Christ was zealous for his Father’s business. Zeal for God’s house consumed him so thoroughly that he was in great distress until his mission (that is, his excruciating death) could be accomplished (Luke 12:50; John 2:17). As such, argued Spurgeon, Christ always preached solemnly. “There was weight about every word that he said, meaning in every... Continue Reading

By all means, attend conferences, enjoy seminars and make use of the spiritual blessings modern information technology can bring. But guard your heart from becoming dissatisfied with your local church. Pray for God to give you His view of your church family and to save you from a worldly view. Guard your heart from thinking... Continue Reading

“To make matters even more challenging, what is a godly woman do when their husbands forbids her from joining a solid, biblical congregation? Here are a few thoughts that may help assist those who are having to walk through these difficult situations.”   Among the many grievous situations in which a believer may find himself... Continue Reading

Tim Keller is one of 50 evangelical leaders who are meeting today and tomorrow to discuss the future of the [Evangelical] movement amid recent political events and arguably political idolatry in the church. He says, “As the country has become more polarized, so has the church, and that’s because he church is not different enough... Continue Reading

“Open the eyes of my heart to see the glorious hope we have in Christ, your love for all of the saints, and your power at work in us who believe (Ephesians 1:18-21). Cause my heart to burn within me as we celebrate the gospel in song, learn and apply the gospel through the preached... Continue Reading

I once sat in a presbytery meeting and heard a young recent seminary graduate express a scruple about the prohibition of images of Jesus that is found in the Westminster Larger Catechism, answer 109. He said that he didn’t believe it was correct. When asked if he had ever read anything defending the Catechism’s view,... Continue Reading

Pastors of small churches have every reason to be encouraged. We’re not the junior varsity team. The idea that our work is insignificant reflects the world’s values, not God’s values. Because it’s so counterintuitive, we need to take regular steps to recalibrate what we think, and reading books like Schaeffer’s is helpful.   Most pastors... Continue Reading

At their simplest levels, the Great Commandment and the Great Commission follow the distinction between law and gospel. A young lawyer asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.... Continue Reading

I don’t intend to defend the biblical merits of congregationalism in this post. Instead, I want to list and briefly explain seven ways a congregation can fulfill its Christ-commissioned responsibility. Some of these action steps are directed specifically at the individual church member, while others focus on the congregation as a whole.   Two summers... Continue Reading

Given the current global context of migration, the church in the West finds itself in a unique place in history to help Muslim immigrants who come to our shores as refugees, students, vacationers, or workers. We offer the stranger the hope of the gospel by doing what Jesus commanded: loving him or her (Matt. 25:36–38).... Continue Reading