Last year I had an encounter with Scripture that got me thinking about my habits in a whole new...
The Gospel and the Church
Why I Am Blogging Through Job
Last year I started blogging through the book of Job, one chapter each week. While the basic plot...
Three Important Dimensions of Academic Writing
Editors Note: This is part three of a three part series from Dr. Andreas Kostenberger. To read Dr....
When Speaking About Jesus’ Bride
It has become all too common for men and women to attack the church for all of the ways in which they believe that the church has failed. Almost every day professing believers rant online about the failures of “the evangelical church,” “the Reformed church,” “the...
Preacher, Feeling Good is Overrated
“Feeling good is overrated.” Those were the words of a sports psychologist speaking to a group of athletes. He was explaining that focusing on feeling good to perform well is problematic for any athlete. Occasionally, an athlete feels excellent, is in the zone, and...
Young Men, Aspire to Be Elders
Young men, aspire to be elders. 1 Timothy 3:1, “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” In the coming weeks, a lot of Christian college students will be moving into their dorms. Some will be headed out the door...
The Local Church and Orphan Care
In his book, Orphan Justice, Johnny Carr says, “To our God, taking care of orphans isn’t just a great idea. It’s critical. Why? Because every man, woman, boy, and girl—including orphaned and vulnerable children—has been created in God’s image and is precious to him.”...
The Need for Biblical Community in the Local Church
Recently Mark Zuckerberg the founder and CEO of Facebook said that he views Facebook as a church. The problem with Mark’s statement is that there is no way Facebook could ever be a New Testament church. The Bible prescribes that the local church is to preach the Word,...
Domestic Abuse and the Church
One in four women. Those are the startling national statics for cases of intimate partner violence. For many of us within the church, those numbers reveal just how desperately our world needs Jesus, but we fail to realize that domestic violence is a serious problem...
Don’t Theologize or Spiritualize Ministry Mediocrity
I believe in the primacy of Christ-centered expository preaching in the life of the church. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asserted in his classic book, Preaching, and Preachers, “I would say without any hesitation that the most urgent need in the Christian Church today is...
Extraordinarily Ordinary: Finding Success in the Simple Rhythms of Life
In high school, I was voted “most likely to become a rock star.” Okay, let me nuance that a bit; I wanted to become a musician. I wanted to play music, travel, and make money. I desired to be successful and make a name for myself. I had dreams and goals of making it...
Welcome One Another: Five Ways to Show Hospitality at Church
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 was...
Resetting Ministry Priorities with a Laser-Like Focus on Faithfulness to the Gospel
Recently I was in ministry leadership meeting at my local church. During this meeting, it struck me how many of the words out of the participant's mouths, including my own, focused on how many people were coming to our events. There’s nothing wrong with trying to...
Go Back to the Local Church
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...
When Christians Hurt You
As the culture war rages on, there is another battle raging to which we must turn our attention. When I was a boy, my dad would sometimes tell me, “No one will hurt you so much as others in the church.” In my lifetime, this has generally proven to be true. Believers...