Joyfully Lifting Malformed Hands in Worship
"How do we lift our hands to worship the God who sovereignly brings pain into our lives?"
“Please pray that our little son will someday joyfully lift his hands, formed and malformed, in heartfelt worship to the King who in love and mysterious providence saw fit to have him walk this path—even when he can’t know exactly why it had to be so.” There are many reasons I love being a... Continue Reading
Understanding Free Will
Martin Luther struggled greatly with the relationship of God’s sovereignty to human free will and sin.
When Luther discussed this, he observed that when the Bible says that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh, God did not create fresh evil in the heart of an innocent man. Luther said that God didn’t harden people by putting evil in their hearts. All that God must do to harden anyone’s heart is to... Continue Reading
3 Lessons I’ve Learned from the Reformation
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Wittenberg Cathedral door, an act that ignited the most revolutionary movement in the history of Christianity since Pentecost.
National gospel awakenings only come through robust God-glorifying, Christ-exalting, Spirit-filled, prayer-empowered, and gospel-saturated churches. This needed revival awaits a reformation among pastors—one that will provide the church with ministers committed to the mission, message, and means of ministry prayerfully focused on God’s unstoppable Word. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Wittenberg... Continue Reading
Preaching and the Mission of the Trinity
Every divine work reflects God's Triunity. This means that if we want to understand what God is doing in our lives we must begin with who God is.
The gospel is trinitarian because what God does reflects who God is (Eph. 1:3-14). Preaching must reflect the missionary goal of the Father. Do we seek worshipers through preaching sermons and do we seek to worship when hearing them? Preaching must promote dependence on the Spirit to produce sincere worshipers. Do we acknowledge the necessity... Continue Reading
The Ugly Triplet Chain of Fear, Worry, and Anxiety
Without my eyes on the rock of his promises, my thoughts wander. I begin to think of the future and the “what if’s” of our circumstances.
Evil sees its way in, and I begin to hear lies telling me God can’t be trusted—that it’s up to me to figure it out. This is EXACTLY the opposite of what I’m called to in scripture! I’m called to a dependence and obedience I can’t muster up on my own—dependence and obedience I can’t... Continue Reading
How to Be Busy But in Balance
Work is good; too much good can be bad.
My experience is that we can find ways to maximize work, so we can balance it with the priorities of life. From the outside, it looks like I work all the time (and people often ask me how I get so much done). I don’t work all the time— and I have a great team... Continue Reading
Assurance and the Westminster Confession of Faith
Assurance of salvation is one of the most precious fruits of the Reformation.
As believers who truly love Christ and who seek to serve Him, we can be assured of our salvation. The Spirit is our “earnest” or pledge and as such is the promise that we are sealed in Him. We cannot be lost. Our feelings may wax and wane, but the security we have in Christ... Continue Reading
Why Shouldn’t We Trust the Non-Canonical Gospels Attributed to Matthias?
History records at least one ancient text attributed to Matthias, but is this non-biblical text reliable?
The ancient texts attributed to Matthias were written too late in history to have been written by the man we know as Matthias, and like other late non-canonical texts, these errant document were rejected by the leaders in the early Church. In spite of this, the manuscripts we are about to examine still contain small nuggets... Continue Reading
The End of Forgiveness
Sometimes it’s simply about not trying to exact our own justice.
When we speak of “the end” of something, we are sometimes referring to its goal, or purpose. “The chief end of man,” the Westminster Shorter Catechism informs us, “is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” That is the goal and purpose God had in mind when he created us. Likewise, the goal and... Continue Reading
The Eternal Love of God
God didn’t become loving at the time of creation, for He has always been a God of love.
But before creation or redemption, God was. And God, before creation, knew about the fall, and from all eternity, He had a plan of redemption. And that plan of redemption was born of His triune character such that the work of redemption would be carried out by all three members of the Godhead. So, in... Continue Reading