Read many contemporary books about Jesus Christ and they will paint a picture of One who is a friendly buddy, or a permissive and non-threatening boss, or a kind, passive, and undemanding husband. But the apostle John paints a different picture of Christ in Revelation 1. He: is the faithful witness (v. 5) is the […]
Read More The terror of Jesus ChristWe all like to be complimented. We identify with the boy who said to his father, “Dad, let’s play darts. I’ll throw. And you say, ‘great shot!’” We want people to say we’ve done a job well, that we look good for our age, that it looks like we’ve lost a few pounds, that our […]
Read More An unusual commendation?Several weeks ago, our church went to a conference hosted by Watermark Community Church, “Contending with Christianity’s Critics: Answering New Atheists and Other Objectors.” The audio and video from that conference is now available on Watermark’s website. You can download or view/listen online to all seven of the messages: “The Importance of Apologetics for Every […]
Read More Contending with Christianity’s CriticsI grew up in a home where we often had others into our home for the purpose of fellowship and hospitality. In serving as a pastor for more than 20 years now, my wife and I have always sought opportunities to spend time with people inside and outside our church body to cultivate relationships and […]
Read More When it’s wise to be inhospitableAugustine observed, “There can only be two basic loves, the love of God unto the forgetfulness of self; or the love of self unto the forgetfulness and denial of God.” From that it might then be asked, “whom do you love supremely? God or yourself?” Now we all know what the answer should be — […]
Read More Do you love God? How do you know?More than 20 times singers rejected the song before Johnny Lee selected “Lookin’ for Love in All the Wrong Places” to sing in the movie, “Urban Cowboy.” It was never intended to be recorded as part of an album, but with the success of the movie, it was released as a single and sold more […]
Read More Because God is love…This morning you may be in a hurry to get to church to worship. Your clothes may not look or feel right; your children may be complaining; you may have had some conflict with your spouse; you may have slept too late and now you are rushed. But in your haste to leave the house, […]
Read More As you prepare for worship, give thanksSome helpful articles I’ve recently read: Some Thanksgiving leftovers: Mark Talbot explains why even suffering is something for which we can praise God. Jerry Bridges reminds us that, “Paul said we’re to come to God “with thanksgiving.” We should thank Him for His past faithfulness in delivering us from troubles. We should thank Him for […]
Read More Grab bagMichael Horton: My conscience does not render a positive verdict in God’s courtroom when I look inside myself. The only reason I can sleep well at night is that even though my heart is filled with corruption and even though I am not doing my best to please him, I have in heaven at the […]
Read More The only reason I can sleep well at nightOur girls were still very young when one night I heard one of them still awake and talking in their room some time after we put them in bed, so I went to check on them. Elizabeth (our four-year-old) was already sound asleep, but Emily (our almost-two-year-old) was wide awake, lying on her back and […]
Read More How great a loveFrom Desiring God: Come Thanksgiving Day each year, many of us give the nod to Pilgrims and Indians and talk of making ready for a harsh first Winter in the New World. But for the Christian, the deepest roots of our thanksgiving go back to the Old World, way back before the Pilgrims, to a […]
Read More The True Story of ThanksgivingI was about eight years old. It was Saturday morning. My little brother was still in bed. Cartoons were on TV. All was right with the world. Except that while my eyes were looking at the television, they weren’t seeing the cartoons. My mind was preoccupied with a problem. What if I died? Would I […]
Read More He really forgives!Some books of the Bible are difficult to understand. In some Epistles, the flow of thought is somewhat obscured by complex structure. In some historical narratives, there are accounts of strange events that leave us wondering how to interpret and apply them (see Judges 19, for one example). In many of the prophets there are […]
Read More This isn’t hard to understandHow does one live with disability? How does one persevere when suffering with great weaknesses? She listens to God’s Word: Krista Horning is also the author of Just the Way I Am.) HT: “Disability says ugly things to me. . . God says beautiful things to me. Listen!” Krista Horning [The Works of God.]
Read More What God says to the disabled (and others)I heard it again Sunday morning. While visiting another church (a “kindred spirit” church that I frequent as often as I can when I am on vacation on a Sunday), I heard of two more men who are in the process of leaving the faith. They are turning their backs on what they know is […]
Read More When others leave the faith
