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Mapping Out Missions in Your Church
It was theirs for the taking. So Moses, at God’s prompting, sent a dozen spies into the Canaan to explore the land God promised to give to Israel. But God never promised Moses that taking the land would be easy. Canaan was filled with powerful people and fortified cities. Ten of the spies weighed the risk and…
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The Supremacy of God in Missions Through Worship
by John Piper Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no…
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The Gospel in 6 Minutes
What is the Gospel? While in many ways this should be a simple question to answer, experience has taught me that many people are confused about what the Gsopel is. Most agree that the Gospel is something good. But they are confused about what particularly defines the Gospel. Some see the Gospel as merely that…
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Counseling 101
As a kid I watched Bob Newhart nearly every Saturday night. In fact, because of him I briefly thought it might be cool to become a psychologist, and do counseling for a living. But that idea soon faded. After further thought I wondered if it would be something I was particularly suited to do. So…
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Thoughts About the Resurrection
That the resurrection is an essential aspect of Christianity seems to me to be a ‘no brainer’. But recently I had a dialogue with an individual who does not share this view. As I have thought about that dialogue I have come to realize that this person is not entirely wrong, though still, I think, confused. Let me…
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Hard Grace
“Even though we are now in faith, the heart is always ready to boast itself before God and say: ‘After all, I have preached the law, and lived so well and done so much that surely He will take this into account ‘. We even want to haggle with God to make Him regard our…
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Wisdom Wanted
I’ve been reading – and re-reading – through Proverbs the past several days. I have no specific aim in doing this. I have just sensed I am lacking wisdom and perspective. Billy Graham has said that, in addition to whatever else he was reading at the time, it was his pattern to read five Psalms…
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Some Thoughts of Worship
Worship is an oft-misunderstood term. Many Christians think of worship as entertainment which is meant to please them. But worship is meant to focus on God, not on us. If we examine closely the practice of worship in the Old & New Testaments we find that worship is first of all an offering of…
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Odyssey of Church Outreach
Outreach and evangelism are among the most important responsibilites the Christian has to his/her community. They are also perhaps the most intimidating. A friend of mine, who is not a pastor, took over the the outreach ministry of his church. He was aware at the outset that this ministry was in need of an ovehaul. During the ‘heydays’ in this congregation most…
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Sad Day in the PCUSA
We’ve seen it coming. It has become more iminent with each turn of the calendar page. But somehow, perhaps naively, I had hoped it would never arrive. But at the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA (not to be confused with the PCA) commissioners voted to strike the language from their constitution that reflects…
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A Team Approach to Effective Church Ministry
As a Presbyterian minister I am keenly familiar with committees. While committees are a familiar staple in churches of almost any flavor, we Presbyterians especially like to have everything done ‘decently and in order’. This makes the committee structure seem almost inherently appealing to our ecclesiastical DNA. But to be honest, from time to time I find myself…
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Keller Kiosk
Christianity Today has published an interesting interview with Tim Keller of Redeemer Church in New York City titled, Tim Keller Reasons With America. If you have enjoyed Keller’s writing or teaching you may appreciate the insight behind his philosophy and ministry. Or, if you are one who may be a little curious about this guy who is so frequently cited and…
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The A-to-Z of the Christian Life
“The gospel shows us that our spiritual problem lies not only in failing to obey God, but also in relying on our obedience to make us fully acceptable to God, ourselves and others. Every kind of character flaw comes from this natural impulse to be our own savior through our performance and achievement. On the…
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The Gospel & Parental Sin
Last week I became rightfully angry at one of my children. (I won’t say which one.) But in my anger I sinned against him. (Okay, the ‘him’ narrows it down some.) I had neglected the counsel of King David, who wrote: “In your anger do not sin.” (Psalm 4:4) In my reprimand I was way too…
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