Questions and Answers about Pastoral Ministry
The knowledge that Christ is ministering to his people through me - my stumbling sermons, my counselling, my visiting - is a great motivator.
As another Pastor put it long ago, ‘I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.’ (3Jn 4). To see the members of the church responding in a godly way to the preaching of the word, to their afflictions, witnessing to their non-Christian friends, loving the brethren, delighting... Continue Reading
Missing Elements in Our Discussions about Apostasy
We have to expect that while many will endure, there will be some who fall away.
We are all people of trajectories who wittingly or unwittingly, deliberately or carelessly, point ourselves along the narrow way that leads to salvation or the broad way that leads to destruction. This demonstrates the importance of having people in our lives who will confront and redirect us not just when we’ve gone past the point... Continue Reading
You Don’t Feed Sheep like Your Llama
Expository preaching is far more than just standing before people and saying, “this is what the text says, come eat.”
We under-shepherds are not infallible in our discernment of our sheep but nevertheless we need to truly know them in order to properly feed them. I’m happy about the resurgence of biblical theology and sharing how each passage of Scripture fits into the grand narrative. I’m even more ecstatic that a growing segment of pastors are... Continue Reading
Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Board Selects Dr. Jonathan Master As Their Second President
Dr. Master will assume the Seminary presidency on July 1, 2020; Dr. Pipa will continue to serve as full-time Professor of Systematic & Homiletical Theology and President Emeritus
Dr. Master earned a Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Aberdeen. His research was in the field of Historical Theology, specifically the doctrine of assurance in the Westminster Confession and in the writings of Anthony Burgess. He earned both the M.Div. and the Th.M. from Capital Bible Seminary, and the B.S. in Bible at... Continue Reading
To Go or Not to Go
Here are some considerations that may help us in deciding whether to go on short-term mission trips.
We spend billions of dollars to pay for the transportation, lodging, food, and other costs of these trips. While these trips are usually spiritually uplifting and emotionally exhilarating, many, like me, ask: do they truly have positive benefits and could the money have been better used. I recently returned from a mission trip to... Continue Reading
Apostasy and Pastoral Preparation for the Conflict Ahead
If pastors aren’t preparing God’s people for the conflict that is already upon us, then we aren’t doing our jobs.
We really do face a conflict in days ahead. Many Christians still mistakenly believe that electing the right politicians will somehow save them from the cost of discipleship. But it is becoming clearer every day that such will not be the case. The presidency of Donald Trump may have brought a welcome respite from some... Continue Reading
6 Things You Should Know About Faith and Mental Illness
A robustly biblical theology of the cross and resurrection fixes our hope on Christ, who knows our suffering more than we do and who has overcome it objectively.
When the focus is on Christ, who is proclaimed to us in the gospel, we can pray with honesty, casting ourselves on God’s mercy. We aren’t coming to a judge, or even to a therapist, but to our heavenly Father who has accepted us in his Son. We’re not rubbing a lamp and making a... Continue Reading
Iranian Official: Mass Conversions ‘are Happening Right Under our Eyes’
Alavi’s recent observations (May 2019) echo those of church leaders in Iran—as well as other Iranian government officials.
Reportedly, Islamic clerics are expressing serious concern about many young people converting to Christianity. One Islamic seminary leader, Ayatollah Alavi Boroujerdi, remarked that “accurate reports indicate the youth are becoming Christians in Qom and attending house churches.” The seventh-largest city in Iran, Qom is the country’s epicenter for Islamic studies. As persecution against Christians intensifies in Iran,... Continue Reading
Where Are You Going This Sunday?
A heart changed by God’s Spirit would not ride roughshod over his commands.
What is the greatest commandment? To love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind. And the second? Love your neighbour as yourself. Now, how do those two great commandments stack up next to: I preferred basketball to meeting with God’s people to worship him... Continue Reading
Five Hard Lessons Learned from the Fall of a Once Revered Evangelical Leader
Pray for your leaders, especially for those who have a big platform.
While many have expressed sympathy for the fallen former church leaders, I believe that the Lord is much more concerned for the sheep who have been harmed by their former shepherds’ abandonment of Christ and His church. Woe to such false shepherds (Ezek. 34:2), who fed themselves by soaking up the adulation of the crowds... Continue Reading
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