Be Tolerant

Tolerance is a popular secular virtue. The priority of tolerance is not only popular, but at times it appears to hold the same authority as the dogma of the Constitution for our country. It seems inviolable. This tolerance says, “You must approve of what I do…You must agree with me…You must allow me to have […]

Why love others?

In the New Testament, God tells us how to care for others in the church body. Frequently we find those instructions in conjunction with the word “brothers” — as in, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your […]

Those Lists of Names

My wife has a fondness for ancestral archaeology. She likes pouring through lists of names and making familial connections. She enjoys the hunt for ancient connections (“did you know that we have a family member who…?”) and is even more excited to find “unknown” family relations in our generation and even in our area of […]

Sermon: An Acceptable Debt

An Acceptable DebtRomans 13:8-10March 28, 2021 What makes a church a church? Biblical preaching and teaching. Corporate worship (including baptism and communion). Purity of the gospel. Evangelistic proclamation. Generous fellowship. Sacrificial service. Church membership and church discipline. What makes Grace Bible Church Grace Bible Church? What sets us apart and makes us unique? What identifies […]

Sermon: Preserving Unity, Building the Body

Preserving Unity, Building the Body Ephesians 4:11-13 February 7, 2021 Ted was discouraged. He had written what he thought was a pretty entertaining children’s book. But it had been rejected by multiple publishers — 27, in fact. He had just decided to go home and burn the manuscript to the book when he ran into […]

Fellowship with God

This post was originally published June 3, 2013; it is being republished today because the theme fits this past Sunday’s sermon so well. The term “fellowship” is used regularly in the context of the church (do non-believers use the word?). Often the word is used synonymously for “food” or “feast,” as in, “be sure to […]

Sermon: The Character of Love

The Character of Love 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 May 12, 2019 What is love?… One cartoon explained it this way: “Love is what one feels when one meets a person who has a very profound impact upon one, and meets all of one’s psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs.…It’s either that, or, when one’s heart goes pitter-patter.” […]

Sermon: Cultivating Community

“Cultivating Community” Ephesians 4:1-3 January 10, 2016 Tom Pennington tells the story recounted in the book Great Church Fights by Leslie Flynn. The tale recounts a feud in a Welsh church looking for a new pastor. The newspaper article read this way — Yesterday the two opposition groups both sent ministers to the pulpit. Both […]

Sermon: A Life of Service (Pt. 2)

“Caring for One Another: A Life of Service” (Part 2) Romans 1:11-15 August 2, 2015 A number of years ago, London resident Simon Thompson was trying to push his stalled BMW off a road in a London suburb when another driver called out, “Do you want a hand?” And then the car’s back doors flew […]

Sermon: A Life of Service

“Caring for One Another: A Life of Service” (Part 1) Romans 1:11-15 July 19, 2015 It’s hard to be a servant. To serve others is to do something that is contrary to our natural inclinations and to fight against the flesh. That’s why we just read the story of Epaphroditus. We don’t know much about […]

What to pray for one another

In one of the shortest verses of the Bible, believers are instructed to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). The believer is not only to pray regularly and habitually, but prayer is to constantly be at the forefront of his mind. He is to be always ready for communication with His Lord and Master. And […]

Sermon: A Life of Prayer, Pt. 2

“Caring for One Another: A Life of Prayer” (Pt. 2) Romans 1:8-10 June 28, 2015 Loneliness is an age-old problem, and in Japan one restaurant has come up with a novel solution. The owners of Tokyo’s Moomin House Café observed many customers who came alone and sat alone. So they set about to cultivate a […]

Sermon: A Life of Prayer

“Caring for One Another: A Life of Prayer” Romans 1:8-10 June 21, 2015 Speaker Robert Henry went to a large discount department store a number of years ago in search of a pair of binoculars. Charles Swindoll tells the story: As he walked up to the appropriate counter he noticed that he was the only […]

What good is a brother?

“To sum up, let all be…brotherly…” (1 Pet. 3:8; NASB) In the past couple of decades a new kind of profession has developed. This professional is, “a blend of consultant, motivator, therapist, manager, and friend. Who are these people? Personal coaches, who help people ‘define and achieve their goals — career, personal, or both.’ Coaches […]

Greet my friends

Romans 16 is a dreaded public Scripture reading for any young seminary student or pastoral intern. I know — I was asked to do that reading by my pastor as a first or second-year seminarian, and I poured over my Bible and Greek New Testament for much too long, attempting to sort out the correct […]