When People Grow Slowly
When it comes to a Christian’s growth in christlikeness, many of us are more like the oak than the bamboo.
People can see our growth, perhaps. But they can’t usually see us growing. That slow growth can cause us to ruffle each other’s feathers at times. That Christian friend of ours seems to never be able to grow out of that struggle. It’s been years, and that believer in the church can’t quite get traction in... Continue Reading
The Second Great Awakening
Revivals and awakenings are part of the warp and woof of not only American Christianity but also global Christianity.
Finney instituted the altar call, pleading during that prolonged service for sinners to come forward, kneel at the bench before the platform, confess their sins, and be saved. The New Measures were necessarily bound to Finney’s theology, which was also not only new but an intentional and decided departure from the Calvinism and from the... Continue Reading
When It Happens Among Us…
The unspeakable, which normally takes place far from the door-step of denominations like the OPC, has kicked in the door and left carnage: a race-inspired shooting, death and destruction.
There is no defense for such an act. There is no justification. No explicitly Christian theology can ever justify such terror mingled with anti-Semitism or other racial bias and sin. Orthodox Presbyterians know this is not the norm. Racial bias and violence are not taught explicitly or implicitly from its pulpits (at least not in... Continue Reading
Metaphors and Membership: How Biblical Metaphors for the Church Require Church Membership
The Bible unfurls the relationship between the church and its members with a series of metaphors.
If we unpack all of what Scripture teaches about the local church, we’ll find that church membership is in fact in every nook and cranny of the New Testament. In that light, I want to focus on just one aspect of how Scripture talks about the church—the images of the church—and consider how these metaphors... Continue Reading
Discipling Younger Men: A Personal Testimony
Below is a recap of each of the ten principles that were given over the last couple of weeks, illustrated by a Paul/Timothy relationship that the Lord has given to me.
When studying for my presentation, I wrote this this section of notes last because I did not want to view my study of Scripture through the eyes of my own experience. After completing my study of Paul and Timothy and coming to my conclusions, I thought I’d look at my own life to see if... Continue Reading
John Newton on Hearing Sermons
What a beautiful picture of how God works through His ministers.
Newton reminds his reader that ministers of the Gospel have a diversity of gifts from the Spirit. Check this: Some are more happy in alarming the careless, other in administering consolation to the wounded conscience. Some are set more especially for the establishment and confirmation of the Gospel doctrines; others are skillful in solving casuistical points.... Continue Reading
Christian Adoption Agency Reverses Policy, Will Place Kids With ‘LGBT’ Couples
Michigan’s largest Christian adoption agency will place children in homes of “LGBTQ” couples if they want to continue receiving taxpayer funding.
Bethany Christian Services, a global nonprofit founded in Michigan in 1944 that currently operates in 35 U.S. states, has announced it will facilitate the placement of foster care children into gay and lesbian households in Michigan. The change will not impact other contracts the organization is currently is engaged in. GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, (LifeSiteNews)... Continue Reading
What is the Disagreement on Same-Sex Attraction About?
It would be helpful to define each of these positions to understand where and why they differ.
Each of these three views affirms that sexual desire (lust) constitutes sin. But view 1 understands all SSA to include sexual desire and therefore to see all of it as sin. View 2 agrees with view 1 on the sinfulness of sexual desire. Yet view 2 emphasizes that SSA is a fallen condition that will sometimes... Continue Reading
Pastor in Progress: Four Marks of a Faithful Servant
Good servants of Jesus teach in public the truth they have come to believe personally.
Healthy pulpits are aided by the pastor’s personal health in the private presence of God. To be sure, a pastor may preach a good sermon on Sunday, and fail to apply or experience the truth personally. This why Baxter warned his readers against “build[ing] up an hour or two with your mouths, and all week... Continue Reading
How the Lord’s Supper Reminds Me of the Lord’s Grip
Religious routines absent intimacy with God rot our souls, but the faithful practice of corporate worship fueled by God’s Spirit produces enduring joy.
Even on the days we don’t feel like it, we show up for worship. Even when we’ve lost our song, we sing through the tears. Even when our kids would rather do something else, we lead the way back into the community of faith. Even when the Devil accuses us, we reject isolation and unite... Continue Reading
