The Elephant In The Room
Similarities and differences between the LGBT movement and the Civil Rights Movement.
God’s creative design is irrevocable. To demand he changes it is not in step with the Civil Rights Movement. The blank check society is writing the LGBT community is extremely dangerous. It shows a serious ignorance of the core tenets of the Civil Rights Movement, a hijacking mentality in politicians and businesses who are seeking personal... Continue Reading
Battle Hymn of the Ministry Mother
But I also want my children to see I have a rich life that isn’t just about them.
I want them to overhear my conversations with other adults—about the mission of the church, and the substitutionary atonement, and the real presence of Christ in worship—and to wonder over these profound mysteries. I want them to watch me peck away at my laptop and know that their mom is writing a book for the... Continue Reading
Rooted and Reaching Explored: Worship, Outreach, Discipleship, Mission
As we look forward to the launch of Forest Hill Presbyterian later this year, I thought I'd explore this "rooted and reaching" idea a little more
Being a rooted and reaching church is a vital and challenging calling, one that requires the full engagement of every member in worship, ministry service and outreach. In a living, active, rooted and reaching church, no member is unimportant, disengaged, passive or disinterested. Everyone is committed to prayer, participation, service and outreach. In late... Continue Reading
Poor Laws in an Age of False Beneficence
The church has turned from the poor ordinances found in the Mosaic Law, believing them to be outdated
The church does not know what to do with the poor because it does not know what to do with the poor laws of the Scriptures. The church has impoverished itself by not heeding the grace found in the Law of Moses, which is filled with instruction on how to care for the poor. Read... Continue Reading
The Pastor’s Personal Holiness
The most important thing a pastor can do is pursue personal holiness.
In fact, a lack of personal holiness in the pastorate has ruined many churches and many lives. The pastor like a boulder on top of a hill, when falling, can have a cascading effect upon everything below him. Our adversary does not lack this knowledge. He is well aware that if he can make one... Continue Reading
Do Your Sermon Illustrations Help or Hurt?
Five Major Pitfalls to Avoid
One only needs to think of Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Edwards effectively compared the precarious situation of sinners dangling over the fires of hell to the way spiders dangle by the very thinnest of webs. But, illustrations do not always turn out the way we intended. Indeed, sometimes... Continue Reading
The Church and the Attack of Satan
In Martyn Lloyd-Jones book, The Church and the Last Things, he points out four ways that the devil sets out to attack the church.
The problem with Lloyd-Jones’ statement is that he only names two possibilities for false religions, the Roman Catholic Church and liberal Christianity. I agree that both are enemies, but there are more than just two, and yet at the same time, only one. Any religion that stands in place of the gospel, or opposed to... Continue Reading
‘But Jesus Didn’t Say…’
All of Scripture speaks to Jesus’ message
Furthermore, isolating the red letters apart from their narrative context breeds contempt for that context, particularly the hard parts of Scripture. This leaves believers with no adequate answer to the kinds of charges made increasingly by anti-theists. Thus when Richard Dawkins asserts in The God Delusion that the “God of the Old Testament” is “jealous... Continue Reading
How Do I Encourage My Pastor?
Your pastor needs to know that what he does week in and week out means something to his flock
“The most meaningful things I hear isn’t, “I prayed for you” but, “I prayed that your sermon would be powerfully preached and eagerly received, or I prayed God would protect you and your family from the enemy through this important week.” Based on the emails, notes, and phone calls I continue to get, trust me…your... Continue Reading
Muddying The Distinction Between Justification And Salvation (Part 2)
Trusting in one’s self, even in one’s cooperation with grace is presumption
“To make Jesus a mere facilitator, rather than a complete Savior, is, we confess, “too gross a blasphemy.” It makes him “half a Savior.” Then, immediately, the confession turns to justification through faith alone. Note this.” In part 1 we looked at how the Westminster Shorter Catechism speaks about the relations between justification, salvation,... Continue Reading
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