The Best Preacher in the World
Every church needs two preachers: A human preacher and the divine Holy Spirit
When the disciples heard that Jesus was leaving them, they were discouraged. They felt weak and impoverished. But Jesus told them that, on the contrary, they are about to be enriched and strengthened by the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. What an encouragement to pastors when facing desperately difficult and even impossible situations. We... Continue Reading
Wisdom from Above
Jesus is the Wisdom of God in human flesh, the truth.
It stretches our minds. We will never comprehend it. We’re at the edge of the precipice of all knowledge and experience. We can only bow in worship. “We worship you, Almighty God. We thank you for your Wisdom from on high breaking into our world.” During Jesus’ earthly ministry many asked, “Where did He get... Continue Reading
Why Study Theology: The Blessed Truth of Being Theologically Organized
To assist us in reasoning and speaking theology we organize it
“When people come to me with questions about what the Bible teaches they almost always ask about a subject, and I defer to referencing its superb handling in the Westminster Standards. The response is always a smile that seems to say, ‘Eureka!’ How blessed we are with such a resource that answers the common questions... Continue Reading
The Significance of God Taking on Flesh
Let’s look at three consequences of seeing the body as gift and intimately connected to our destiny
“At the heart of the biblical vision of the incarnation is that the time, place, family, and particular body that Jesus inhabited were not a random accident but designed for the sake of his specific destiny. Jesus knew that everything about his earthly life, including the body he inhabited, was to fulfill God’s intended purpose.”... Continue Reading
Why It Was Not Good for Man to Be Alone
My wife was given to me to help me be more like Jesus and to better represent Him
“The fundamental reason why it was not good for Adam to be alone was not because of a need to fulfilled within Adam, but rather because of a deficiency in his ability to accurately image God. He couldn’t make the invisible kingdom visible while he was alone because the invisible kingdom is a community. Adam... Continue Reading
Is Jesus Really the Answer?
Some time ago I ended up meeting with someone who was in very dark circumstances
“Trusting that God’s word works, that this is part of how the word of Christ dwells richly in our lives and that over time it will produce deep roots, stability, life and growth — for those in crisis and for those who are not.” Some time ago I ended up meeting with someone who... Continue Reading
A Calvinist Evangelist?
The fact of the matter is that Calvinism is not inconsistent with evangelism; it is only inconsistent with certain evangelistic methods.
Calvinism is inconsistent, for example, with the emotionally manipulative methods created by revivalists such as Charles Finney. But these manipulative methods are themselves inconsistent with Scripture, so it is no fault to reject them. In order for evangelism to be pleasing to God, it must be consistent with the whole system of biblical teaching. But... Continue Reading
Comfort Is a Deadly Compass
Everyone’s internal compass is broken. We all need spiritual guidance.
When given choices we often tend towards that which is going to be the most comfortable and most personally rewarding. But what if our compass is defective? What if the right sense of direction would tell us to do the hard thing that requires humility? I believe that personal comfort is a deadly compass. ... Continue Reading
Why Study Theology: Good & Necessary Consequence
No preaching or theological work can be done well unless the church is willing to deduce from Scripture good and necessary consequences.
How Christians are to think about and interact with issues such as the transgender movement, the rise of social media, new science, or whatever, a thorough grounding in the truths of Scripture, truths which are expressly set down in its explicit teaching as well as derived from necessary consequences, will help us live wisely to... Continue Reading
The Elusive Balance of Grace & Truth in Gospel Ministry
Christians often view situations with an eye upon divine grace or divine truth—God’s love or God’s law—without seeing how these elements fit together.
God, in his grace, doesn’t leave us stuck between two faucets. The Holy Spirit pours forth a mixture of grace and truth in a single stream, one that we receive and then channel into the dry and weary world in which we live. It is the greatest privilege imaginable to be used of God in this way,... Continue Reading