Dear Unbelieving Mom, Dad, or Grandparent, Perhaps you are a flat-out denier of the truth of...
Dear Unbelieving Mom, Dad, or Grandparent, Perhaps you are a flat-out denier of the truth of...
The Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. The most important question everyone...
I am quite thankful to be back to teaching children's Sunday school for second graders at my...
The Background No doubt it was a bizarre sight – the bush burning, but not consumed from the fire. And when God called Moses he said the same thing Abraham said to God in Genesis 22, “Here I am!” This is the same thing the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 6 when the...
Back in the "good days" of Reformed social media when the topic du jour was inerrancy instead of critical social justice, Pastor Andy Stanley came under fire for stating in a sermon that we need to "unhitch" from the Old Testament. Some of the criticisms seemed to go...
What is your experience witnessing to Mormons? A couple of Mormon missionaries stopped by my house when I was particularly busy early this week. I invited them back and they showed up right at the time we agreed upon. I spoke to them on my porch and thought the...
As part of our newly-debuted audio edition, we're re-publishing some of our older posts in audio format. If you haven't subscribed, please consider doing so! In today's post, One Way God Judges, Michael encourages us not to hold back from sharing God's law and gospel...
For the last year+ I've been working on a new book, A Change of Heart: Understanding Regeneration and Why it Matters. Now that I've finally completed my M.Div, I've taken this project back up again. I thought I would share the first two chapters in a series of blog...
For the last year+ I've been working on a new book, A Change of Heart: Understanding Regeneration and Why it Matters. Now that I've finally completed my M.Div, I've taken this project back up again. I thought I would share the first two chapters in a series of blog...
The following post originally appeared on Things Above Us in October 2019. A good friend in the ministry recently raised a question she was asked by someone else concerning Genesis 3:5 in the context of a conversation with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of...
"Go, Therefore" posts are quick tips to help Christians live lives of evangelism. Family Worship As Evangelism Daily family worship ought to be observed by families for many reasons. To name a few: God is worthy to be worshipped, it is a way men ought to lead their...
What is the Problem? We draw people to the Savior by proclaiming God's holiness whenever we have the chance. The contrast between God's holiness and man's sinfulness is designed to cause men to tremble in fear before the Lord and repent and believe in Christ. To avoid...
John Berridge was born in 1716 to a wealthy farmer who hoped Berridge would follow in his footsteps. Instead, Berridge became a minister due to his natural giftedness in reading and scholarly endeavors. Yet, he was not converted until after he became vicar of Everton...
There are truckloads of webpages about how to officiate a marriage ceremony. And for the most part, what the couple wants may dictate the majority of those details. But I believe there are three essential parts of a marriage ceremony where I encourage every Bride and...
Do you know that feeling when you start to tell someone about the Lord and you realize they do not already know Him? Do you get a pit in your stomach sometimes—a warning not to go there? Our natural response to difficulty is sometimes “flight.” Telling your neighbor that God will not only judge him or her but that God is right to do so can be frightening! It is no wonder we fail so many times in our evangelism—it is truly counter to our flesh’s desires for comfort!
In part 1 of this series, I challenged anyone reading this to commit to memorizing Psalm 96. I hope if you have not started that endeavor you will start now. If you want my recommended smartphone app for Bible memory: here is a 20% discount code for it. Psalm 96 is an...
I had the privilege recently of reading William Buell Sprague’s 1832 book* Lectures on Revivals of Religion. This work is a series of 9 lectures that Dr. Sprague gives defending the biblical warrant for revival and instructing churches on how to promote true revival...
Psalm 96 is a wonderful song written by David as part of a larger song of thanks which is introduced to us in 1 Chronicles 16. I was scheduled to preach a topical sermon at the 2020 Psalms & Worship conference in Canton, OH on the topic of "Worship in Evangelism,"...
Last week, new neighbors moved into the house across the street from us. I wrote them a note and I thought other people may benefit from it. If you are not actively trying to reach your neighbors with the gospel, why not? What is holding you back? Here is the letter....
Back in 2013, there arose a drunk driving case here in Texas which made national headlines not so much because of its severity but because of its legal defense and sentencing. Ethan Couch, aged 16 at the time, stole two cases of beer from a Walmart, drove his dad’s...
I'm no expert on infectious diseases, and I actually did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I have no medical qualifications to tell you what is going to happen in the next forty days here in 2020 in terms of COVID-19. Most of you reading this also have no...
