Obedience and joy

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood…” (1 Pet. 1:1-2; NASB) Though far from my first act of disobedience, it is my earliest recollection of my […]

Faith or works?

“This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.” (Titus 3:8; NASB). There is a popular question which debates whether the chicken or the egg was […]

Kindle book sale: The Meaning of Marriage

Today only, Tim Keller’s book, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God is on sale in the Kindle edition for only $2.99. I have not read this book yet, but have read several reviews that spoke very highly of it.

God’s Word is settled

“Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.” (Ps. 119:89; NASB) So many things in life are transitory and short-lived. While we know God is permanent, stable, and dependable, yet we often still feel unsettled. So this verse serves as an anchor to our storm-tossed souls, reminding us of the faithfulness of God and […]

Free Kindle book — How Huge the Night

Lydia Munn, the wife of one of our missionaries, Jim Munn, along with their daughter Heather, recently wrote a novel about France during World War II. The book, How Huge the Night, is available during the month of October for free in the Kindle edition! Go to Amazon to download your free copy of the […]

He redeemed us

“who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” (Titus 2:14; NASB) A few years ago, my wife and I discovered a television show on The Learning Channel which quickly became a favorite — “Junkyard Wars.” […]

GBC Book of the month: The Hole in Our Holiness

The book of the month (available both in our bookstore and library) for our church is Kevin DeYoung’s new work, The Hole in Our Holiness. I was first attracted to this book after listening to the address DeYoung gave at Together for the Gospel this year, “Spirit-Powered, Gospel-Driven, Faith-Fueled Effort” (audio download here). I found […]

Keep a good conscience

From Dwight Wagner: The goal of a Christian is to have a clear conscience before God and man. If we don’t fill our mind with Scripture, we will have a defiled conscience. If we fill our mind with truth but don’t act upon it, we will have a weak conscience. If we simply refuse the […]

3 lessons from Brainerd’s death

From Jesse Johnson: David Brainerd died 265 years ago. Yesterday [Tuesday] was the anniversary of his home going. Brainerd’s life ended when he was only 29 years old. He was not exactly famous when he died; he was expelled from Yale for declaring that an empty chair had more evidence of grace than the seminary […]

Elder qualifications

This morning’s post is a re-post of an article from earlier this year, with some additional information from other posts included at the end of this post. The New Testament provides a clear picture of the kinds of men who are to lead the church as elders. Both Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7 give […]

A character test

Robert Wilson, in his book Character Above All seeks to answer one fundamental question: “What is the relationship between the President’s character and presidential leadership?” He asks the question because it is his observation that as a group, the American people “‘started out such good people. What happened to us?’…Our political process does reflect us, […]

Treat others…how?

Grace Slan lived and died in a secret world where time stood still. When police entered her two-room flat in London they thought they had stepped into another era, a museum exhibit or a film set. Outside, planes buzzed overhead and traffic jammed city streets. Inside, the 81-year-old woman lived in a dark, solitary world […]

The discipline of discipline

“…discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7b). Discipline. The word pictures a gymnasium filled with exercise equipment designed to conform the body to fitness. Physical wellness is the result of regular, continual exercise. The same is true of the soul. Spiritual wellness is the result of regular, continual spiritual exercise. But since […]

What do you want the word of God to do in you?

When one thinks about Psalm 119, the theme of the Word of God obviously comes to mind. The Word of God is explained, its authority is exalted, and even God Himself is worshipped in the process of expounding the value of God’s Word. Yet in reading a portion of the psalm this morning, it was […]

Sunday Leftovers — the believer and good works

There are five succinct statements that identify the essential doctrinal issues that were bolstered by the Reformation: sola Scriptura — the Scripture alone is sufficient to produce salvation sola gratia — salvation is by grace alone sola fide — salvation is through faith alone sola Christus — salvation is by Christ alone soli deo gloria […]