Jesus will not stay where you put him, because he has not left you where you are. The one who would not stay in the tomb will not leave you in yours. Your fear, your sin, and your death are no longer prisons. The risen and living Jesus is a wonderfully inconvenient truth, because he... Continue Reading

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth (Psalm 145:18). Not only does his death and resurrection take care of our biggest problem, sin, but he is also alive and well to answer our prayers when we call on him.   Christian, do not let... Continue Reading

Yes, God has deeper joys for us in this life than food, drink, a dinner or party, but these and other things as part of God’s creation are meant for us to enjoy.   Do you remember the first miracle Christ performed? It wasn’t healing someone sick or calming a stormy sea or feeding a... Continue Reading

Stephen becomes the first martyr of the church, but he does not enter heaven unnoticed. Before the stones finish their work, he sees his welcome—not a distant throne, but a Savior already on His feet. And this is not just Stephen’s story. It reaches into ours.    The Vision That Changes Everything “But he, being... Continue Reading

This command alone should make us pause before concluding that God simply “hated” Esau. If God commanded Israel not to “abhor” an Edomite, what is the difference if we substitute the word “abhor” with “hate”? The words are practically synonymous. The result is that God is commanding Israel not to hate their brother (Edom). If... Continue Reading

We use our Presbyterian polity to establish a process for nominating and electing people to serve the church, which is not an office but appears to be one. Substitute the title deacon for deaconess, substitute ordination for commissioning, and substitute the name diaconate for deacon team (or another name). Is this a distinction without a... Continue Reading

You thought it was going to be capitalism that would save the world through American business, but actually it’s this new spirituality that joins the East and the West, and joins all these different things that God set asunder–in particular, male and female. And this spirituality is involved in a process of mystical trance-like going... Continue Reading

Paul draws a sharp line through humanity, not by sex, culture, class, or race, but by the orientation of the heart. All of human life can be reduced to two ways of being: living in the flesh, or living in the Spirit. Two kinds of people. Two orientations. And which one we live from determines... Continue Reading

A world without war. A world without fear. A world where the broken are made whole. A world where paradise is restored once and for all. This is God’s answer to the problem of sin, suffering, and ultimately death: The world will not always be like this. A new world is coming.     In... Continue Reading

Blood was shed constantly at this mountain, precisely because this is where God’s holiness was most concentrated. Yet at the same time, the psalmists sang about Zion as a city that cannot be shaken, a place of refuge where God defeats his enemies and shelters his people. Judgment and salvation have always met on that... Continue Reading