love and loyalty for God in the celebration, joy, and privilege of receiving and obeying his word (see Psalm... Continue Reading
Five Reasons Pastors Should Not Allow the Psalms to Be Sung in Church
If you opt for the novelty of singing the Psalms, you are abandoning the proven track-record of modern worship music.
You have worked hard at truncating Christianity into an individual, pietistic, “feel-good” religion. If you allow the Psalms to be sung, you are going to have to recalibrate your theology. Navigating pastoral ministry is tricky business. One of the most challenging aspects may be deciding on the songs to sing every Sunday morning. A... Continue Reading