When praise meets godly desires, it does not deflect the gracious words. Praiseinspires gratitude towards God. One telltale sign of our maturity is how easily we transfer honor to God, recognizing him as the source and power of our performance. Why? Because when the heart is tested by this praise, it reveals we did it... Continue Reading

Does something deeper, perhaps even spiritual, animate the strong opposition we witness today to nationhood as traditionally understood? I believe so, for this simple reason already cited: Nations are the object of the Great Commission. Jesus commands us to disciple the nations by preaching the gospel to them, baptizing those who believe, planting churches, and... Continue Reading

The discipline of our bodies, according to Paul, is for no other reason than to ensure that we will not be rejected by Christ on the last day. Of course, Jesus’s standard isn’t the body-mass index or how many pushups we can do. That is ridiculous. Paul’s point is that the physical discipline he endures... Continue Reading

The best seats are those that are near to others. It’s easy to fill up seats at church like a tube carriage, dotting ourselves around the room, leaving big gaps. On the tube, it would be weird to go and sit right next to the only other person. But, church isn’t like a tube carriage.... Continue Reading

 History matters a great deal, not because “those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Guess what, we will repeat our mistakes of the past, no matter how much knowledge of it we possess. History matters because those who inhabited past times had a nature like ours—on the one hand, possessing great... Continue Reading

Epaphroditus was sent by the Philippian church to bring a monetary gift to Paul. Along the way, he became gravely ill. Paul says three times in a few verses that he was near death. Despite this, he pressed on, prioritizing Paul’s well-being and the advancement of the gospel over his own life. What an example... Continue Reading

 A few years ago, I wrote the book Foundations.  I looked at the apostles’ speeches in Acts.  I demonstrated how their first concerns were to answer foundational questions rather than to impress their listeners with sophisticated complexity.  I am more convinced than ever that our theological energy is best spent chasing four basic questions: what... Continue Reading

Worship involves our heart, which includes our mind, will and emotions. The psalmist calls us to “ascribe to the LORD glory and strength” and “the glory due his name” (Ps. 96:7). We worship rightly when we worship according to God’s word. Worship also involves our bodies. With our hands we are called to “bring an... Continue Reading

The God of the Mess. Think of the “of” in that statement. It’s a possessive. This is God’s mess. Joseph and Mary are in this mess because God put them in it. What is more, it appears that no one bothered to let Joseph know about this situation until Mary was “found to be with... Continue Reading

You have to actually eat a good, healthy meal. And that’s what doctrine is. It’s that good, healthy meal that helps us grow. And it shows us more of God. The adage is true that we become what we behold. And at its best, doctrine is always doxological   Doctrine Is Practical Sometimes we can... Continue Reading