Why I Need A Church that Judges Me

If you’re not a careful reader of Scripture you may have never noticed what Paul says to the church in Corinth: “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” 1 Corinthians 5:12 We are a society so enamored with autonomy that we … Read more

Why King Jesus is Better than King Josiah

Not all of the kings of Judah were good kings. In fact, most of the kings of Judah were not good kings. In picking out people to name your son after there’s not a plethora of worthy names to be found in the books of 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. But there is … Read more

Rules for Worship

It may be surprising to many but God is not only concerned that we seek Him, but also how we seek Him. You are probably familiar with the story of Uzzah from the Old Testament but just in case you’re not, let’s do a quick review: After David became king, he desired to move the Ark of the Lord … Read more

Will You go to Hell?

Hell is a real place filled with real people. It is a place of unceasing conscious torment. It is not an escape from God but a place where the wrath of our Holy God is justly endured for all eternity. It is a place where both the body and soul are constantly punished in fire … Read more

Why You Should Preach Dressed Up

I’m sort of snickering as I write this because I know you probably clicked this link thinking I was going to write a post about why you should wear a suit and tie to preach in. As an aside, I don’t think you should look like you just rolled out of bed when you preach. … Read more

The Religious Affections and Pastoral Ministry

Recently, I had the opportunity to preach a message at a Jonathan Edwards conference on The Religous Affections. I’d like to share a few practical applications for pastors when it comes to religious affections. But first: What are Religious Affections? One of Edwards’ most famous works is his Treatise on the Religious Affections. In this book, … Read more

The Essence and Effects of Sin

In 2017 I had the joy of preaching through the book of 1 Peter at our church. It is amazing how Scripture continues to shape and transform us as we gather around it each week eager to hear from God’s Word. We were going along at a pretty good pace until we hit 1 Peter … Read more

A Letter to a Soul Seeking Jesus: #2

a bundle of letters

This series is a group of six letters written by Robert Murray M’Cheyenne contained in The Memoirs and Remains of Robert Murray M’Cheyene by Andrew Bonar. I first heard about these letters on the Behold Your God podcast. I have adapted these letters (as in updating the language a bit and trying to find “easy” … Read more

A Letter to a Soul Seeking Jesus: #1

a bundle of letters

This series is a group of six letters written by Robert Murray M’Cheyenne contained in The Memoirs and Remains of Robert Murray M’Cheyene by Andrew Bonar. I first heard about these letters on the Behold Your God podcast. I have adapted these letters (as in updating the language a bit and trying to find “easy” … Read more

Bigfoot, Nessie, and Pastorless Christians

Boy. Guess I sort of tipped my hand right there in the title, didn’t I? I mean, unless you stumbled upon this post because you thought I was about to make the case that Bigfoot really does exist. Well, I’m not. He doesn’t. Neither does the Loch Ness Monster. And neither do pastorless Christians. The … Read more

Next Pitch

It’s springtime and that means Baseball season in America. I thought I’d share an analogy today from baseball for the Christian life. A couple of years ago I had the joy of coaching my sons’ baseball team which consisted of mainly 9-year-old boys (the exception being my middle son who was 7 at the time). … Read more

Pastors, Preach God

The following is an excerpt from Before the Throne: Reflections on God’s Holiness. You can go here for ordering information. Lewis Allen both encourages and challenges pastors when he writes, Preachers have a single calling, to express who and what God is. This is our mandate, to declare what God has revealed about himself. What … Read more