This is why Christian’s pray the Lord’s Prayer. This is the very prayer that Jesus taught his own disciples to pray. So Christians pray this prayer as a way of learning how to pray and what to pray – as Jesus teaches us to pray. The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer that turns the world upside down. Are you... Continue Reading

Brothers and sisters, Scripture is enough. The Spirit is working marvelously through it to bring dead sinners to new life. Through it he is granting them true faith and through it union with Christ. Through baptism he is marking out his visible church and putting his seal on his elect, which he will sovereignly bring... Continue Reading

That is not what living in Christian faith is all about. My tomorrow and your tomorrows are in the hands of God. We make our requests before Him and we trust our tomorrows to His sovereignty. I’m delighted that my future is not in the hands of the stars or the soothsayers. Rather, my future... Continue Reading

Why would we involve young children, too young to know themselves or to understand what it means to “eat the body and blood of Christ” in such a sacred ritual? Why would we expose them (and the congregation) to potential jeopardy? On reflection most parents and elders would almost certainly see the wisdom of postponing... Continue Reading

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

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

“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

“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

“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

“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