As we were doing some intensive self-evaluation as a church a few years ago about our evangelistic effectiveness, we began wondering what our goal should be for the congregation regarding evangelistic activity. Would 50% of the congregation participating in soul-winning evangelism be sufficient? The problem with a goal like that is that while it is…
“Why did he do that?” “I can’t believe he acted like that, it seems so out of character!” If you have been observing other Christians for any length of time, you have no doubt said something similar because of bizarre behaviour from someone whom you thought knew better. Regularly it seems we hear about professing…
We live in a cold place. Winter in Calgary can last 6-7 months of the year. Neighbors often don’t see neighbors during those days, except for the occasional greeting here and there from the mailbox or a snow-shoveled driveway. Most people are content to keep to themselves. Calgary is also a wealthy city. A lot…
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. FOR THERE IS NO POWER BUT OF GOD: THE POWERS THAT BE ARE ORDAINED OF GOD. Whosoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to…
When you buy a house, it is very important to inspect the foundation. Before my wife and I purchased a home for the first time, we enlisted the help of a building inspector to examine the foundation of the house were considering. We also asked for some feedback from friends who had building and construction…
A few months ago, I finished preaching a long series through the gospels and I loosely used A.B. Bruce’s The Training of the Twelve for the structure of the series of messages. As I preached it, I was reminded of the stark differences in how we prepare men for ministry and how Jesus did it.…
Do your kids ever manifest symptoms of First World Syndrome? Recent generations of young people have been groomed to have a certain sense of entitlement about them. That something is owed them. That they deserve more. An expectation of accolades, convenience, and ease. It is grievous and unkind to cultivate this. Suspect there are some…
This spring, I taught a class on parenting at our church. In preparation for the class, I interacted with a number of different parenting resources. Here are five of the resources I found most helpful. 1. Shepherding a Child’s Heart – Outside of the Bible, this is the best overall book on parenting I have…
We cannot escape conflicts because we cannot escape people, including Christians, who struggle with sinful pride and their sinful flesh. For this reason, conflicts will arise between individuals. Conflicts can be between church members, parents and children, spouses, and other combinations of people. No matter who we have a conflict with, as Christians, we must…
The music at our recent conference at First Baptist Church of Troy, Michigan (also see here), was one of the outstanding features of the meeting. It reflected the good gifts God gave to Pastor Harding and his wife which bless their church every week. Many others on their team who contribute to this part of…