One of the beauties of Ezra 3 is that it does not merely present us with a project, but with progress. The foundation of the temple is established, bricks begin to rise where once rubble had been strewn, there are hints of a new work to be done. The celebrations that vv11-12 depict are not... Continue Reading

Loftis is charged with breaking into the church about 10:40 p.m. Monday [07/20/2020]. The 5-foot-9 man was captured on surveillance video entering the church through a back door, court documents said.  “Once inside he walked through the building throwing equipment and instruments around and was observed inside the sanctuary,” the documents said.   A 29-year-old... Continue Reading

The Apostle Paul explains the doctrine of the church so that we might understand what God has done and so that we may understand who we are. And in calling us to understand who we are and what we’re called to do, Paul says that we’re the church. We’re the church that God ordained from... Continue Reading

We are to obey our civil authorities as powers that God Himself has ordained. However, while civil government is invested with divine authority to rule the state, neither of those texts (nor any other) grants civic rulers jurisdiction over the church. God has established three institutions within human society: the family, the state, and the... Continue Reading

The pandemic has proven that the people of Christ in the West are far too risk-averse, and our risk-aversion is a major reason why we do not send more overseas missionaries, church planters, evangelists, Bible translators, open-air preachers, and abortion mill sidewalk counselors. There is indeed a time to hunker down for safety; “The prudent... Continue Reading

We often think of moral failure as the reason so many pastors end up losing their reputations and ministries. Some leading figures within the evangelical community have fallen this way, and the damage done to their lives is only exceeded by the damage done to their own churches and to the broader reputation of the... Continue Reading

The fire, which was reported shortly before 11 p.m. Monday, caused about $250,000 in damages. Rev. Chuck L. Betters, the church’s pastor, posted on Facebook that when he arrived at the church Monday, firefighters were cutting holes in the steeple to release the smoke.   A blaze that broke out inside the sanctuary of a... Continue Reading

Recognizing and pointing out important errors is not nitpicking. The question I would like to consider is this: Do we ever encounter nitpicking in the church? A better way for each of us to ask this would be, Do I ever engage in nitpicking in regard to the church? Before you answer the question, try a thought experiment.... Continue Reading

Like the evil shepherds of Ezekiel’s day, the digital hireling feeds himself, doesn’t truly care about the sick, weak, or injured, doesn’t seek the lost and wandering, and deals harshly with the sheep. The digital hireling opportunistically sets up himself up for self-aggrandizement and financial gain. Most digital hirelings have never spent one day of... Continue Reading

The article, which also made its way to the front page of the Drudge Report and various other aggregator sites, employs a lot of evocative language: Outbreaks are surging; the virus has infiltrated; cases have erupted; and so on. While it affirms that many churches and ministries have created and followed strict guidelines related to masking, social distancing,... Continue Reading