Memorial PCA in St. Louis Hosts LGBT Arts Festival
Should a PCA church host a “short-play festival and celebration of transgender, agender, non-binary, genderqueer, and genderfluid artists”?
According to the event announcement accessed on Thursday, the Q Collective, which is an LGBT group “exploring the spectrum of gender, sexuality, and romantic orientation,” hosted its 2nd annual Transluminate Arts Festival at The Chapel of Memorial Presbyterian Church on consecutive nights, February 27 – March 1. Should a PCA church host a “short-play... Continue Reading
What Should We Be Doing About The Coronavirus?
A challenge to churches to minister in their community, family and church if the Coronavirus strikes.
Since Jesus came to earth and healed people Christians have loved lepers, victims of the plague, people dying of HIV-Aids. Some believers died doing acts of tender mercy to those who died with no one close, no one to pray or sing over them. They put their lives on the line because they knew that... Continue Reading
Why Knowing Your Flock is Critical to Meaningful Preaching
Do you know what is going on in the lives of your congregation, and does it move you, grieve you?
Knowing firsthand your flock’s misguided financial, career, and familial hopes will help you know how to preach. It will help you pick the right texts and the right emphases in explicating those texts. This is what makes preaching a ministry, and not simply an exercise. The preacher paced the stage, staring earnestly out into... Continue Reading
What We Need to Learn About Prayer From the Early Church
A mark of true discipleship is being in constant communication with God through prayer.
Throughout the book of Acts, God uses prayer as a means to achieve His ends. In almost every case, prayer precedes powerful works. First, prayer precedes the filling of the Holy Spirit. The coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:3 is directly tied to the devoted prayer of the disciples in Acts 1:14. Luke... Continue Reading
10 Things You Should Know about the Priesthood
As we wait for the full descent of heaven to earth, we live as God’s priests—the body of Christ.
Our story as priests aims for the time when Christ will unite all things in himself (Eph 1:10). The heavenly Holy of Holies will descend to earth (Rev 21:2-3), and “the dwelling place of God [will fully be] with man.” Awe and intimacy, which are ours now in Christ, will be ours even more. ... Continue Reading
Manhood Ceremony for a Boy Becoming a Man
For Christians, this can be a wonderful opportunity to stimulate a young man or woman toward Christian maturity.
“Coming of age” ceremonies are not unique in the history of humankind, of course. Various communities around the world and throughout time have marked the transition of a child into an adult with rituals and ceremonies, possibly the most well-known of these being the Bar Mitzvah in Jewish communities. Historically, age thirteen is when a... Continue Reading
Our Family Story
“It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others.”
In one of his many books, Spurgeon made a comment well worth hearing. It comes from the preface to his book on commentaries. He had written this book to convince pastors of the need to use commentaries and to engage in deep study for their sermon preparation. Spurgeon well knew the value of reading for... Continue Reading
Acts 29 CEO Removed Amid ‘Accusations of Abusive Leadership’
Steve Timmis was acclaimed for his model of close church community. But former members claim that inside The Crowded House, he resorted to bullying and control.
“People were and are afraid of Steve Timmis,” said Andy Stovell, a former elder who led alongside him for 14 years at The Crowded House in Sheffield. Fifteen people who served under Timmis described to Christianity Today a pattern of spiritual abuse through bullying and intimidation, overbearing demands in the name of mission and discipline, rejection of... Continue Reading
Suffering: God’s Mysterious Means for Spreading the Gospel
Are you ready to endure fiery trials or will you avoid them at all costs?
As western society moves further away from Biblical standards, we who are devoted to Jesus will become more obvious. We will be an increasingly bright light in an increasingly dark world. This is good news, really, because the hope of the gospel and the glory of God will be revealed. Where is your hope? Is it... Continue Reading
Protestants To Take Catholic Communion At Calvin’s Cathedral In Geneva On Leap Year Day
In a first since the Reformation era, Protestants are set to receive communion during a Catholic mass at a historic Cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland, John Calvin's adopted home.
Emmanuel Fuchs, president of the Protestant Church in Geneva and a pastor in Saint-Pierre, added that the invitation indicates that “the climate in Geneva is extremely favorable and fruitful with the Roman Catholic Church. We have made notable progress in terms of ecumenism, especially with the Joint Declaration, signed in 2017, which recognizes our respective... Continue Reading
