Like the saints of Revelation 6, Christians today are free to desire and invite the vengeance of God. Contrary to popular opinion, Romans 12:19 does not prohibit Christians from desiring vengeance—it commands them to leave it to the wrath of God.   Imagine: You are the leader of a small Iranian house church. The police... Continue Reading

When church membership is implemented in a way that applies the Bible’s inside/outside lines, so that there are clear qualifications and a clear process in (and out), then membership is open to so many more kinds of people. All of the differences that naturally sort humans into little cliques at work or school…are put aside... Continue Reading

Though God’s omnipotence grates harshly on the sufferer’s ear when he is in rebellion against his Maker, this truth enables the saint to repent of his bitter complaints, put his hand over his mouth, and bow before the incomprehensible majesty of God.   The doctrine of God’s power has nearly as many applications as there... Continue Reading

The apostles knew that, in many instances, they were authorized vehicles of God’s divine New Covenant revelation, some of which would very likely become the foundation for the church age and thus constitute scripture.   There is a well known and (for evangelicals) well-loved section of 2 Peter (probably the verse most people are actually... Continue Reading

We can gently and lovingly help them navigate difficult topics, or we can bypass them, mistakenly believing we are safeguarding them, and one day your children will shock you with knowledge you didn’t know they possessed: learned not from you, and not with the authority and protection of Scripture. So, love your children enough to... Continue Reading

“This is the biggest effect the Lord’s Prayer has been having on me—shaping my desires to match the Lord’s. I’m a work in progress, but by God’s grace I think I’m pointing in a good direction, since this is one of the ways prayer is supposed to change us.”   At the beginning of the... Continue Reading

Whitefield embodied and exemplified many of the features that have come to characterize evangelicalism for the past 300 years…bypassing ecclesial structures and creating a trans-denominational evangelical community. In the process, he helped cultivate evangelicalism’s signature fondness for parachurch ministries.   1. Whitefield consistently proclaimed the necessity of the new birth. When George Whitefield entered Pembroke... Continue Reading

The Assembly continued its work hearing reports, debating, and approving recommendations.   The Assembly reconvened at 8:30 a.m. and heard the report from the Cooperative Ministries Committee and then the report from the Review of Presbytery Records. You can read about RPR’s work here. After debates on several items pertaining to individual presbyteries, the report... Continue Reading

In our struggles with perfectionism, Psalm 103 offers much-needed words of hope. These are liberating words when our minds are filled with self-criticism, doubt, or fear. They point us to a God of mercy, who knows all of our imperfections, yet still loves us and includes us in His plans.   I’ve spent far too... Continue Reading

Just as Christ endured death, even death on a cross, knowing that God would exalt Him on the other side of the cross, so also Paul could endure any physical suffering or lack, even to the point of death, knowing that his union with the exalted Christ ensured his own eventual exaltation as well.  ... Continue Reading