Spiritual Disciplines and the Sinkhole Syndrome
Pursue the Lord with a relentless, lifelong, obstacle-defying passion. Resolve never to let your daily life keep you from Jesus daily.
Never be deceived by the temptation to think that with the increasing spiritual maturity you expect to come with age, the less you will need to feast your soul on Christ through the Bible and prayer. What Jesus prayed in John 17:17 for all His followers—“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth”—applies to us all... Continue Reading
Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire
Satan is relentless in his desire to diminish God’s glory; he is the ultimate liar and can never tell the truth.
Satan is relentless in his desire to diminish God’s glory. However, since he cannot touch God, he sets his sights on those bearing God’s image. But he has no power over God’s beloved children. They are united with Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, and they have nothing to fear in regards to the power of the evil one. The... Continue Reading
Sex Negative
The attitude toward sex in our secular culture is simultaneously tedious and disturbing.
There was once a time when sexual intercourse was thought to be full of rich social and emotional significance. Now, even our language betrays our impoverished and negative attitudes. That we speak of “having sex” and not of “making love”—that the latter phrase can even evoke sniggers—is significant. A man can have sex with a... Continue Reading
Don’t Waste Your Suffering #4
What purposes are there then in suffering? There are at least four purposes that God has revealed
Since God is both sovereign and loving, then he has brought suffering to you for your good. That means there is a purpose to it. We will not find good in suffering if we’re not looking for it. And that’s what we need to aim for. But twin dangers fight against us seeing a sense... Continue Reading
Depression & the Ministry – Part 2
There are good and righteous reasons behind sorrow’s frequent visit in the spiritually-minded church leader
First, God is sovereign over our sorrow. Depression is ordained by God because God is sovereign over everything. As God’s children, no moment, especially not the sorrowful ones, need be wasted (Rom. 8:28). In fact, times of depression season the pastor in a unique way. It is a rare seasoning which, though painful upon the... Continue Reading
Jesus, The Ninth Commandment, And Objective Truth
We can know the truth that creatures are capable of knowing and we should pursue it, believe it, and tell it.
The truth that ninth commandment requires us to tell is not merely subjective, i.e., what is true for me but not necessarily for thee. No, the truth required by the ninth commandment, by our Lord Jesus, who is Truth, is objectively true. Jesus is not merely subjectively true for Christians who choose to believe in... Continue Reading
John 10:30 is the Best Verse Ever
It is this verse where Jesus unambiguously claimed to be the God of the Old Testament.
By claiming to be God, Jesus is saying that all of God’s dialogue and actions were His own. This means that his teachings in the New Testament must be interpreted in light of His teachings in the Old Testament. Considering that God told Israel to go to war, gave them regulations on how to conduct... Continue Reading
Ten Words of Advice for Seminarians
Here are ten things every incoming seminary student should know, consider, and keep in mind over the next few years.
Get involved in the local church. Star this one. Underline it. Put it in italics and don’t forget. The seminary exists to serve the church. You are in seminary, presumably, because you desire to be a servant in the church. So don’t neglect the very reason you are where you are. Find a good church.... Continue Reading
Do Women Make Men Civilized?
A reply to Glenn Stanton's "Why Man and Woman Are Not Equal"
You see, what’s missing from Lord of the Flies is not women. If there had been girls on the island, I imagine their fate would have been worse than Piggy’s. What generally happens to women when all traces of “civilization”are removed from a society? What’s missing from Lord of the Flies is God. Without salvation, without the work... Continue Reading
Sexual Identity: The Way We Were and Who We Are: Our Identity Crisis is Re-railed Into Christ
May Dr. Butterfield's "train wreck" conversion describe your and my daily sanctification experience as we keep re-railing and riding with Jesus Christ
“Let us recognize in witnessing the Gospel to people who identify themselves within the LGBT community that a major part of our conversation should deal with one’s deep commitment to an identity, not only of his or her person, but also being part of a people. We see its manifestation also in identity (or group) politics... Continue Reading