Romans 15:7, “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” In the Bible hospitality is no small matter. From Abraham to the Apostles, God called His people to greet one another with love and concern. For instance, in the Old Testament, it...
Go Back to Church Perhaps a Pastor painted a poor picture of Pastors for you. Maybe a church staffer didn’t elevate your ministry the way you thought it deserved. Did a fellow member rebuke you harshly instead of with gentleness and in love? Cultural Christians and...
There is nothing on earth like the local Christian church. Hundreds of conferences offer life-changing experiences for several days but can’t come close to the life-long impact of a local church. Evangelistic crusades may draw tens of thousands to hear the gospel,...
The Cruciformed View of Wisdom and Power Living in a pluralistic society where relativism is the norm it is inevitable someone is going to be offended. Those of us who live as witnesses of the Crucified Christ know all to well that mentioning the statement "Jesus...
“Why become a member of a church, I attend the service isn’t that enough?” This is an actual question that I have heard. I want to explain how, as a Pastor, I respond to such a claim. Let me break this down into four apparent areas of confusion. I should also...
Dozens of preaching books come out every year. Before and during seminary I read at least two dozen books on preaching. I’ve found that most preaching books tend towards focusing on how to explain and apply the text or deliver the sermon. Few books combine the best...
Churches are dying every day. That isn’t news you’ll read in the latest issue of Time, national or local newspapers but the fact is many churches are dying every day. Many pastors are leaving the ministry every month and every year. What is the Church to do? Should...
Have you ever heard someone say, “I love Jesus, but I hate His church?” Let’s be honest, the church has done some hurtful things to the world in the name of Jesus. Perhaps you’ve been hurt, either in word or deed or by someone at church, or you have painful...
While one of the most encouraging trends in recent years has been the resurgence in conversation on the gospel, what has been needed is a book that looks at how the gospel impacts the local church and it’s culture. Thankfully such a book exists now in The Gospel:...
One of the central issues in the Church and one that we here at Servants of Grace are passionate about is the nature, purpose, and mission of the Church. We spent a whole month looking at this issue and will continue to look at it in the future as the need arises....
One of the central issues of our day when it comes to the doctrine of the Church is interestingly enough, church membership. Many Christians today struggle with the idea of becoming or even being members of the Church. For some Christians just merely attending...
Discipleship is a topic that is much talked about but very rarely understood in the evangelical world today. In the early 1990’s and 2000’s it was popular to talk about discipleship as a conversation divorced from doctrine and theology. When discipleship is taken...
One of the biggest changes in my Christian life happened when I realized in my late teenage years that the Christian life had little to do with the rules and more with the grace of God. Now don’t get me wrong, Christians are expected to behave a certain way but...
With the rise of the internet have come many challenges to the Church. Before the internet, believers were relegated to sharing about events going on in the Church between one another at Church, on the phone, or if they met for a meal. Now Christians can hop on...
In this series on the Church, we’ve been writing about a great deal of topics that hopefully are relevant and helpful to you as you think through the importance of the local Church for your Christian life and ministry. As I’ve thought about the Church, one topic...
One of the greatest areas of concern to me when it comes to the idea of the Church is the lone ranger mentality many have succumbed to in our day and age. In seminary I used to sit with a large pile of books at coffee shops to work on homework and research papers....
Going to church can become routine. I know it, because I grew up going to church three times a week (at least). It was not a choice my parents gave me. It was something we did, part of our regular routine. As a 2nd Generation Christian, I know full well the dangers...
We live in an age when, increasingly, people are asking the question, “Do we need to gather on Sunday mornings for worship anymore?” It’s a valid question. After all, isn’t there a plethora of good sermon content online? Aren’t there churches that actually offer...
Before I begin, there is an operative assumption in this post. It is that a fitting local church home should offer three non-negotiable elements (sine qua nons). Here are those three sine qua nons: a local church home should offer consistently faithful expository...
The Church is the only God-ordained institution that will last for eternity. In a sense, that brings a great amount of legitimacy and authority to the church, that no other institution has. Ironically, I think there is more legitimacy and authority than most...
In the time of the Reformation, the church local was at the center of every day life. The church and state were in bed together and so, in one sense, some questions about the church couldn’t be asked, but, in another very real sense, they didn’t need to be asked....
I had just slipped and fallen down the stairs for the umpteenth time. What was different about this time was I sprained my ankle. I hobbled to the refrigerator to get some ice in a lot of pain. As it turns out, my dad, a trained physical therapist, said I had a...
The authors compare the twin towers of church life—institution and disciple-making—with a trellis and a vine. The trellis is the institution; the management, infrastructure and governance of the church. The vine represents disciple-making; how the gospel takes root...
God created us to be in relationship with Himself and with others.[Tweet "In eternity there will only be two things other than God: His Word and His children."] If this is the case, it should challenge us to seek more God-honoring relationships now. There are over...
On May 12, 2013, I preached a Mother’s Day message from 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9. Paul compares discipleship to the actual practice of a mother nursing her child. In this, the mother is a source of life for her child. So it is that we as [Tweet "Christians, must be...
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 In Hebrews 10:19-25, the author makes...
“Why become a member of church, I attend the service isn’t that enough?” This is an actual question that I have heard. I want to explain how, as a Pastor, I respond to such a claim. Let me break this down into four apparent areas of confusion. I should also mention...
One of the central issues of our day is leadership. The decline of morality outside the church and the many scandals inside the Church among Christian leaders have caused many to question the importance and validity of the church. The real issue and one that is...
Okay, so maybe that title is a bit melodramatic. But I wanted to get your attention, because I think faithful, weekly attendance at your local gospel-preaching Church is important. It’s important for all the reasons we know, right? To hear the Word preached. To...
If you’re a Christian, whether you realize it or not, you are called, by God, to be on mission in the world. This is the essence of the Gospel call, that you were not simply saved from death but also saved for a purpose (Eph. 2:10). That purpose is to make...
The belief that professing Christians should gather together as members of a local Church is waning in many sectors of Christianity today. Some feel that faith should not be “institutionalized” and should be a private matter between individuals, not something to be...
Editors note: This is a brand new series on the Church designed to help people think through what the local Church is, and why it is important. The first post in this series is by Dan Darling on 5 Ways You Can Help Your Church. ***************** So, yes, your...
One of the most encouraging trends in recent years has been the movement away from a pragmatic approach towards ministry to one that is driven by a biblical-theological framework. While studies on the Church abound—namely on what is wrong with it what is often...
Recent years have seen an explosion of good books on preaching come out. With the resurgence of conversation about the Gospel and biblical theology publishers have taken notice and provided the people of God with many resources across the board to help them...
Recent days have seen a voluminous amount written on the Gospel. Books, articles and conferences abound on the question of, “What the Gospel is?” and “What does the Gospel demand?” While many resources in the past few years have come out that aim to answer those...
The past five to ten years have seen a massive increase in discussion around not only what the Gospel is but how the Church should live out and proclaim the Gospel in the culture. At the heart of that discussion is often a confusion by some who think that those who...
Many pastors face an incredible amount of pressure to do anything but apply the Gospel to their lives. Pastoral ministry is demanding because it involves so many tasks that all demand an equal level of attention. Knowing how to prioritize tasks is critically...
I remember in seminary when I had to take a preaching class. I stood before two Pastors, family and friends who “listened” to me preach. Afterwards, I was told I did well and made much of Jesus. I was also told areas of improvement based on the opinion of those who...
Preaching has always had a long and storied history in Christian Church. From the Apostles to the present day, preachers have declared the good news that Jesus saves, sanctifies and is going to glorify a people for His own possession and praise. A new book,...