Pastor, God Grows Churches
Can we create growth through the imitation of powerful leaders and growth gurus?
The danger today is that when we make men, strategies and models the centre of church growth we inadvertently begin to think the same thing about ourselves—that we are responsible. This is not merely an unbearable burden but an impossible and crushing expectation. Subtly, I wonder if it is the reason church leaders and pastors... Continue Reading
Pictures of Preachers
Stott’s brief book covering New Testament word-pictures related to pastoral ministry is brief, Biblical, and powerfully and beautifully written.
Any pastor who reads this book somewhat regularly will be equipped to develop their own practice of preaching because the theology presented is so clear and Biblical. Any churchgoer will be helped by a greater understanding of their pastor’s calling and work. John Stott was an English Anglican pastor, whose commentaries and books on... Continue Reading
The Legalist’s Final Rest
Six Reasons to Read Galatians Again
My discovery of the spiritual riches in Galatians came at the end of a long road. For more than a decade, I tried to follow Jesus by “rededicating” my life to him over and over and over again, maybe two hundred times. I was converted at age 10 and was fortunate to grow up in... Continue Reading
The Lamb of God and the Atonement
God is very precise. He is perfect and He has given us His Word, which contains His revelation for His Church.
The Jews were very familiar with the sacrificial system in which a lamb was offered as a blood sacrifice. His reference of the Lord Jesus as God’s Lamb was speaking of His being sacrificed on the Cross to atone for the sins of the world. 29 The next day he *saw Jesus coming to... Continue Reading
What A Wonderful Word – Psalm 19
If the Holy Scriptures are a scalpel to cut, they are also balm to cure, light to lead to Christ, and power to mend the gait till the reader walks right paths.
It is a wonderful thing to delight in the glory of Natural Revelation, and to linger on the sweetness of Special Revelation – however, to know we have gained the intended spiritual benefit from a sermon, reading or mediation on truth, it is vital that we ask ‘Has there been something of this inward, transforming,... Continue Reading
3 Ways to Work Through Grief
In this lifetime grief will always be a reality, but God promises it won’t always be this way.
In the church, Christians have a community to support them as they mourn and grieve. The Bible calls Christians to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). When the body of Christ weeps for one another, the stage is set for genuine Christian encouragement. True Christian encouragement is not an energetic pep talk or a... Continue Reading
Repentance and Salvation
Repentance is necessary for the forgiveness of sins.
To teach that repentance follows justification and pardon is to teach contrary to the language and meaning of Scripture. It is to teach that we can and should expect pardon without repentance because we are pardoned before (logically or temporally) repentance. It is to teach a form of carnal Christianity because impenitent sinners are justified... Continue Reading
When We Want to Give Up Waiting
Don’t settle for what is humanly possible; wait for what only God can do.
What is happening in our waiting? Is it just an empty space between our prayers and their fulfillment? No, in our waiting, God does his deepest work. God is sanctifying us and teaching us to trust him. Sometimes we get what we are waiting for, and we rejoice and are grateful. Other times, we never see... Continue Reading
The Incarnation
The Incarnation is a wonderful miracle of God by which Jesus, truly God and truly man, bridges the gap between God and man.
They say that “God created a new human nature for His Son” that “merely passed…through Mary.” Instead, MLJ states that is a true human, the seed of Abraham and the seed of David: “Now if a special human nature had been created for Him, He would not have been the son of David nor the... Continue Reading
Expository Thoughts: Philippians 1v18-25 – the Best Gospel Minsters Are Those Who Really Want to Be Somewhere Else
Rather than finding our identity in our ministry, and our value in our uselessness to others, we need to ensure that we find our identity in Christ alone.
Paul tells the Philippians that he wants to die but is willing to stay and serve, to enable them to progress in joy and faith (v25). I suspect that this is the opposite attitude to life and ministry of most of us. Paul wanted to die but was willing to stay and serve. I fear... Continue Reading