Dear Aunt Tracy: The Great End Time Debate Clarified for Busy Homemakers and Teens
Questions and answers about the millennium and about how to interpret OT prophecies of the coming Kingdom of God.
The question of the millennium is like the tip of an iceberg: All sorts of interesting materials lie hidden beneath the surface. This becomes especially clear when we take a quick look at the three main views of the end times popular among Christians today: Historic Premillennialism, Dispensational Premillennialism, and Amillennialism. Actually, Aunt Tracy... Continue Reading
“Knee”hemiah
A church moves forward on its knees.
“Remember me, O my God, for good” (Neh. 13:31). This prayer is reminiscent of the psalm of Moses to “establish the work of our hands” (Ps. 90:17). Nehemiah shows us two things for the work God has given His church. One, he shows us pervasive prayer as the animating feature of kingdom building. Two, he... Continue Reading
Grace Now and Not Yet
Like the Old Testament saints, we too are looking forward to the revelation of Jesus.
Jesus’ second coming will be a revelation. He will appear. We shall see him as he is for we too shall be made like him (1 John 3:2). He will reveal His person in the full majesty of His glory. He shall descend in the same way that He ascended—visibly and upon clouds of glory... Continue Reading
Guidance and the Guide
God will almost certainly take us to places and along paths that we would never have chosen for ourselves.
The Bible makes it clear that guidance is not merely about the instructions God gives by way of direction for our life. Fundamentally it is all about our relationship with him as our Guide. There seems to be a never-ending market in Christian circles for books on guidance. The reason for this, of course,... Continue Reading
Sanctification: An Introduction
Our growth in holiness is fundamentally not the result of our own effort or inherent ability to tend toward righteousness.
The important thing to remember during those days of spiritual difficulty and genuine struggle against sin is that one is not striving to become a saint. That person is already a saint because God has marked him for his own and therefore has brought him to salvation. That discouraged and beaten down Christian can look... Continue Reading
Laziness Is Profoundly Unchristian
How Free Grace Awakens Hard Work
Overcoming laziness is well within the normal scope of what God is pleased to do by the power of his Spirit in the work of sanctification. We may not be born again with a new work ethic in full form. We may still wrestle with all sorts of poor patterns from our past and upbringing... Continue Reading
Patience and Maturity
If maturity was the great goal of the apostles' ministry, then it ought to be a goal in our lives as well
We have a culture that is image-focused and impulsive, which is contrary to disciplines that are required to produce character. Consequently, we have a society that does not produce many men and women of character. There are few individuals whose moral integrity make them stand out from the crowd and are worthy of emulation. ... Continue Reading
What Is the Great Gain of Godliness? (1 Timothy 6)
The good life is in godly contentment, not in the acquisition of more possessions and wealth.
Godly contentment is a means of great gain because its satisfaction is based not on the gifts but on the Giver. It is not constantly and insatiably seeking for more. It understands that man brings nothing into this world and can take nothing out. Therefore, believers should not act as if material possessions were the... Continue Reading
Wisdom Versus Law—What’s the Difference?
It is lawful, but is it wise?
Wisdom sayings and admonitions are not law commands per se, although keeping God’s law is surely wise. Mostly, we prefer laws since they tell us what to do. Wisdom, on the other hand, takes more effort, so we tend to shy away from learning how the world works and the reasons, benefits, and purposes of... Continue Reading
Secular Worldview
The ends justify the means.
Secular religion [is] dominated by the central doctrine of pluralism, which D. A. Carson describes: “Any notion that a particular ideological or religious claim is intrinsically superior to another is necessarily wrong. The only absolute creed is the creed of pluralism. No religion has the right to pronounce itself right or true, and the others... Continue Reading
