Be Fearful, Not Afraid
Christians have a choice when it comes to fear. Will you fear people or will you ultimately fear God?
The Bible unveils many examples of people who feared others at the expense of fearing God. Like cowards, we all at times find a corner in which to hide. I’m convinced that the desire to protect oneself, or even others, is at the core of why we become trapped by the snares of others’ approval,... Continue Reading
Confessions A Reader’s Guide to a Christian Classic
Augustine’s concerns are so common that they are always contemporary, and his answers are so ancient that they have endured.
Like a cartographer charting unknown territory, Augustine’s search for rest in God leads him to map his present inner life. Seeking the image of God in his memory, the “innermost part of his soul” (10.25.36), Augustine discovers a still “wounded heart” (10.41.66) desperate for healing. Conscious of this tragic woundedness deep within the self, Augustine... Continue Reading
Endurance
We want this winter to feel more like a Park Run than my cross-country experience from school days.
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all active participants in our lives this winter. The world will tell us to look within and to find in ourselves the resolute fortitude to keep pressing on. This is simply not enough. Maybe the world can give a taste of the mutual support that a community... Continue Reading
How the Pew Can Help the Pulpit
Any church can have good preaching if they take care of their pastor and encourage him.
Sometimes pastors struggle in preaching because they don’t take their pulpit work seriously. Others struggle in preaching because they struggle alone. But good preaching is a partnership between pastor and congregation, pulpit and pew, the one who preaches and the one who listens. The pastor preaches to help those in the pew. But the congregation can and... Continue Reading
Pray for Success
The greatest success in this life is that our eyes would be opened to know Christ as He truly is according to His Word.
The Lord has given such spiritual success to some. Are we praying for this success in many more? Are we calling the world to faith in Christ with the expectation that the Lord will indeed bring success? May the Lord Jesus Christ grant success to His Word that the eyes of the blind might see... Continue Reading
God’s Providence Applied in Our Lives
Could it be that God’s providence arranged for you to come across this article so that you would be converted and follow Christ?
Christians should be eternal optimists. Heidelberg Catechism 28 says that the doctrine of providence encourages us to “place our firm trust in our faithful God and Father.” Literally, the Dutch reads, “have a good expectation.” Child of God, do you have a good expectation for your future? The hand of our Father rules the world,... Continue Reading
Proclaim, Promote, Protect!
Let us not give in to lies, even if very popular lies, but contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Contend wisely, contend with love, contend without malice, but contend earnestly with zeal, truth, and boldness that the weak might not be deceived and the deceivers might not be wise in their own conceit. The tried and true way to protect the faith is to know the faith. You will quickly stumble if you are... Continue Reading
The Lost We Love the Most: Evangelism to Friends and Family
What if the situation with our lost loved one is more dynamic than Satan would have us believe?
One of the reasons we feel stuck in our evangelism may be that we’ve wrongly narrowed down our task to sharing a message about how to be saved. That message is crucial and central, but if it’s all we have to share, and we’ve already shared it, and it’s already been rejected, we might feel... Continue Reading
Restricted Yet Advancing
Cancellations, altered plans, and even persecution can still yield a harvest of good for those who purpose their lives according to God’s will.
Typically a prisoner is the recipient of comfort and encouragement from those closest to him. Yet, Paul gave both to his brothers and sisters in Christ, as he was more concerned about the progression of the gospel than the trials of his own life circumstances. What an example! Unlike Paul, we often live in a very small world, reduced... Continue Reading
Church Small Talk Was More Important Than I Thought
We’re not best friends; we’re friends who talk at church. Except we don’t, anymore.
Sometimes in the church we are quick to emphasize the particularly intimate friendships that grow in small groups, mentoring relationships, or accountability partnerships. These are vital connections indeed. But it would be a mistake to also conclude that just because a relationship isn’t close it isn’t important. I have a friend at church whom... Continue Reading
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