About halfway through the almost two-hour Easter service, Dan Cogdell, Caldwell’s legal counsel, paced the stage in front of the white-robed choir and shouted to the cheering congregation, “I know the truth and the truth will set him free!”   Thousands of worshipers at a Methodist megachurch in Houston didn’t expect to hear from their... Continue Reading

The number one way we can get our children to see the church as important is to model to them its importance. If we make it a priority, and we encourage our children to be with us at the usual meetings of the church, it tells our children that we value it and so should... Continue Reading

There will many in our pews who walk in a false presumption of salvation. This Sunday-morning mission field should burden us to conclude by calling unbelievers – be they professing Christians or conscious unbelievers – to repent of their sins and call on the Lord for salvation. Point the congregation to the Lord Jesus Christ... Continue Reading

I know we’ve had “famous” evangelists and televangelists in the past, and I know there’s nothing new under the sun. Celebrity pastors have been around ever since the Corinthians debated the merits of Paul, Apollos, and Peter. Nevertheless, I do think today’s cultural environment has provided conditions that are particularly toxic. The ubiquity of social... Continue Reading

“Do you see my point in recounting this solemn, yet glorious, narrative? Nobody would have recognized Joseph as one of Jesus’ followers. His family, friends and neighbors did not associate Joseph with the Nazarene. His fellows on the Sanhedrin were startled by His impartiality and integrity yet never, for a second, suspected a turncoat in... Continue Reading

“2 out of 3 Americans confess to being a sinner (67%), according to LifeWay Research/ The rest don’t see themselves as sinners (8%), don’t think sin exists (10%), or preferred not to answer the question (15%). While a few of the self-confessed sinners don’t mind being one (5%), most say they are either working on... Continue Reading

“The Lord’s Supper is spiritual nourishment promised by the sign of bread and wine and realized by the Holy Spirit. If this empowering is the work of the Holy Spirit, it must also be said that the Spirit works through faith. In other words, this empowering comes through believing the Gospel, both as it is... Continue Reading

Among a new generation of Reformed pastors and churchgoers, there seems to be little awareness that the project they are pursuing, and the shifts they are pushing, have already been tried and have ended with catastrophic consequences in the life of a major Reformed denomination. I write this out of sincere love and concern for... Continue Reading

God says hospitality can and should be shown to Christians we already know and love. If you are practicing this currently without grumbling, you should be encouraged to know that God is pleased with your hospitable heart and practice.   In recent years, I’ve heard several well-meaning Christian leaders assert that there is a sharp... Continue Reading

The couple didn’t return to church the following weekend, and the pastor told me that although he was saddened, he wasn’t surprised they didn’t come back. A few months later, though, the lesbian couple began attending his church again. The pastor asked why they came back, and they said they loved his church and felt... Continue Reading