{This post is a bit more personal, but I thought it might still be an encouragement to be reminded of God’s love and our great need.} Jesus loved little children. The gospel writers tell us about his love in their recounting Jesus’ life. When people brought their children to him to have Jesus lay his…
No one knows how to pronounce the covenant name of God. The form used by the majority of evangelicals today, “Yahweh”,is by no means certain, for a number of reasons. People can make their scholarly guesses, but knowing how ancient Israel pronounced the name is likely impossible, unless some archaeological find settles the debate. In…
“Where are the leaders?” I don’t need to convince anyone that the church is facing a leadership crisis. In times like these, churches can be tempted to hastily place unqualified men in positions of leadership before taking time to assess their character or qualifications (1 Tim. 5:22-25). As a result, the church suffers instead of…
Recently, a church member emailed me questions prompted by a discussion with a coworker. What is meant by “means of grace?” What are the means of grace? First, I explained what I am certain he already knew. Grace is unmerited favor or undeserved kindness. It is the only way a person can be forgiven or…
Not long ago I preached on the four lists in Proverbs 30:8-32. Tucked among those lists is Proverbs 30:20 which says, This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, “I have done no wickedness.” So, a fairly new believer asked me a simple question afterward. “Why is the Bible…
Good people disagree over what happens to infants and the mentally disabled when they pass away before their “the age of accountability,” the age when a child can realize the difference between right and wrong. Some emphasize the justice of God as to how to deal with the sin of the deceased, and others emphasize…
In 1976, commemorations of America’s bicentennial were everywhere – in government, in education, and in entertainment. Brief cartoons appeared on Saturday mornings on children’s television telling about the history of the country, the operation of government, and most importantly, the principle of liberty. These cartoons began with questions set to music, “Hey, do you know…
Jesus was brought to Pilate for judgment by the chief priests and the people. The course and outcome of this assembly though foreordained by God nonetheless reveals the willingness of men to sell the truth for gain. The chief priests wanted Jesus dead, so they lied about his teaching or doctrine. They asserted to Pilate…
In 1 Corinthians 12 the apostle Paul begins his important discussion of spiritual gifts within the context of the local church. In that discussion, Paul highlights the need for the church to understand four things. First, there is a unity of the church as one body. Second, there is diversity in the church as many…
In the 1990s and into the early 2000’s the purity movement was all the rage among evangelicals. It was all about saving yourself for marriage. It spawned an industry—with rings, and other items being sold. Hundreds of books were written about it. If you have not noticed, that movement is dead. Josh Harris and others…