An Open Letter to the Lonely Pastor
The pastor loves caring for his flock, and he loves his family, but he feels so alone.
You mentioned how the Lord has blessed your ministry; now share some of these blessings with your wife so she can rejoice with you. Tell her about the discoveries you’ve made in your devotional reading of the Word. Share your excitement about the sermon outline of a difficult passage you landed on—how it finally came... Continue Reading
Is Your Christianity Merely a Means to a Social Justice End?
We don’t want to mold Christianity into our own making by using it “as a means to anything—even to social justice.”
We shouldn’t confuse [social justice], though, with the central mission of Jesus, which was to preach the truth (Mark 1:38) and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10) by becoming a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28). Sure, he healed the sick and performed many miraculous signs, but these were also intended to authenticate his main... Continue Reading
When Unanimity is the Enemy of Unity
Where in the greater matters unity is protected by unanimity, in lesser matters unity may be damaged by unanimity.
As a local church carries out its ministry, as it attempts to serve broken and messy people with all their complexities, as it attempts to navigate life in a hostile culture, it will inevitably be faced with areas in which leaders and members disagree among themselves. There will be different instincts, different impulses, different feelings,... Continue Reading
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn – Applications for Lacrimations
Brief thoughts about how to read and use the often-neglected book of Lamentations with pastoral profit.
Confess how little we engage in godly lamentation; pray that God would use this means of grace to mourn with Jesus’ own Spirit-filled, tearful, heart. Blessed are those that mourn – the LORD has comforted Zion. Introduction How valuable this book is – in this world of tears it is a veritable treasure trove: there... Continue Reading
Worship and Gender
God intends natural gender distinctions to be visible and obvious in the worshiping assembly.
The Word teaches that gender distinctions are important to our Creator, and especially so in public worship of the church.[3] What reader of the Bible is actually surprised by this? We are told that God made man in His own image, male and female, placed them in a Garden and befriended them. With multi-faceted beauty and giftedness, they... Continue Reading
Joshua Janavel and the Plight of the Waldensians
These details included reminders to stay repentant and prayerful, to always begin by humbly taking their requests to the governing authorities, and to take arms only when absolutely necessary.
In 1685, with the Edict of Fontainebleau, the French government placed new restrictions on the Huguenots, and the new duke of Savoy, Victor Amadeus II, decided to follow suit. He banned Waldensian pastors, forbade their public worship and forced parents to give their children a Roman Catholic baptism. When the Waldensians rebelled, many were again... Continue Reading
Stress in the Body
Take your eyes off the waves of dissatisfaction, look to Jesus, and go out of your way to love one another.
It is easy for a group of believers to experience stability for so long that their eyes begin to look more to the body’s health and benefits than their Savior. When the manifestation of stress begins to show in the congregation, we begin to realize, even as a church, we all still have a chronic... Continue Reading
How the Pandemic Will Change Evangelism for Good
This COVID-19 period is a golden opportunity, partly because culture has changed. We must all hear and heed afresh the rebuke of Jesus, “Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (Luke 12:56).
The silver lining of COVID-19 is it gives church leadership a chance to change its entire thinking on what its members must do to reach this world. Because the world is now even more suspect to the invasion of their space, we will have to learn how to get beside others in a way that... Continue Reading
Stumbling Over Stereotypes
Let’s change the stereotypes and become known as a church who loves our neighbor enough to tell them the truth about how to find eternal peace with the One who created them!
I don’t care what color or creed or faith background they come from. I am seeking to share the good news of the gospel with a person made in the image of God so that they might be reconciled to their Creator; and when a person understands that, false stereotypes quickly fall by the wayside. What... Continue Reading
Seeking the Lost
How much more joyous it should be to us when a lost sinner, made in the image of God, returns to his Maker and Redeemer!
Do we have the faith, encouraged by Luke 15, that lost people, pictured as straying sheep, misplaced coins, and wandering sons, will eventually return to their rightful place? Do we anticipate rejoicing wholeheartedly when what is lost is found by Christ? A few weeks ago, we returned home after a wonderful family vacation... Continue Reading
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