After the Dark Night of A Lost Ministry, Bring Light to Others
My life and ministry, which had been for the most part vibrant, blew up in a matter of three weeks.
During this time, as far as my presbytery was concerned, I was not seen as a brother in crisis; I was just a problem. I suspect in many other presbyteries ministers are going through rough times. These brothers are experiencing a crisis in their lives. Please do not look at them as a problem, but... Continue Reading
Pastor, Be What You Want to See
It is not arrogant to instruct others to follow you, so long as you are following Christ and showing them Christ and giving them Christ.
In groups where transparency is expected, a pastor goes first. In the humility of service, a pastor goes first. In the sharing of the gospel with the lost, a pastor goes first. In the discipleship of new believers, a pastor goes first. In the singing of spiritual songs with joy and exuberance, a pastor goes... Continue Reading
Reaching the Next Generation Is Easier and Harder Than You Think
If you are a growing, godly Christian, you can be effective in ministering to other people and leading other people to know Christ and follow Christ.
So it’s easier in that you don’t have to have a PhD in cultural apologetics; and it’s harder, but also better, in that what God calls us to do is to love them, to speak the truth to the next generation, to be the sort of person whose life is marked by holiness. Second Peter says... Continue Reading
The Biggest PCA News You Never Heard
Keller protege Scott Sauls went egalitarian & hardly anyone knows.
Between November and March, Sauls’ views changed in a way that made him incompatible with the PCA: He became (or revealed himself to be) an ecclesial egalitarian, meaning he believes that all of the roles and offices in the church are open to men and women. When the face of a denomination changes his views... Continue Reading
Should I Participate in Multiple Churches at a Time? — A Parable
Rather than pursue your needs your way, you should pray all the more for your covenanted community and strengthen her whenever possible.
Christ is the head of all (Jew, Gentile, bond, free, male, female, living, or dead), Scripture is profitable for all (2 Tim. 3:16-17), and Satan is the common enemy of all. But once a man is saved, he is not to live his life independent from all other believers under the so-called impulse of the... Continue Reading
The Curious Case of the Christian Reformed Church
The CRC is evangelical, not mainline. It’s conservative, not progressive. It’s orthodox, not affirming.
“I’ve been delegated to synod four times now, and each time increasingly feels like war,” pastor and Abide clerk Aaron Vriesman wrote after Synod 2023. “The CRC’s existential crisis has been building for some time. Each synod is a battle of opposing visions for the CRC, with diametrically opposing values. While synodical sermons trumpet Christian unity and... Continue Reading
How Older Christians Encourage Younger Generations for Christ
The love of Christ must dominate words and actions towards younger people.
We must tell them our stories—the real ones: both victories and failures, joys and sorrows, and how God taught us through these things. As appropriate, we need to tell them how God taught us when we struggled with sin, faced depression, failed the Lord. They need to hear about the ways God helped us through... Continue Reading
WCF 31: Of Synods and Councils
Synods and councils cannot be our rule of faith or practice. They can only help us believe and obey what Scripture alone requires.
Councils may and do err because human leaders “stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). Even the apostles made poor decisions (e.g. Mark 10:13–16; Luke 9:49, 50). The conclusions of assemblies “are to be received with reverence and submission” only “if consonant to the Word of God.” There is some tension here. Not every side will... Continue Reading
Parents of LGBTQ+-Identified Kids: How to Walk with Your Child
Fight the impulse to stay locked inside your secret self, committed to isolation, and trying to solve it all on your own. It’s too big—and you’re too small and finite.
Parents may attempt to strategize about solutions and action plans based on their limited personal wisdom. If you feel you’re not ready for a small group of other parents, at least consider speaking to a trustworthy church leader who can pray for and with you and offer an outside voice of wisdom. If this is... Continue Reading
Cozying Up with the World
The Church of England continues its descent with its theology of sex.
The account provided on the Church of England’s website indicates that the discussion was infused with the usual pious jargon. The archbishop of Canterbury captures the sentiment nicely: “I cannot imagine the Church of England without any particular group within it, and without her reaching effectively to anyone outside it through inclusion and justice, lived in... Continue Reading
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- …
- 604
- Next Page »