Dear Pastor . . . in a Lonely World, Cultivating Community Is Worth It
Of all the many things we do, cultivating spiritual community in a lonely world ranks among the most difficult, time-consuming, and personally demanding efforts.
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10 Things You Should Know about the Spirituality of the Church
True unity is what we want. This is achieved only together with true diversity. Uniformity is never the biblical pattern. Unity is, and unity, as we see perfectly manifested in the Undivided Trinity.
Unpacking “No Creed but the Bible”
Many Christians may well have heard the phrase ”no creed but the Bible“ at some point. Is it a faithful and useful principle for guiding how we think about Christian truth and authority?
When someone asks me a question about the faith that I don’t have a good answer for, it will rattle me unless the Lord Jesus is taking up holy ground in my heart.
Only God Sees the Whole Elephant
The Bible itself says that there are things God hasn’t revealed anywhere. But the God who has revealed himself through the Bible is not a God who hides.
Should We Pray in, for, or to the Holy Spirit?
While it is possible for Christians to pray to the Spirit, for the Spirit, and in the Spirit, the Bible overwhelmingly focuses on one of these.
For explaining the cross, the New Testament uses many images, many categories, many modes of thought blended together.
An Open Letter to Christians Who Doubt
Just defining or describing the doubt helps me talk to God more pointedly about it. And in some instances, he gives me insight or perspective that alleviates (but not totally removes) the doubt.
Podcast: How Should We Respond to Our Doubt? (Randy Newman)
Randy Newman explains that when we struggle with questions about our faith, we should view these not as roadblocks to faith but as natural twists and turns that accompany our lives as Christians.
10 Reasons the Old Testament Matters to Christians
Without the Old Testament, we wouldn’t understand the problem for which Jesus and the New Testament supply the solution.
If I Believe Jesus Has Forgiven My Sins, Why Do I Still Feel Guilty?
We trust that we’ve been forgiven because Christ paid for all our sins when he died on the cross, but the memory isn’t erased, and the effects on us and on those we hurt can linger long.
When Fear Prevents You from Being a Good Neighbor
One of the greatest detriments to being the neighbors Christ has called us to be is fear. And somehow, instead of identifying our fear as sinful we often call it by another name: wisdom.
How Do the Arminian and Calvinist Views of Election Differ?
We can distinguish the Arminian view of election from the Calvinist view of election by answering this question: What is the basis of God’s election?
Learn more about the new resources releasing this month like Questioning Faith by Randy Newman and Proclaiming Christ in a Pluralistic Age by J. I. Packer.
3 Things to Avoid When Ministering to Those Suffering from Mental Illness
We make many mistakes in what we say to sufferers. Partly because of ignorance, discomfort, or fear, we end up saying nothing, or nothing helpful, or everything wrong.
Why Does Jesus Call Himself the “Door”?
Jesus is saying that, as the door, as we enter into eternal life with him and through him, we will be saved. He is access to salvation.
Unpacking “Separation of Church and State”
The notion of the separation of church and state is a comparatively recent phenomenon, as part of the American experiment in republican government.
Podcast: The Most Important Thing Our Churches Have Forgotten to Do (Paul Miller)
Paul Miller deepens our understanding of prayer by highlighting why we need to pray with one another if we really want to experience the full blessing of prayer.
4 Ways Jesus Fulfills Every Old Testament Promise
When Jesus fulfills the Old Testament Law and Prophets, he is actualizing what Scripture anticipated and achieving what God promised and predicted.
How Does the Parable of the Two Sons Display the Genius of Jesus?
The parable of the two sons is Jesus’s longest story, and it’s remarkable in so many ways. Jesus loads up the story with layers of meaning.
Do Exodus and Numbers Justify Abortion? (Exodus 21 and Numbers 5)
Some abortion advocates appeal directly to Scripture to make their case for elective abortion. But this argument is flawed on several counts.
The Hollow Promise the Internet Makes to Lonely People
The web is preaching to our hearts that you can be anything and you can do anything, and you don’t have to accept the life of the world or the truth that God has put in your life.
4 Assumptions Made by Anyone Reciting a Creed
My conviction that creeds and confessions are a good and necessary part of healthy, biblical church life rests on a host of different arguments and convictions; but, at root, there are four basic presuppositions.
The Most Influential Event to Happen in 1776 Isn’t What You Think
In a thousand years’ time, what will people look at as the most important development in this period? And I think it's probably the economic transformation.
Help! I Don’t Enjoy Reading the Old Testament
The Old Testament is big and can feel daunting, especially because it is filled with perspectives, powers, and practices that seem so removed from Christians today.
Why the Mission of the Church Is Spiritual and Not Political
The church is a spiritual institution, and its core of agreement builds upon truths that transcend the more ephemeral matters that concern politics.
Podcast: Should Our Churches Be Political? (Alan Strange)
Alan Strange discusses the doctrine of the spirituality of the church—a doctrine focused on clearly defining the church’s central mission and mandate.
Pastor, What Do You Preach to People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together?
Titus 2 tells us that it’s the grace of God that teaches us to say no to ungodliness. If people aren’t growing in godliness, Paul says they need more grace.
Lent Ends in Jesus’s Death—and Yours
Everywhere you die, you will be resurrected to new life in that area. It is the continuing resurrection/ transformation/liberation work of sanctifying grace.
Why Is Love Called the Greatest of These? (1 Corinthians 13)
Love is not a spiritual gift. It is essential for using spiritual gifts, and it is more important than spiritual gifts.