Most Growth Will Be Slow Growth
God renews us not at once, but “day by day.”
We need to give ourselves to what Horatius Bonar calls “daily littles.” He writes, “The Christian life is a great thing, one of the greatest things on earth. Made up of daily littles, it is yet in itself not a little thing, but in so far as it is truly lived…is noble throughout” (God’s Way... Continue Reading
What About Those Who Reject the Christian Sexual Ethic?
Those who claim the title of Christian, yet reject Christ’s sexual ethic cannot claim to have submitted to the Lordship of Christ.
By holding fast to Christ’s sexual ethic we are actually serving as loving witnesses to the truth in a depraved world. Paul ends his list of prohibitions in 1 Corinthians 6 by saying, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord... Continue Reading
What Is the Bible, Anyway?
The Bible is a lamp that guides us through and out of this world.
The Bible is solid food that strengthens the mature. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food…” (Hebrews 5:12) We Christians spend a lot of time reading the Bible, hearing it... Continue Reading
The Church as Incubator
The church is God’s incubator for making disciples.
If the church is an incubator for spiritual growth and development that means it is incumbent on those who lead to ensure that the church is functioning according to Christ’s design. The light of Christ must shine with clarity of God’s truth and warmth of His love. The atmosphere must be oxygenated with prayer in... Continue Reading
Integrity in Christian Leadership
Even with solidly conservative theology, we sadly often find moral compromise in our ranks.
As leaders, we will often face situations that reveal what is in our hearts. When we are pricked, our people will see our hearts, and they need to see us bleed integrity—either true holy character or humble repentance. If there is one thing that the Protestant evangelical world needs right now, it’s men and women... Continue Reading
Please Don’t Say These Six Things at My Funeral
I want the beginning of my funeral to be focused on Jesus, as well as the middle, as well as the end, as well as every point in between.
Because I do care now, and will care even after I’m with the Lord, here are some things I hope and pray are not said at my funeral. I care about those who will be there, about what they will hear. I want the truth to be spoken, the truth about sin, the truth about... Continue Reading
Three Principles on Wisdom
Wisdom, like anything good gift, is only useful when it is not seen as ultimate.
Knowing the will of God comes through wisdom. It is for this reason that choosing to live a life based on godly wisdom has more impact than merely what is seen. The believer is to walk in wisdom because the days are evil. In this modern age, it is easy for a person to be... Continue Reading
Satan is Attacking Ephesians 5:33
Are churches prioritizing the defense of the Christian marriage?
Satan must destroy the marriage relationship to achieve his goal of denying God by preventing his children from glorifying Him. So doing, Satan has created two echo chambers to promote his deceptions: a social echo chamber that deceives women into believing that all men are toxic – the Feminist Movement being his minion, and a... Continue Reading
Arminius: A New Look (Part 4)
In his sermons on Romans 9, he rejected the standard Reformed uses of this text to support unconditional election.
Arminius’ approach is not explicitly to attack or reject Calvin’s doctrine of unconditional predestination. Rather, he simply argues that Romans 9 does not support that doctrine, as Arminius says at the end of the analysis, “And thus I think I have shown that this passage of the Apostle does not serve to confirm that opinion which many suppose... Continue Reading
Don’t Assume Scripture’s View of Gender
Gender will become a wedge between this generation and the Word.
It would be easy to assume that this conversation is only important to those who find themselves or loved ones wrestling with gender-dysphoria. That is just not the case. The conversation surrounding gender effects more than just those who find themselves identifying as a different gender. In our cities, schools, churches, and homes there... Continue Reading