Only genuine belief in the goodness of God and his commitment to his promises will get anyone to say “yes” to a deal that will make our lives harder. Why suffer for the sake of Christ? Because he calls us to do it and we believe he is good and he will work for our... Continue Reading

Every day he breaks and tears down strongholds of rebellion, willfulness, egoism, self-reliance, and hope and comfort in earthly people and things—anything and everything that hinders us from trusting and loving him in our totality.   An old friend of mine has been telling me about her granddaughter, who is only ten years old and... Continue Reading

We live in a world of absolute doubt and uncertainty about a way forward, the reality of truth, and meaning of life. The church, however, responds with hope….Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, for He is God incarnate. Only God can be all of those things.   Years ago, I heard a... Continue Reading

If your defense of engaging in public activities on the Sabbath is it helps me relax and unwind and yet in doing so it means thousands must lose their opportunity to do the same is that really loving your neighbor as yourself?   I’m sure you, like me, have sat through an innumerable number of... Continue Reading

I’ve known preachers to scratch their heads at more “theological” sections of scripture wondering how they’re going to “apply” the text. Show us Jesus, that is application. If people leave seeing and savouring Christ more than they came in, you have achieved very practical application for their lives. Don’t let the need for application rob you... Continue Reading

The fact that we are fallen does not mean that we no longer have the ability to think. We are all prone to error, but we also can learn to reason in an orderly, logical, and cogent fashion. It is my desire to see Christians think with the utmost cogency and clarity. So, as a... Continue Reading

We must tell them our stories—the real ones: both victories and failures, joys and sorrows, and how God taught us through these things. As appropriate, we need to tell them how God taught us when we struggled with sin, faced depression, failed the Lord. They need to hear about the ways God helped us through... Continue Reading

When we stand before the Lord, there is only one to whom we will point for our acceptance before God: Jesus Christ. He fulfilled the law that we could not, paid our debt on the cross, and credits his righteousness to our account. Even when we experience significant sanctification in this life through the work... Continue Reading

A Christian account of beauty is shaped not primarily by envisioning a return to a paradise lost, but rather anticipating a glory yet to appear—a glory or beauty already seen in Jesus Christ but that is being spread about through the Holy Spirit. The beauty we discern now is a preview, given by the Spirit,... Continue Reading

A worldwide church is a clear indicator that the Seed of the woman has crushed the serpent’s head, which should encourage us to pray and persevere in a world that is hostile to Christ and his gospel. Second, Paul told the church in Rome that “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your... Continue Reading