So how do we apply what we learn in the Bible? We worship God in Christ. If a Christian hasn’t the time to “do” that, or if that sounds a bit too elementary, any conceivable action or service done in the name of the Lord is worthless before the eyes of a holy God. Churches... Continue Reading

Christians should scrap attempts to justify church-away-from-church as church. We don’t approach other areas of life like that. We are not God, and so have no authority to redefine ins and outs of his church. Truths about church and worship are not arbitrarily defined, but mean something specific in the New Testament. Gathering with the... Continue Reading

There was one Reformation 500 message that I heard, however, that was different from the others. It was troubling both as to its content and tone; and, it did not–in any way whatsoever–communicate the good news of the Gospel. The sermon clearly demonstrated the need for further reflection upon the history and doctrine of the Reformation in... Continue Reading

Many congregations are at a tipping point. Some will die. Some will thrive. My prayer is that the summary of these trends can be used of God in your churches to move your congregation toward greater health and Great Commission obedience.   Never in my lifetime have I seen local congregations at such a critical... Continue Reading

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) recently published a report titled, “Submit to your husbands: Women told to endure domestic violence in the name of God.” The subtitle, too, issued a similar claim: “Advocates say the church is not just failing to sufficiently address domestic violence, it is both enabling and concealing it.”   As a sociologist... Continue Reading

It’s the other half of the good news that Jesus fulfilled all righteousness under the law that too often gets left out of these churches….That news doesn’t fit in the natural categories of the unregenerate mind. This foreign announcement of an alien righteousness, given as a free gift, is apparently rarely proclaimed in Reformed churches... Continue Reading

Johnson worked in a number of “predominantly white Presbyterian churches” after he graduated Westminster Seminary.  “The reason that black men do not connect with the American Evangelical church is because (the church refuses) to suffer with blacks and, therefore, are unable to communicate in a message by which black men can understand,” Johnson said in... Continue Reading

At a storefront Christian coffeehouse serving soup, doughnuts, and the New Testament, two “straight-looking” men in bow ties told a barefoot Sacks about Jesus. He knelt on a piano bench and asked Jesus to forgive his past and give him a new future. Soon he was telling his friends about his faith.   SAN FRANCISCO—This... Continue Reading

“The measure of a pulpit ministry isn’t its width, but its depth. Blinded by pride and the idolatry of success, we too often equate God’s blessing with a large congregation and failure with empty seats. But our greatest desire as pastors should be that our hearers hearts are formed to the image of Christ.”  ... Continue Reading

“The main way to plug into the church is to plug into the church—the whole church. For years we took on the role of matchmaker. But the role of church leaders is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:11–13). As we embrace our call, by God’s grace and his Holy... Continue Reading