In God's kind providence, it was a biblical understanding of the great doctrine of regeneration that birthed (I'm not sure if I'm intending the pun or not) the evangelical movement of the 18th century. Sadly, it is also a misunderstanding and underemphasis of this...
Holiness of life and true revival can not be separated. A so-called “revival” that does not produce holiness is not a work of the Holy Spirit. Here we may offer an important reminder that true revival cannot be manufactured by men. The sign that says “revival next week” doesn’t really communicate what true revival is for true revival is God-sent and according to His plans and purposes, not ours.
But the month of December is still a special month for most. The secular and religious alike buy trees and presents and send greeting cards to one another. This is your chance! Buy (or design) a Christmas card with a gospel message and give it to everyone you can. Even if you give people a card with only a Bible verse printed on it like Luke 2:11 or Matthew 1:21, that’s a good start.
The hymn God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is a Christmas favorite of mine. I love the majesty and the pace of it. It's an easy tune to remember and full of biblical truth. The pace of the song prevents us from recognizing the need for a comma after "merry." This can cause...
Throughout the weekend of the Cruciform Conference, I (Michael) enjoyed fresh cups of coffee from Better Life Coffee Co and mild chatting with Joe Heatwole, founder, and owner. As the conference was finishing, Joe was given a chance to tell "his story" before the...
Michael interviews a few more interesting people from the Cruciform Conference. Micah Hasty of Micah Hasty Music https://twitter.com/themicahandrew Josh Hamon of https://theministryofwar.com/ Bryan Lamb of https://www.garageministries.com/ [content type=page...
Michael interviews Kofi regarding his sermon, Hebrews 12: Cross Purchased Discipline. This discussion will edify saints as you get the benefit of the hours of study which was put in before the Cruciform Conference in Indianapolis. Also, we hear about Kofi's church's...
A woman contacted us through our contact us form and expressed some concerns with an article Justin wrote about The Send. I believe her assertions and my responses could be helpful to you, so here they are. For the sake of the post, I'll call her Holly. Hi, Hope...
God’s holy hatred for sinners is pure and so much more terrifying than we tend to want to think about. The KJV says, “Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes,” and the sense is truly terrible. There is no mercy for the wicked when God’s judgment comes. Therefore, we must all the more earnestly tell sinners of the mercy of God which can be found today. And we must never diminish the terror of the Lord. The heathen will rage (Psalm 2:1) and the weak of heart will accuse us of fear-mongering, but there can be no compromise when we preach the wrath of God because to tone down God’s hatred for sinners has the practical effect of diminishing Christ’s love for sinners, as well.
A good friend in the ministry recently raised a question she was asked by someone else concerning Genesis 3:5 in the context of a conversation with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and it's a very good one. In this article, I'll answer the...
On September 21, 2019, I was joined by a faithful group of evangelists and an old friend. Andrew Jones, Jason Roberts, Miri Roberts, and Wesley Coughlin are regulars at Ohio State football games. Cory Wasmus, an old friend was able to come as well! It was a great day...
This past Sunday two men were up to be affirmed as new elders of our church. As our senior pastor read through the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3 I was struck by the last trait listed in the first paragraph: 1 Timothy 3:7 (NASB) And he must have a good...
I've given up on a particular timeline for finishing my evangelistic book. The manuscript word count is now at 29,183. My plan is to release more excerpts as time passes so that I'm able to combine my effort on the book and here at Things Above Us. Here's a chapter...
"Go, Therefore" posts are quick tips to help Christians live lives of evangelism. Do the Bare Minimum? We all have busy schedules, but this cannot be an obstacle to taking part in the Great Commission. One way to begin to overcome excuses and fears in giving out the...
I remember a few months after my first son was born that I was going to school 40 hours a week (I was student teaching to finish my undergrad). In addition to that, I worked 3-4 days every week at a Community Center and was a bi-vocational youth pastor. That was...
What would you do if you were asked to give the "message" at halftime of an Upward Sports match? This situation really comes up, and Christians with sound theology need to be ready at all times to present God's Word to the world. A Twitter friend asked this question...
"Go, Therefore" posts are quick tips to help Christians live lives of evangelism. At a Restaurant When you go to a restaurant to eat and pray publicly, folks around you will notice. Now this isn't necessarily evangelism, but when we pray publicly, it does remind...
"Go, Therefore" posts are quick tips to help Christians live lives of evangelism. Nursing Home Visits Visiting a nursing home or assisted living facility is a great way to minister the gospel! In many cases, you may simply walk around and knock on doors, and people...
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...
