The math of missions doesn’t add up.

If about 7,000 people groups are unreached, and there are as many as 350,000 evangelical churches in the U.S. alone, that if each church sent just one missionary, every people group could be engaged.

True, statistics never tell the complete story. As a...

At what point, if ever, does a persistent pattern of pornography warrant church discipline?

It’s an all-too-familiar scene. They’re sitting right across from you: their shoulders sag, their head hangs low in shame. If you can even see their eyes, you notice they look empty and exhausted.

B...

“After all, a family car is not just a car. It is a whole culture... The car (is) much like a living room with large windows on street level or the front yard.” (The Guardian, November 22, 2013)

Only a few years ago my wife was picking up my eldest son from kindergarten. He climbed in...

We live in a society that continually measures the depth of love based on the pleasure and comfort that someone or something brings.

I love chocolate. I love this mattress. I love this movie. I love my spouse (until I don’t). I love my job.

Love is an emotion for many of us, and by using...

Forgiveness is central to our experience as Christians. It is at the heart of our relationship with God and our relationship with others. Jesus talks about forgiveness a lot and even inscribes it on the template for our prayers (Matt. 6:9-13). At the same time, forgiveness is hard. It’s...

The scene is astonishing. Jesus has just given his magnum opus, the Sermon on the Mount. The people are amazed at his teaching. He begins to walk down the mountain, and great crowds follow him. His teaching ministry coupled with his healing ministry seems to make many wonder if he is...

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. – Psalm 84:11

Psalm 84 is about the heart of a true worshiper. It reads like a Song of Ascent (Psalms 120-134). But it is actually a song of trust. It is a...

Or maybe I should have led with, “You’re Alive, Start Living Like It!” Both are true. At least, that’s what Paul argues in his short gospel-rich book to the Colossian believers.

As the fragmentation of our modern, Western culture breaks its banks and washes sediment into our...

We all want to see the people in our churches bear fruit. We want to see our churches filled with people who are filled with the character of Jesus. We want our people to do good works for the glory of God. So, the question many of us ask on a regular basis is: How can we as pastors,...

How do we preach toward good evangelistic engagement? If, as many younger evangelicals of the gospel-centered persuasion believe, we aren’t to turn our Sunday service into a seeker-targeted evangelistic event, in what sense might the sermon time fuel the missional impulse in our churches to...

Recently we sat with a dear brother and kept watch with his family and friends as he walked the narrow road from this life to the next. We listened to sacred breaths. The curtain between this world and the other so thin, blowing gently in the silence. Time has run out and we could not make it stay...

Slow Down, Weary Mom

Chelsea Stanley writes about the daily struggle of caring for children and how moms can grow in the ways that they die to themselves to love their kids.

Trendiness, Busyness, and Biblical Illiteracy

In this interview with Andreas Köstenberger, he shares what happens when...

"In thy light shall we see light."-- Psalm 36:9

No lips can tell the love of Christ to the heart till Jesus himself shall speak within. Descriptions all fall flat and tame unless the Holy Ghost fills them with life and power; till our Immanuel reveals himself within, the soul sees him not. If you...

“Scripture lays out the qualifications for an elder that he must be ‘given to hospitality.’ How is that seen in your life?”

This question is always asked in our presbytery exams early on in the process of examining a man to be a teaching elder. We take seriously the biblical...

How should Christians engage on social media? We have all seen the carnage. A poorly worded tweet brings confusion; a sharply worded one alienates. The Proverbs tell us much about the tongue, and many of its punchiest verses are applicable to our social media usage. As Christians, we are to bring...

Editor's Note: The following is a review of Islam and North America: Loving our Muslim Neighbors, a newly released title from B&H Academic, compiled and edited by Micah Fries and Keith Whitfield. The volume is available today from Amazon or wherever books are sold.

Every year on September...

I have scars.

These are not just metaphorical scars - they tell a story of my journey down the road of self-hatred. I have them on my chest, my jawline, and my cheeks. These scars are from when I had severe acne when I was in high school and college. "Acne." I hate that word.

My struggle...

Place matters. A person and a people’s story is impossible to understand apart from their place of origin and life lived in a place. They learn their way in a place, they show their way in a place, and they make decisions to be in a place. We see this in the Lord Jesus Christ. He himself was...

I am terrible at asking for help. Some people don’t ask for help because they don’t want to inconvenience others. But me? I don’t ask for help because I truly believe that I am capable of handling everything. I like to be the one who has it all together. I give an excessive amount...

“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered,...

I remember the first time I ever sat in a small group setting. It was easy. Show up just before it starts, grab a donut, a Styrofoam cup and some Folgers, find a seat, and get ready to listen. The content? Mostly helpful. The expectations? Minimal. At least they were until Mrs. Billy Jo Mayo...

When our family moved to Nashville from an 850 square-foot New York City apartment, we had hoped for more living space, but not toomuch more. We had grown accustomed to smaller quarters, which drew us together and helped us live more simply. So, we asked our realtor to find us a modest house...

It's becoming a common trope on social media -- certain figures who spend an inordinate amount of time arguing, picking fights, insulting other Christians or mocking them with scathing sarcasm or silly memes, when reprimanded, citing the biblical prophets, Paul's harsh words for heretics,...

Our family vacation could not have arrived at a better time.

I was feeling worn out, discouraged, and depleted from the daily grind. Day in and day out, each 24-hour period seemed packed to the brim with activities, work, and other commitments. There never seemed to be enough time in the day to see...

Five Ways to Improve at Encouraging One Another and Building Each Other Up

Jared Musgrove explains the need for encouragement and provides specific and practical ways that the church can love and encourage one another. 

Needed: Word-Spreading Women

Women should be sharing the good news of the...