As Jesus stands before Pilate, He declares, “He who delivered Me over to you has the greater sin.” Pilate is guilty, yet Jesus distinguishes degrees of culpability. Pilate sins through cowardice and expedience; the Jewish leaders and Judas sin through betrayal and unbelief. They commit the greater sin because they acted against greater light.   While teaching... Continue Reading

As far back as 2014, Elon Musk warned: ‘With artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon. In all those stories where there’s the guy with the pentagram and the holy water, it’s like – yeah, he’s sure he can control the demon. Doesn’t work out’.    Artificial Intelligence has quickly become mainstream. Some are excited by... Continue Reading

It will at times feel hard and costly to give.  But we can give knowing that joyful giving pleases our heavenly Father; trusting that he will use our time, money and hospitality to bring help to people he has caused us to love; and knowing that God can use all this to show the world... Continue Reading

We experience sturdy joy—the kind that does not rise or fall with our circumstances—when what we want most for ourselves matches what God wants for us. But if what we want is not the thing that God wants most for us, then we are living at cross-purposes with him and struggle to see him as... Continue Reading

God is the judge. He alone knows the heart. The best of Christians falter and fail to live up to ideals of our Savior. But by God’s grace, we should strive to both verbally confess basic Christian doctrines and actively practice fundamental Christian morals. Our beliefs and our behavior ought to be parallel lines.   ... Continue Reading

Some people recoil at the phrase “suffer well,” believing it sounds dismissive or insensitive to real pain. Certainly, we must use this encouragement wisely, carefully, and compassionately. Yet we cannot ignore that James calls believers to exactly this – to suffer well. Not stoically, not independently, and not with a fake smile, but with patient endurance... Continue Reading

Written 700 years before Christ, Isaiah described a divine King who would rule with justice and peace—“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Seven centuries later, the angel’s words to Mary confirmed it: “The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David, and He will reign over Israel forever; His... Continue Reading

During his ministry, men on the street heard him gladly. He spoke in the most down-to-earth ways. His preaching was filled with vivid images from people’s everyday experience: light and fire, birds and barns, pigs and pearls. He talked to people about the coming “kingdom of God”, which would arrive through his death and resurrection,... Continue Reading

I want to remind readers that I am writing a plea, not a charge. I recognize that some PCA churches practice non-ordained commissioned deaconesses in different ways, with some being more extreme than others. My basic plea is that the arguments I have presented outweigh the reasons for maintaining this practice.   This is the sixth article... Continue Reading

Brothers, here is what I know… I am much softer than I like to imagine. My threshold for discomfort is embarrassingly low. BUT, seeing this is itself mercy. God reveals weakness only to strengthen it. We cannot lead our households, churches, or teams if we insist on complaining. We cannot disciple men into strength if... Continue Reading