Without public prayer throughout the worship service, the congregation is robbed of the opportunity to learn and participate in God’s people’s prayers.   Reformed churches include public prayer in their worship services because we view it as a biblically commanded and essential element of corporate worship. The practice is rooted in both Scripture and theological... Continue Reading

Sympathizing with others who are suffering from the consequences of their own actions is good, but grace is much more. For starters, grace includes forgiveness. Forgiveness goes way beyond mere sympathy. Of course, in order to offer forgiveness, you have to have something to forgive.   Luke 15:21–32 (ESV) (part four of a four-part series)... Continue Reading

The Bible’s truthfulness and relevance do not depend upon man and his designs. If it makes us feel any better, this problem of hearing, understanding, believing and obeying God’s Word is not new. The disciples of Jesus illustrate the problem as well as anyone, maybe better. After all, they were in His presence. They heard... Continue Reading

I can say as someone who has been near those at death’s door that those who have been preparing for that moment all their lives are at peace in the presence of the Holy Spirit as they walk by faith. It is those who have faithfully been taking their hearts to the means of grace,... Continue Reading

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Suppose, however, that a group of people knows better but does not do better, that God calls them to be... Continue Reading

As Riddlebarger points out, the seventy weeks are not meant to be taken literally but are instead symbolic, “reflect[ing] important biblical theological elements of Israel’s prior history.” The church is now in the period of the remaining “time, and times, and half a time” (Rev. 12:14).   Many Christians have been taught the dispensationalist view... Continue Reading

So many folks – Christians included – have gone through a modern education system that makes little or no demands on them. It does not teach them how to think nor how to critically analyse and assess things. As standards keep on being lowered, our schools keep on turning out uneducated and increasingly dumber students.... Continue Reading

Those who are fruitful and content as they are being pruned (John 15) are the maturing Christians. The newborn Christians do not have the spiritual wisdom, discernment, patience, and stability to endure the fires of sanctification at the level the mature believer does.   14 As obedient children, not being conformed to the former lusts... Continue Reading

When we listen to wisdom, God gives us discretion. He changes our hearts so that we desire what he desires. Then, when we act according to God’s desires – employing our God-given discretion to the daily decisions we face – we make different choices that result in different consequences.   When we become wise, we... Continue Reading

Space is not neutral. I don’t mean that space either belongs to Jesus or the demons or something like that, that’s silly: Jesus’ reign is supreme and demons that infest places need to leave when his people tell them to. The whole world is his, and therefore ours. Rather, I mean that space affects the... Continue Reading