Practical Counsel for Pastors Who Are Beginning to Discern the Times
For the emboldened pastor, leading your church in a new direction will be costly. But the cost is worth it. Here is a short list of things to consider.
Count the cost. Don’t be naive. You could have a mass exodus of close friends leaving the church. The church could split. You could get fired. Any number of things could happen, so it is best to be prepared for anything. Prepare your own soul. Meditate on Matthew 5:11–12 and the book of 1 Peter. Pray that God will... Continue Reading
A Commonsense Defense of Creeds and Confessions
On Clarity, Honesty, and Good Faith in the Church
One of the greatest benefits of explicitly stated creeds is that they protect the church from unwritten and unstated creeds. Everyone has beliefs about what the Bible teaches. But beliefs that are not publicly accessible in simple, clear, written form are not subject to public scrutiny. Furthermore, they are not open to correction because there... Continue Reading
The Organization of Veritas Presbytery
On August 19, 2024, five ministers gathered in Greenwood, SC, along with elder representatives from three former ARP churches to constitute Veritas Presbytery, an independent unaffiliated presbytery.
“In order to uphold our ordination vows, before God, our Father, the Lord Jesus, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth, and to adhere to the Holy Scripture with utmost honesty and integrity and therefore obey God over the ungodly whims of hierarchal human manipulations, this new presbytery is being... Continue Reading
The Uncertainties in Life
What is it about uncertainty that makes us uncomfortable or fearful?
Every one of us is now experiencing the sad effects of living in a broken world, a world where uncertainties confront us each day. This is our reality; we cannot ignore this truth and push it aside. The real question is not whether we will encounter and experience uncertainty but how we will respond to... Continue Reading
Humans Were Meant to Be Here
We are a blessing to be preserved, multiplied, and redeemed.
Despite the race’s fallen condition, Christians view human life as a blessing to be preserved, multiplied, and redeemed; and the human mind and spirit as resources more inexhaustible than any material we consume. We bear a certain resemblance to our Maker in that we can, in our limited and creaturely way, also create. Which is... Continue Reading
Sharing with Fellow Believers in Their Sufferings
Christian fellowship involves getting to the roots of each other’s lives.
As Christian brothers and sisters united together in Christ, we must take time to be part of each other’s lives. True fellowship means knowing each other intimately. Fellowship is not done merely over a meal but in the sometimes private areas of life such as listening to a friend in pain or hardship. It means... Continue Reading
Why Did the People of Nazareth Scorn Jesus?
The people think teaching is for rabbis and intellectuals, not for illiterate carpenters like Jesus.
Jesus notes a proverb that was just proven true. A prophet has no dishonor, except in his hometown. When a prophet goes on tour, he is applauded and respected as God’s authoritative emissary, but he comes home and gets no respect. And Jesus extends this proverb to include his relatives and his own household. This... Continue Reading
How Shall We Then Pray for Civil Authorities: Peace, Conversion, and…Curses?
God’s ordained order includes our prayers as his means to incline the hearts of civil authorities to do his will.
First, we must understand how civil authorities’ policies and actions influence our world for good or ill. This obligates Christian citizens to civic awareness, banishing ignorance and acquiring an understanding of the form and function of the government under which one lives with attentiveness to its principals, principles, proposals, and proceedings. Second, we need to employ wisdom concerning how best to... Continue Reading
Abortion and America’s Final Christian Generation
What U.S. pro-lifers can learn from their European counterparts.
Overturning Roe v. Wade was a monumental achievement, one legions of pro-life activists spent half a century marching and praying for. It would not have happened had Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump in 2016. Pro-lifers should be grateful for what Trump did for us, but also accept that the post-Roe era and the post-Christian era now combine to... Continue Reading
Enjoying Jesus
This new book by Tim Chester is well worth the read.
While each chapter is brief (perhaps around a dozen pages each), they are filled with practical and helpful material, based on basic biblical and theological truths. One way to give you a flavour of the book is to look at a few of these chapters, and present some useful quotes from them. In his chapter on... Continue Reading
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