Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.-- Galatians 2:10

One of the strangest developments of late in the ongoing scrums over the orthodoxy or heterodoxy of "social justice" is the shifts in understanding by various evangelical tribes and movements of...

It’s no secret online theological education is booming. At theological institutions across North America, the number of online students rises consistently. As a seminarian in the twenty-first century, I’m immensely grateful for the flexibility and freedom online education affords. As a...

"I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not."-- Jeremiah 33:3

There are different translations of these words. One version renders it, "I will shew thee great and fortified things." Another, "Great and reserved things." Now, there are reserved and special things...

Did you know that Jesus spoke more about money than any other topic? That’s right. In fact, sixteen of Christ’s thirty-eight parables reference our handling of earthly treasure. In the Gospels, one out of every ten verses when Jesus is speaking addresses money. As John Piper observed,...

During an extremely stressful time in my life and ministry, I discovered some old files I’d saved for future sermons. I must have done some research into Jonathan Edwards because my notes included a list of resolutions he wrote as a teenager. Here’s what I wrote:

Between ages 19 and 20,...

The New Testament is conspicuously silent with respect to details on church governance and decision-making. Jesus never used the word pastor, bishop or deacon, and, in fact, never mentioned any office of the church. He did not offer instructions on the responsibilities of an elder. He never...

The elementary school was electric with energy as I walked my middle child to her class.  Teachers were excited, kids were running around, some people even looked lost, too! I could tell the teachers were looking forward to a new year, and so were the kids.  

I grew up with...

When the whirlwind of questions come to you about various hot-button social issues, where do you turn?

If we’re honest, we’re often tempted to strike a deal, blending our biblical conviction with what’s culturally palatable. It’s tempting to try to salute the contemporary...

I sit with a friend over breakfast, our table squeezed in among other pairs of diners. We reach across to one another and hold hands for a brief moment. She has tears in her eyes and I have tears in mine, both of us tired and both of us broken over the state of things. She tells me her heaviness...

“. . .the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; just as you learned it from...

Our doorbell rang. As rare an occasion as it was, I got up from the dinner table and walked toward the door. My step hitched halfway to the door as I realized it was likely a child selling something. Too late. I opened the door and a high schooler stood in front of me, fundraising for his...

There’s an abundance of worship songs about being in the presence of God and I have a deep appreciation for many of them.

I grew up being taught to stiff-arm the Holy Spirit a bit in worship gatherings, but I now have a great desire to walk deeper down the path of having an...

Covenant Vows

Wendy Alsup writes about the cost and reward of covenant vows. She explains the occasions that warrant a vow and shares the promises of God in vows.

3 Barriers Keeping The Disabled From Church

There may be obvious barriers that keep someone who is disabled from being involved in a...

"Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe."-- John 4:48

A craving after marvels was a symptom of the sickly state of men's minds in our Lord's day; they refused solid nourishment, and pined after mere wonder. The gospel which they so greatly needed they would not have; the miracles which...

I long to rest, and yet I look for it where it can’t be found. I seek damning pleasures to give me rest. Glamorous and glory-seeking idols trap my attention and promise me a good night’s sleep if I only kiss their feet. Success, strength, intelligence, and a thousand other things...

Checklists are nice things. They help me stay focused. They help me feel accomplished. They can motive me and drive me. I love to use checklists in my day to day life because they assure me I am staying on task and making progress.

But checklists don’t work for everything. I can’t...

Find the source.

It’s a good practice in most areas of life. If you have water in your basement, don’t just clean up the water. Find the source of where it’s coming in. If you have ants in your kitchen, don’t just spray the ants. Find the source of where they’re gaining...

The Scripture is the Word of God (Luke 11:28, Heb 4:12). This simple declaration implies the Bible is not only a collection of sixty-six distinct books but also is, in a very real sense, one book, the Word of God. God superintended the human authors so that they wrote just what he...

Much of my adult life has been spent as a staff member in various ministry contexts. I’ve served with and under leaders who I’ve not known very well and others who I consider a part of my own family. In both scenarios, the greatest challenge I’ve faced is how to rightly frame...

Years ago I discovered a website that allows you to set goals and stake a sum of money on them. If you fail to keep the commitment, your money will go to a charity you don't support.

This unusual style of motivation illustrates an important truth about human behavior: the more we invest in...

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how I pray and this prompted two questions.

First, “How did I learn to pray?” I mostly learned how to pray from listening to people I respected in church, at home, or over a meal at a restaurant. The reason I found this question important...

I was a fresh graduate from seminary, with a number of years of ministry already under my belt. I also had an extremely high view of myself.

I approached the senior pastor of the church where I’d been hired recently and asked to be ordained. He was excited and put together a council of pastors...

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” – Matthew 7:13-14

There are many today who believe that...

True grace gives us the backbone to stand up for God’s purpose in the world. We become willing to suffer for the cause of Christ because Christ is the center of all human history. He’s the only thing ultimately worth living for. Spreading his gospel of freedom is worth all the bondage...

God isn't calling gay people to be straight.
You’d think He was by listening to the ways Christians try to encourage same-sex-attracted people within, or outside, their local churches. They dangle the possibility of heterosexual marriage above their heads, point to it like...