I began to observe things coming from Sam Allberry’s ministry site, Living Out, that troubled me. When I contacted some trusted pastors who openly supported Living Out ministries, they encouraged me that Allberry and his ministry partners were committed to the same biblical principles regarding homosexuality that we were.   A Closer Examination of Living Out In my past experience,... Continue Reading

Even the best professional golfers hit some really bad shots. The difference between them and others is that they know how to recover when they have done so. So much of the game is in the recovery. This can serves as a good lesson for the Christian life in general and pastoral ministry in particular.... Continue Reading

Every pastor enjoys a double call on his life: the call to both salvation and ministerial service. As Paul challenged Timothy, so we must kindle afresh the gift of God within us, and guard what he has entrusted to us. One’s call to ministry is indeed a sacred stewardship, a call we must cherish and... Continue Reading

In Jesus Christ, in whom all God’s promises are yes and amen, the redeeming gospel of the kingdom had come. It would begin as a mustard seed and grow to fill the earth. Mark tells us that when Jesus entered Jerusalem His first order of business was to go the temple and “look around at all... Continue Reading

If our Social Justice brothers sincerely wish to engage other Bible believers with their applications of Scripture, they need to remind themselves that the Reformation’s “formal principle” was Sola Scriptura, the Bible’s final authority and sufficiency for all matters of faith and practice, not new revelations of new “prophets” of the “reader-response” mind!   I was... Continue Reading

The post-sexual addiction wilderness is a particularly treacherous and painful section of the larger wilderness of the Christian life. The author of Hebrews sees the entire Christian life as a trek through the wilderness. In Christ, we have been delivered from slavery to sin, but until Jesus returns, we are called to strive to enter... Continue Reading

I grew up in a time when it was common for Christians to bash homosexuals rather than to lovingly call them to repentance and faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I often heard preachers stand in the pulpit and ridicule homosexuals to the laughter of the audience. Even as a teenager, I was appalled... Continue Reading

Yes, give to missions and missionaries, give to the poor and needy overseas. But don’t just wire money to somebody. In your giving, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Go through what you know to be legitimate channels and make sure you have a way to monitor where it all goes.   Not... Continue Reading

When they are disconnected from the congregation, it should not surprise us that young adults, who have never known the church as a whole, are disinclined to embrace it when their age-graded group has run its course.  Do you want your children to participate in the church when they become adults? Then cultivate their participation... Continue Reading

Recently I received this email: “What would you say to a new pastor who is frustrated after not seeing the fruit of his work in the congregation? Most of the people do not seem passionate about their faith. The pastor’s own passion is also low right now.” Here is what I said.    When I... Continue Reading