Nehemiah modeled seven biblical steps leading to God-honoring confrontation that preserve unity and honor the Lord.    Confrontation. It’s the least enjoyable part of leadership, but absolutely essential for effectiveness for any husband, father, coach, or team leader in business. Today, we look into Nehemiah 5, where Nehemiah puts on a “clinic in wise confrontation”... Continue Reading

Abraham possessed Canaan below, and Canaan above. The regenerate saints of the true church have the same inheritance as he (Abraham) had/has. Let us enjoy it, steward it, and preserve it for the kingdom of God.   Sometimes we hear a lot of good teaching on how the church’s saints on earth are “aliens and... Continue Reading

What the Scriptures reveal about what Christ has created His church to be and do (ecclesiology) ought to provide a standard by which patterns of ministry are discerned to be profitable or even permitted for Christ’s bride.   All theology is practical theology. This was the conviction of the Westminster divines when they penned their... Continue Reading

Let the doctrine of union with Christ disperse the clouds of doubt and discouragement from your heart. We can rest assured of our salvation because we are united to our Savior. He set us free from the tyranny of sin, called us to live in service to Him, and will not let us go.   ... Continue Reading

The practitioner of this technique is never satisfied. Answer one question and three more appear, each carrying the same embedded accusation, each framed to produce the same conclusion regardless of what you offer in response. The question was never meant to be answered. The question is the payload.   I’ll be honest with you—I’ve been... Continue Reading

[Recently] the evil thugs ruling Iran were killed by American and Israeli forces. As a result, all around the world Iranians living in exile have been dancing in the streets, singing and celebrating the downfall of this evil regime. They are perfectly right to do so, just as ancient Israel was perfectly right to celebrate... Continue Reading

In chapter 2, it appears that man was created before the plants (Gen 2: 5–8), thus putting the creation of plants on the sixth day. The answer to this difficulty lies in recognizing the proper relationship between chapter 1 and chapter 2. Rather than seeing these two chapters as competing accounts of creation, the reader... Continue Reading

The Scriptures aren’t given so we can have a knowledge of names, numbers and details. They’re given so that we might know and love the living God, understand his covenant relationship with us, behold the glory of his Son, and walk before him in faith and obedience.    Who was Malchus? If you grew up... Continue Reading

Grief, loneliness, waiting—these feelings and experiences of wanting and lacking are all a gift from God. They show us our lack of control and our need for help outside ourselves. When we make it our goal—always unspoken—to avoid any trace of these feelings, we lose a powerful guide. We reject pictures and lessons from God... Continue Reading

In prayer, heavy burdens become light, weakness is met with strength, and despair turns to joy. When we release responsibility for the church’s holiness back to Jesus, where it belongs, rejoicing can begin.   Dave was a pastor’s pastor. About midway through his message, he said something that alarmed me: “After stepping away from three... Continue Reading