God brings glory to himself in our lives by sanctifying us—by making us more like Jesus Christ in the inner man so we can act more like Jesus in the outer man. God means to have a witness in this world, and though Christ has ascended, he has left us here to act as his... Continue Reading

When Paul wrote his letters, many of the issues he dealt with were not outlined in the Old Testament Scriptures he had in front of him. He wrote about meat sacrificed to idols, about speaking in tongues, and about a man who slept with his stepmother, none of which were dealt with directly in another... Continue Reading

Do you give your mind a chance to free itself from the shock and horror of the news, the way in which advertising infects you with envy, and the banality of much of modern culture? As never before in human history, our minds are under assault.     So, what do you think about? What... Continue Reading

After celebrating God’s word, David responds with a prayer. “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults” (Psalm 19:12). The word of God doesn’t merely inform us; it actually exposes us (Hebrews 4:12-13). It reveals our sin, hidden motives and our need for God’s mercy. Yet this is precisely why God’s word... Continue Reading

Take these simple, five-word sentences and share them with one another.   Did you know that five words can change your life? Paul says that he’d rather speak five intelligible words than ten thousand unintelligible words. And whether he meant that literally or figuratively, it is amazing how spot on this is. To speak with... Continue Reading

The founding of America. The shaping of Europe. We still live in a world that bears the imprint of Whitefield and the Great Awakening. The question is, for how long? Very few people today know who George Whitefield was. The message he preached is becoming decreasingly familiar. Men have forgotten Whitefield. Now they are forgetting... Continue Reading

The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to look away from ourselves and up to God. It teaches us to put God at the center and ourselves at the periphery.  And this is the great secret: When we do this, we find happiness. We are miserable because we put ourselves first. When we don’t get what we... Continue Reading

Pain can create spiritual amnesia. To avoid sinning in suffering, we need to be reminded of who God is. One of the ordinary means God has given us to fight sin and remember his character week in and week out is through gathering with the local church. There was a time during our wait for... Continue Reading

Get up and go to Bethel. God is waiting there. If you will turn in humility, confession, and repentance to Him, He will help you.   What do you do when your life or your family is in a terrible tangle? When everything is out of sorts? When the problem is insurmountable and the solutions... Continue Reading

The Lord has gifted you with an instrument, your voice. Raise it up in faithful adoration and praise, and use it to His glory. Its result will be for your good.   The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. —Psalm... Continue Reading

The apostles are Christ’s instruments and organs for the fulfillment of revelation. As a second Mosaic ministry they share in establishing Christ Himself. Together with Him they constitute the rock, the foundation, the pillars of the church, of which Paul is the last.   While this suggestion might strike you as quite strange, even irresponsible,... Continue Reading

Scripture gives no indication that natural winsomeness or comfort before people marks the gift of teaching. This warns those who treat natural gifts as proof of a calling to teach God’s Word, while encouraging the reserved that a lack of such ease does not disqualify them.   Sound teaching is the lifeblood of the church.... Continue Reading

How can a just and holy God promise to bless Hpeople with life when they deserve death? The Lord Himself will bear the penalty of covenant breaking.   A Mighty Deliverance In the Normandy village of Sainte-Mère-Église an effigy of paratrooper John Steele hangs by a parachute from the church belltower. A surprising memorial of... Continue Reading

Proverbs gives us a number of warnings against behaviour that can lead to poverty, but it does not teach that poverty is always a disgrace. Poverty is only wrong when it is the result of sinful conduct. The Lord Jesus gives dignity to poverty.   Where did Jesus sleep? Where did he get his meals?... Continue Reading

As the sheep of God’s flock we need good shepherds protecting, leading, and providing for us. Men who fit the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Without such men we will be a flock in constant danger from wolves and from ourselves.   Because of Moses’ sin in front of the people... Continue Reading

Zephaniah points us not to any son of David but to the Lord Himself, present among them as “a mighty one who will save” (Zephaniah 3:17). This is the hope fulfilled in Jesus Christ, in whom God Himself has come to dwell with us.   We know very little about Zephaniah. The book that bears... Continue Reading

Did Jesus dine with sinners, love the outcasts, and push back against the reigning power structures? Yes, He did those and many other things, but they were not the main goal of His mission.   Progressive Christians often present a truncated portrait of Jesus, highlighting the parts of his ministry that fit their emphasis on... Continue Reading

Hebrews’s message to fallen sinners isn’t that their sin is so bad that it bars their way back to Christ. The point is that fallen sinners should cling to Christ, since there is no hope of cleansing, even in the old covenant, apart from him.   Years ago, a woman wrote me with an agonized... Continue Reading

Go hard, reject laziness, pursue excellence, but remember, Christ secured your salvation through the cross and you are not what you do. Your identity is rooted in Whose you are.    Laziness is not a virtue I tolerate in my own life, nor is there a long runway for it with anyone we hire at... Continue Reading

Contemporary witchcraft is critical theory religion—built on perceived, victimization, grievances, and revenge. Christians have something far better to offer.   The witches are back, and it’s not even Halloween yet. Practical Magic 2 opened September 11 and was the top grossing film that weekend. In less than a week, it topped the $30 million mark... Continue Reading