You may well suppose, then, Mr Editor, that the Sabbath is a valued and honoured day in my family; and that the invitation “let us go up together to the house of God,” is heard with gladness, and joyfully accepted. Sometimes, however, the Sabbath is a rainy day!—To be sure, I do not suffer a... Continue Reading

Your elder is not Jesus. They may be Christ-like, but the ultimate voice a Christian should hear and follow is Jesus’s, and not their elder’s. Your elder can pray for you, warn you, show you safe paths, and plead with you. But ultimately, every member is in the hands of the Lord Himself. We are... Continue Reading

Theologically, ideas of God as Father (Matthew 23:9– “for you have one Father, who is in heaven,”), Jesus as brother (Romans 8:29, “firstborn among many brothers”), believers as children of God and as co-heirs with Christ (John 11:52– “and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who... Continue Reading

Good growth is slow growth. Are those couple of moments when God has done that to me bad? No, they were wonderful touches of grace. The problem comes if I start to think that’s normal and everyone needs a crisis moment that leads to huge character change. Ideally growth is slow. We should seek growth... Continue Reading

We are called to be advocates, not just affirmers. We are called to be articulators, not just adherents. Compromise usually begins with silence. It ends with disavowal. And we must have an ear for the silence. Yes, each of us will have different ministry passions or commitments. But we must keep before us an ever-present... Continue Reading

The ultimate encouragement to help ministers press through the discouragements they experience when they face trials and challenges is that we were created, redeemed and called into ministry in order to bring glory to Christ. The cry of the ministers heart must ever be, “He must increase, I must decrease.” The ministries to which we... Continue Reading

It may seem obvious, but you are not the saviour of the church; Jesus is. That truth should set you free. The church does not depend on you, but on Jesus. The church does not depend on your ministry, but on Jesus. The work does not stand or fall on you, but on Jesus. Be... Continue Reading

What we very often sorely lack in modern America, and which earlier generations had much more of, is precisely fellowship and communion. It might be worth considering whether in our cultural setting, a long sermon ought to partially give way to a sanctifying communal practice like the Lord’s Supper, which perhaps should be more fellowship-oriented... Continue Reading

The logic is simple: if a Christian sought to reform or purify the church to the standards found only in the Scriptures, a sense of tranquility often accompanied the movement, knowing the Lord would protect His church and ensure such purification prevailed. Yet, using the same understanding, if their movement faced opposition or failure, this... Continue Reading

The goddess of our age is beckoning us to open the door for all manner of vices. In the name of affirmation, empathy, and toleration of churches with female pastors, we are being manipulated to believe decisive, clear, courageous, and mature reaffirmation of the Baptist Faith & Message is “dismissive” of women. Adopting the Amendment... Continue Reading