Christians have adopted the word koinonia from the Greek New Testament, where it is translated as fellowship, communion, or partnership. It’s the word behind verses such as Acts 2:45, where the early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship,” and Philippians 1:5, when Paul prays with joy of “partnership in the gospel.”... Continue Reading

“Today, Bergama is made up of an ‘old city’ of narrow, cobbled streets and a more modern city. The locals I interacted with didn’t disappoint as they extended their famous Turkish hospitality. Happy to offer information, one man told me Christians visit the seven churches like Muslims visit Mecca—to earn merit before God.”   The... Continue Reading

Many Christians—I assume with good intentions—take up the cultural warrior sword, a bit like Peter in Gethsemane. When their Christian principles are attacked they respond in kind, drawing their weapon and striking their opponent. I think Jesus just might shut down their reckless emotionalism like he did Peter: “Put your sword into its sheath” (John... Continue Reading

For followers of Jesus who are called to be leaders, here are some observations on the topic of leadership. You may say, “Yeah, well, that was Jesus, for crying out loud! That’s not me.” And sure, we cannot know the depths of people’s hearts or cause a storm to be still at the sound of our voice.... Continue Reading

Paul wants to jolt us out of our natural way of thinking. He wants us to consider the God behind the minister. He wants to point us to true power. He wants to accent the graced-character of gospel ministry and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. In the fourth chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul... Continue Reading

That there is much in the SBC that needs to be changed, is a point beyond dispute to my mind. But the end games for some appear to include everything from the full acceptance of women pastors, partial acceptance of the LBGTQ+ agenda, and reparations by the descendants of slaveholders to the descendants of slaves.... Continue Reading

The American Bible Society, founded 202 years ago to publish, distribute and translate the Bible, presented its “Affirmation of Biblical Community” to employees in December. It requires employees to “refrain from sexual contact outside the marriage covenant,” which it defined as man and wife.   (RNS) — One of the oldest nonprofit organizations dedicated to distributing Bibles around the... Continue Reading

“When Anglicans come together as the global ‘household of God’ in a shared commitment to the unchanging gospel, which for us is set out in the Jerusalem Statement and Declaration, we can help and guide one another in the task of fashioning a faithful witness which is appropriate to our settings without being compromised.”  ... Continue Reading

The church, then, consists of those whom the Lord has called out of the world into union and fellowship with Christ and into communion with each other. And, as John Calvin (citing the church father Cyprian) says, “To those to whom He is a Father, the Church must also be a mother.”   In the... Continue Reading

The preparation of a sermon or a teaching calls the preacher to be honest with himself first. Paul warned about the peddlers, the hucksters, who gain from using the Word of God without sincerity in their hearts: 2 Corinthians 2:17 says, “For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from... Continue Reading