This morning I have been listening to seminary lectures on Bible interpretation. I’ve been doing this from the enjoyment of my church office, with a cup of coffee and a space heater warming up the room. During a break, I saw that 21 Egyptian Christians were just beheaded by Islamic terrorists. They died for being…
The Fruitfulness of Thankfulness
Have you ever met a spoiled kid who was the epitome of unthankfulness? You know, the kid who never says “thank you” for anything. He always wants and expects something, but never shows gratitude when he receives it. He has an air of entitlement. The more gifts he gets, the more entitled he feels. Does…
The Earlier, the Purer?
There is a trend among Bible School and Seminary students these days of being enamored with the early Church. Perhaps it is in response to the sense that there is discontinuity between our churches today and the Church in history. Or, in a day and age when doctrinal divides and denominational allegiances reign, maybe the…
Disease, War, Freedom of Religion, and “The Briefing”
A quick scan through the major headlines these days is overwhelming. The Ebola outbreak is spreading faster than efforts to contain it. War is ongoing in the Middle East and is rising in the Ukraine. Freedom of religion in the United States is under attack from seemingly all sides. My tendency is to respond to…
The Progress of Repentance (Part 3)
SCENE ONE: John Seeks Counsel John is a church member who has been struggling with a besetting sin. He is meeting with an elder in the church for counsel and the elder defines repentance for him this way: “Repentance is a turning away from sin to God that is motivated by love for God and…
The Heart of Repentance (Part 2)
A broken and a contrite heart. Laughter turned to mourning. Godly sorrow. There is no repentance in your life if these things aren’t happening in your heart. EXPERIENCING WORLDLY SORROW It’s possible to have sorrow for sin that doesn’t please God. There is a type of brokenness that won’t lead to repentance. Paul called it…
Have I Repented and Am I Repenting? (Part 1)
In Jesus’ letters to the seven churches, there’s a recurring phrase: 2:5 – Repent, and do the works you did at first. 2:5 – I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 2:16 – Therefore repent. 2:21 – I gave her time to repent. 2:22 – I will…
How to Die Spiritually
We are in a sermon series titled “Ears to Hear” from Revelation 2-3. On Sunday I preached a message titled “Dead or Alive” from 3:1-6. Sardis was a church that looked alive but was actually dead. It had all the appearances of life and health – activities, programs, meetings. Churches in other cities looked at…
The Gospel in Joshua
I just finished reading through the Old Testament book of Joshua. This book traces Israel’s conquest of and settlement in the promised land under the leadership of Moses’ successor Joshua, and God has much to say about the Gospel to us through it. These are just two themes I took away from my reading of…
Different, Not Divisive
All Christians should agree on the inspiration of Scripture and the hope of salvation through the person and work of Jesus Christ. No Christian should ever dispute such key spiritual realities as these. But there is a host of other spiritual matters upon which we can have a difference of opinion and still be good…