Pastoral wisdom is applying the whole counsel of God according to the actual needs of a particular people and place.…some concerns recur again and again because some dangers really are more universal. The Apostles knew how to distinguish between what was pressing here, what was pressing there, and what was pressing everywhere.   A recent... Continue Reading

When our dwelling place is in God, our humble works take their place in the grand project that is called God’s Kingdom, and the Church of Jesus Christ. Whatever you’re doing, do it for him.   September is a time for work. Maybe you had a great summer, but now it is back to class.... Continue Reading

If you belong to Him, you have work to do. The very areas of life where you have allowed sin to grow are places where you must now learn to obey your King and pray His Kingdom victory will come as it already is in heaven.   Across New England, which boasts one of the... Continue Reading

Many of those who argue against the doctrines of grace today are not Arminians and do not claim to be. Their position denies the inability that Calvinists and Arminians alike have always confessed, and on that point it conflicts with what the church insisted upon at Orange in 529, that the beginning of faith requires... Continue Reading

We tend to think that the more stuff we have, the more experiences we get, or the more success we have, the happier we will become. But happiness doesn’t work linearly. We often get to one milestone only to have despair crash down upon us again. We worry about everything and nothing; we envy the... Continue Reading

“Abraham saw Sodom destroyed and lost nothing, but Lot lost everything. Only his life was spared. Abraham brought the world blessing, but Lot brought trouble into the world…” (Warren Wiersbe).   Here the story turns to what we might call certification: through two events God grows Abraham—sanctifies him, as we would say in a New... Continue Reading

History has shown that the church has often been most potent when she has been the least impressive—when she has been faithful, suffering, and humble. And this, far from being a flaw in the Master’s design, has actually been a feature, a wisely chosen means of ensuring that human boasting is removed and glory, honour,... Continue Reading

God defines who we are. He calls us His sons and daughters, and the trials we walked through with Him were the means to reinforcing or awakening that true and complete definition. When we experience those trials, we are stripped of all those things we might have trusted in…and we find our true and lasting... Continue Reading

The church has an incredible opportunity to meet the felt needs of the “spiritual but not religious” who are seeking something bigger than themselves and can’t seem to find it.   Over the past three years, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard someone say something like “I believe in God, but I’m... Continue Reading

Romans 8 teaches that the Incarnation is the foundation of the Christian’s hope of glory. The eternal Son entered our fallen condition, condemned sin, secured our adoption, sustained us through suffering, and guaranteed our future inheritance. Because God has already given His Son, His saving purpose cannot fail.   Every year Christians celebrate the birth... Continue Reading

Bigger issues about the theology, polity, or direction of the church might require a longer attempt at getting alignment. Not all decisions carry equal weight. The challenge is to figure out how to weigh them.   The Case It’s been three months with no decision. The longest serving elder, Nathan, believes that the church should... Continue Reading

There are people trying to perform day after day— Christian leaders trying to preach a wonderful sermon every week, parents trying to produce lovely children, workers putting in long hours at work—all in a desperate attempt to prove themselves. Some weeks they feel like they’ve pulled it off; other weeks it seems so fragile—as though... Continue Reading

For many, building wealth is the pathway to self-actualization. More resources expand your choices, and therefore your freedom. Others see wealth as its own bondage. Your life becomes walled-in by money-management and all the people vying for their place in your decisions. Such contradictions lead us to conclude that the pursuit of freedom is none... Continue Reading

Taking the understanding of the selected text as a given, the great thing for the preacher to ask is, ‘What is the text saying, that my people need to hear, hopefully without me getting in the way?’ This may be best done without a manuscript. Or at least no more than a page of key... Continue Reading

There must be no false modesty here. No pretending that sex is not powerful, or important. The father speaks candidly to his son about sex and says: this is how to have it; this is the way it will be good. There is no question that some effort is required. This path involves “discipline” and... Continue Reading

Jesus will reiterate and expound upon the imminence of His earthly departure (John 16:16-20) and what it will mean for those who follow Him. But the tribulation they will face is tempered with joy because it is not the final word. The final word is spoken at the resurrection and the glory to come. Here... Continue Reading

It’s entirely possible to build a whole life of good works for a Jesus you are barely spending any time with. It looks like maturity from the outside, but from the inside, it’s a branch running on reserve water, still green for now, but wondering why it feels so dry.   Earlier in the year,... Continue Reading

The truth is that God is sovereign and He is in control no matter how difficult the circumstances may seem. Scripture affirms this truth over and over. Our problem sometimes is that we focus on the circumstances and merely glance toward God, when we should be focusing on God and glancing at the circumstances.  ... Continue Reading

Every age believes it has outgrown idolatry. Every age is wrong. Every age tells itself a story about reality. Our neighbors are no less religious than the Athenians. Their temples simply look different. Their liturgies are often political rather than priestly. Their idols are more sophisticated than carved stone. But they are no less incapable... Continue Reading

Every false god puts his servants upon the altar, but the Gospel shows us the Master already lying there. We do not climb onto the altar to atone for ourselves. Christ has done that once for all. We climb onto it alive, pardoned, and wholly His, not to purchase mercy, but because mercy purchased us.... Continue Reading