Have you recently used the phrase “the fullness of the blessing of Christ”? Probably not. What does it mean? And, to use it in the sense that it has in Romans 15:29, how does one come “in” it to someone else? In context, Paul has just ended the body of his letter (Romans 1:16–15:13) and…

“From New York to Los Angeles.” “Washington is at it again.” “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Most Americans know exactly what these expressions mean, because they know the character, reputation, geography, and history of these cities. Cities tend to become shorthand for bigger ideas, whether it’s the ironically named Philadelphia (“city of brotherly…

“Hey, did you hear the one about the woman pope?” “Yeah, she reigned for two years as a man in the middle ages but was exposed going into labor during a papal procession.” What do you think of that? Had you heard about it before? The story is real, but we aren’t sure whether “Pope…

FrontLine | Volume 35, Number 2 One of the saddest stories I have ever heard was from a man who told me about his adult son who was a drunkard. Why had he started drinking? As a teenager, he had gotten a girl pregnant, so he wanted to marry her and take on his responsibilities…

Which is Better for Evangelism, General or Specific Revelation? One picture is worth a thousand words. However, there are many things that are impossible to communicate in pictures. The beauty of the Grand Canyon can be more easily communicated in a large mural, but the value of liberty is more easily communicated in an essay…

Our conversation today is a little different than most of the others we’ve done. I’m talking to Dave Lowry, who contributed an article in the middle section of the January/February FrontLine magazine. We call this section “the pastor’s insert” but of course, it isn’t just for pastors. Dave’s article providentially fit right in with the…

When we learn about God and our salvation in Him, we love Him all the more and live for Him all the better. This statement captures something of the pastoral thrust of Ephesians. For three chapters (Ephesians 1–3), Paul lays out how God has saved us, united us in Christ, and his role as an…

Living in a reasonably large city like Indianapolis I can see the signs are everywhere. In fact, once you notice it, it becomes hard to unsee—dogs are the new kids. We take our kids to play on a playground and with a small handful of other families and watch countless individuals and couples walking their…

Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4). He was instructing his audience to be mindful of the situation pertaining to those around them, whether spiritual or material. Paul was not advocating that they should be nosy…

It’s Sunday morning. You’re a pastor looking over your sermon when you see some new faces walk through the front door of your church. Your greeters shake their hands, yet there seems to be some awkwardness there. Unable to hear from this distance, you walk over and introduce yourself. The father of the new family…