The Essential Mark of Christian Hospitality
A selfless love of neighbor is required of God’s Church.
At the heart of Christian love for one another is frequent hospitality. Consider the life of the early church as described in Acts 2:42-47. They were frequently in one another’s homes breaking bread together and engaging in Christian fellowship. Does this look like your lifestyle? Does this describe the life of your local church? ... Continue Reading
Satan’s Strategy #2: Sin That Seems Virtuous
A sanctified mind is one of our best defenses against temptation.
Sadly, sin corrupts our minds so that we make ingenious defenses for sinful conduct (e.g. Eph. 2:3; 4:17, 18; Titus 1:15; 2 Tim. 3:8; Col. 1:21; Rom. 8:6-7). Indeed, we are chillingly adept at putting a virtuous face on sin. Satan encourages this activity; he excites the remnants of sin in us to think about... Continue Reading
Humiliation & Exaltation: Christ’s Session
The seated position of Jesus at the Father’s right hand conveys rich theological truth.
No doubt original readers of the New Testament who knew their Old Testament would have quickly understood the rich background signified by being at a sovereign’s right hand. It was common in the Ancient Near East for rulers to reserve the seat to the right of their throne as a place of honor. The... Continue Reading
From the Books to the People
The end of all our study ought to be more profitable spiritual interaction with those God brings across our path.
We must learn to borrow from the world of books for the benefit of the world of people, while gleaning from the world of people what can only be gained from the living for the benefit of others to whom we minister. Like so many pastors I know, I have long had a love... Continue Reading
What Must Ben Shapiro Do to Be Saved?
Good works won’t work.
Inclusivism is a bad idea because it gives people—like Shapiro—false hope that they can have eternal life without coming to Jesus on His terms. Those who refuse to come to Jesus will not receive life (John 5:40). Jesus explicitly states, “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that... Continue Reading
The Image of God
Three Important Questions
God reveals to us a truth that should shape our entire view of humanity and his creation: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” The God who created the heavens and the earth tells us this: We are made in his image.... Continue Reading
Being Off Our Food is a Sign of Sickness
If we are off our spiritual food, it is a sign that we are spiritually really very unwell.
Those who don’t want to sit under teaching and have no interest in sitting under the Word are off their food. They are exhibiting signs of spiritual sickness. We cannot hope to grow or press on in our faith when we are spiritually malnourished because we keep refusing food. My son has been sick... Continue Reading
Can You Repent If You Were Caught?
Three Signs of Godly Sorrow
Although repentance after the humiliation of uncovered sin may appear contrived, the fact remains that one of God’s patterns in Scripture is to use human agents to expose sin and bring about repentance. The question, then, is not whether true repentance after being caught is possible, but what this true repentance looks like. In... Continue Reading
God’s Extraordinary Work in the Ordinary Family
So often, God does His most extraordinary works through ordinary individuals in ordinary families–and often begins that extraordinary work through them long before they can see the full fruition of it.
The book of Ruth teaches us that what happens on the ordinary family level may have implications for the national and global purposes of God. In dealing with Ruth, God was preparing to put King David over Israel, and King David’s greatest son, Jesus Christ, over the nations. Over the past decade, a barrage... Continue Reading
Satan’s Strategy #1: Bait and Hook
The bait looks attractive because we believe that sin leads to happiness.
Sin’s hook is painful. It injures, damages, enslaves, and sometimes disables. Sin leaves long-term (and occasionally life long) scars. Although God forgives sin, He frequently allows us to live with the consequences of our sins. This is Satan’s most common scheme: He presents the bait and hides the hook. Satan presents sin as fun,... Continue Reading