The Peace of the Cross
The cross is God’s great solution to all of the problems of this fallen world.
Simon Peter, of all the Apostles, should have understood the truth of the reconciliation of Jews and gentiles in Christ because he was the one to whom God had given the vision of the sheet with the clean and unclean animals (Acts 10:9–16; 11:4–17). However, when Peter purposefully separated himself and refused to eat with... Continue Reading
The Nature and Purpose of Corporate Worship: Biblical, Not Unregulated
In our corporate worship services, God has given us the primary way to cultivate daily relationship with him.
If our corporate worship is going to properly form our relationship with God, then we must be sure that the elements of our worship come from the Word of God. And God has given us the elements of worship that he has designed to best build our relationship with him. Paul commands Timothy, in the... Continue Reading
How to Complain to God the Right Way
Yes, we can complain to God. But how we complain to Him is important…
David complained about his context but remembered God’s goodness. In Psalm 142, he is weak and exhausted and isolated. The walls of the cave feel like they are closing in on him as he voices his complaint to the Lord. Yet at the end of the Psalm he affirms that God is his shelter and... Continue Reading
Blessed Are the Weak!
Weakness draws the eye of God, the heart of God, the strength of God.
The heart of a brother, the heart of father, the heart of a friend goes out to those who are afflicted, those who are pitiable, those who have no strength of their own. In this way their weakness is their strength, for it draws the assistance of others. Their weakness is the very quality that... Continue Reading
The Triumph of the Social Scientific Method
The politics of contemporary social science now has an iron grip on what are deemed legitimate perceptions of reality.
In a 1979 article, Alasdair MacIntyre pointed out how social science methodology had become a fundamental tool of power in managerial bureaucracy. Forty years later, it is no longer merely managerial bureaucracy over which it holds sway. The cultural disenfranchising of anyone who wishes to question transgenderism’s assumptions indicates that the same thing is now... Continue Reading
Men Have Forgotten God
The history of man since the fall has been the history of men forgetting God.
When we look around and see men who have forgotten God, what we are looking at is ourselves before God graciously saved us. When we look around and see men who have forgotten God, our response must not be to boast: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men,” men who have... Continue Reading
Context Matters: Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
John wanted his readers to be assured of their salvation.
John tells us why he wrote this epistle, so we can understand how the phrase “perfect love casts out fear” fits with his purpose. “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life”(1 John 5:13). Perhaps you’ve heard... Continue Reading
The Power of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving keeps us looking back to the root of our faith.
When was the last time you sat down and just counted your blessings and gave thanks to God? How vital this is for us! If we are going to keep in a right orientation with God and this world, then we need to be abounding with thanksgiving to offset the trials and tribulations of this... Continue Reading
Alabama Pastor Highlights Challenges of Social Media, “Cancel Culture,” for Ministry Leaders
The controversy has stirred up debate on whether a few clicks of support on social media should warrant such a response.
In response to criticism—and despite a public apology for his actions—the Birmingham Board of Education voted June 9 to no longer allow the church to hold services at two local high schools. The day before, the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD) voted to no longer let church volunteers and clinic workers from the... Continue Reading
Loss and the Christian Life
When we lose our lives for Jesus we find overwhelming victory.
Christian profit has little to do with what I want, what I want to encounter, and what I have done. We are not called to measure our profits by liberty, ease, or achievement. Rather, our profits are found when we lose them for Christ. In the business world, it goes without saying, profits are... Continue Reading