Take William Ames. He had an enormous impact on Dutch Reformed Theology (and therefore much of Reformed theology). He was present at the Synod of Dort and his opinions helped shape some of the conclusions reached. Nevertheless, if someone has heard of him, most likely they have only read his Marrow of Theology. This isn’t... Continue Reading

Even if you go to a church where your pastor seems to suddenly appear seconds before the start of the service, he was probably meeting, talking and praying with people all morning long. But these are not merely things to be done, they are part and parcel of the pastor’s worship. As Romans 12:1 says, spiritual service is... Continue Reading

Pray for your elders to know the joy. Fullness of joy, the happinesses of joy, the delightfulness of joy and the otherworldliness of joy! Yes, pray for your shepherd-elders to have the divine glory of joy strike deep in their souls. Pray that even when hospital visits are needed, when struggling saints need reproof, when... Continue Reading

If our heart is truly tuned to the cause of Christ, if in fact we actually are centred around the gospel as a planet orbits the sun, then Paul’s words begin to ring true—glory in unexpected places is precisely his point. But if the veneer of my life showcases my own ability, my own fortitude,... Continue Reading

Growth brings new members to ministries, groups and church social functions. Leadership may shift with the incoming influx of members. Many members are simply not comfortable with new attendees changing long-term relationship patterns. They would rather obey the perceived mandate of the Great Comfort than the mandate of the Great Commission. Thus, the church exists... Continue Reading

Church discipline isn’t just the final stage we often think of—removing from membership, fellowship, and so on. I went under church discipline in the booth of The Nook Cafe. It didn’t go all the way to the end because my brothers helped me. Our Lord loved me. Every Christian is under church discipline. We don’t always... Continue Reading

Paul’s authenticity was tempered by discernment. Paul knew that while everything may be permissible, not everything is profitable. In an age of platforming and personal brand building, of social media profiles and image consultants, this should give us great pause. Paul held back truth, he didn’t supply the fullest picture of his credibility. Why? “so... Continue Reading

The work has been in process for several years, now. After a couple years of a working group processing older Reformed forms of government, editing and putting together a preliminary one to be considered by us, this past April a group of forty to fifty met in Indianapolis and firmed up our commitments to see... Continue Reading

Consider: on any political or theological question, there are generally a vast range of possible positions that could coherently be taken, which might be mapped on a relatively smooth spectrum from “most liberal” to “most conservative.” But most of us eschew the complexity of this mapping, with all the ifs, ands, and buts that it... Continue Reading

In his treatise, Religious Affections, Edwards argues, against Chauncy, that true religion consists not merely of a “notional” understanding and cognitive acquiescence to truth, but of a “sense of the heart” in which lively and vigorous affections of love and delight and joy and peace and yearning are in evidence. Such affections, said Edwards, may be... Continue Reading