Such “holy and lawful laughter” is contagious and inviting. It includes rather than excludes. The inviting and inclusive nature of holy laughter is witnessed in vs. 6, when Sarah notes that “everyone who hears will laugh with me.”   Calvin discovers in Gen. 21, with its record of Isaac’s birth and Ishmael’s banishment from Abraham’s... Continue Reading

Although he possessed the glory of deity, this godhead was largely veiled by his flesh. His “tent” was unattractive from the outside – he looked just like an ordinary man. As Isaiah predicted, he was “as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see him, there is no... Continue Reading

“The focus in evangelistic preaching should be laser-like, desiring the hearers to be converted to Christ. That is THE application! In an edification message, the pastor may seek to bring the main theme home with many different applications addressing the varied situations of the congregation.”   In conversations I have had recently with both seasoned... Continue Reading

It’s comparatively easy for you and me to pray for ourselves, our families, and our friends. But how can we learn how to pray more fervently and consistently for our local churches? For one, we just need to start doing it—and encouraging others to do so. To help with that, here are 18 things you... Continue Reading

Jacob Cushing (1730-1809) was a graduate of Harvard in the mid-18th century, and he served as a pastor in Waltham, Massachusetts, nearly a half century, from 1752 on. He had 15 sermons published and kept a full diary that supplements his sermons. This was his only political treatise that was published and it was in... Continue Reading

The Christian church now finds itself facing a new reality. The church no longer represents the central core of Western culture. Though outposts of Christian influence remain, these are exceptions rather than the rule. For the most part, the church has been displaced by the reign of secularism.   “The greatest question of our time,”... Continue Reading

When we think of David’s sin with Bathsheba we usually consider the events surrounding the incident (2 Samuel 11:1-26), the horrible consequences (2 Sam. 12:10-15), David’s agonizing repentance (Psalm 51), and maybe the subject of babies going to Heaven (2 Sam. 12:23). But we seldom ponder the valuable lessons to be gleaned from the life... Continue Reading

“If a pastor elder has a reputation among nonbelievers as a dishonest businessman, womanizer, or adulterer, the unbelieving community will take special note of his hypocrisy. NonChristians will say, ‘He acts that way, and he’s a church elder!’ They will ridicule and mock him. They will scoff at the people of God. They will talk... Continue Reading

That was Jesus point. By loudly and proudly doing their good works before men, the Pharisees sacrificed the reward they would have received from God. God rewards those good works that are done in secret. He rewards those good works that are done for an audience of one. When we trumpet our good works on... Continue Reading

Until recent years, in every sense of its use, the prefix ortho- touted positive vibes. Though orthodontists and orthopedists today remain the standard expectation, their etymological cousin “orthodoxy” has fallen on hard times.   When my children need braces, I do not dole out $5000 to a heterodontist to wire their teeth randomly and recklessly.... Continue Reading