Work continues on my evangelistic book. While you wait, here's another sample chapter as it currently stands. I'd love to get your feedback. All biblical translations here are my own. —GPO Since you’re this far in the book, why should you listen to me? Sure, I do have...
"Go, Therefore" posts are quick tips to help Christians live lives of evangelism. Thank You Tracts One of the hardest things about giving out gospel tracts is that people don't often want to take one. Having something they would actually desire to take can be tricky....
Jimmy Hamilton has been a street preacher for thirty-six of his thirty-eight years as a Christian. That’s how his booklet “So You Want to Be a Street Preacher?” begins. Thirty-six years of participation in a Christian task certainly qualifies this author to speak on...
One of the things that is most helpful to me is hearing different perspectives from friends and acquaintances. We are constantly opining about the world around us and it is in a multitude of counselors that we find victory (Proverbs 24:5). With that in mind, here are...
Christians are notorious for following the whims of the culture. If you want to imitate prophecy, all you have to do is look at what the hot button issues are in the world today and then predict that the church will be preaching on that same topic in 3-5 years. One of...
I made a new friend recently as the result of reading about his faithfulness through a trial. I found myself praising the Lord so much while reading his letter that I wanted to share it with you. My wife and I signed up to begin supporting this mission monthly, and I...
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...
In part 1, I gave a short version of my Christian testimony and how that tied into my beliefs about creation. While I remained steadfast in my belief in six literal days through high school, I began to have serious doubts in university and even embraced Darwinian...
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...
In episode 19 of the Roundtable, Michael and I interviewed Dr. Anthony Silvestro, co-author of On the Origin of Kinds, By Means of Creator God And The Preservation of Souls in the Struggle for Eternity. A portion of the discussion mentioned how I had once drifted on...
What? Particular atonement is the historic Christian doctrine that Christ only effectively satisfied the wrath of God toward sin on behalf of His people. In other words, anyone who is thrown into hell cannot say, "But Jesus paid for my sins." This is a staple belief...
Thanks to Wretched Radio and a whole host of financial sponsors, I received 1000 copies of Tom Hammond's book "What Time Is Purple?" for distribution on the campus of The Ohio State University. You can participate by being a distributor or by donating money so that...
Jason Marianna interviews Michael Coughlin and the results are about what you'd expect. But listen anyway. 🙂
But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15.11 ESV) Amidst the very negative reactions to Andy Stanley's comment last year that Christians need to "unhitch" from the Old Testament, a discussion Stanley had...
In "Here and There," we'll take a brief look at some things I like, random and important news in the Evangelical, political, and sports world. It's been way too long since I've done one of these, so here we go. In this edition of "Here and There": A Ridiculous Parody...
If you could cut me and examine my blood, I imagine aside from the physical components, you would find four elements in there. You'd find love for Christ, love for my wife, love for my football team (or soccer for my American friends), and a love for making disciples....
It will be known as one of the most truly wicked and shameful moments in United States history. Cheers filled the legislature as a package of legislation had passed with fawning approval. In a moment, New York became the most lethal state in the nation for pre-born...
I've been sitting on a 25,000-word book manuscript for quite some time now. Its name is How to Be Made Holy, and it's meant to be a book that a Christian can hand to an unbeliever after an evangelistic encounter. Think of it as "Here's everything I wanted to tell you...
For a long time, Christians have been debating the nature of man’s will (is it free?), the totality of depravity, whether or not man is “able” to come to Christ on his own, and the extent and function of God's grace. For many, God’s grace is like a carrot on a stick...
Hi Michael, I was just thinking about you, our conversation almost two years ago now. I wanted you to know that I'm saved, Michael! It feels so amazing, and I still struggle to make sense of the burden that has been lifted in my life. I have been personally thanking...
Just four months ago I was getting ready to do evangelism at the Ohio State University's home football games. Four months later, I fulfilled my commitment by preaching at all 7 home games. By God's grace, I was also able to preach at an away game in Ann Arbor with...
I was actually beginning to be a little depressed near the end of the morning of November 2nd. Only 3 people had committed to meeting me at Ohio State for evangelism the next day. Please don’t get me wrong, I am very grateful for all those who accompany me and labor...
62 days puts us to 2019! What I hope to do in this post is to give you some practical evangelism strategies for using this season to your advantage in sharing the gospel. Certainly, some of these strategies could and should be used at other times of the year, but this...
In Episode 11, the guys discuss the primacy of preaching and welcome special guest and preacher, Mike Stockwell, from CrossCountryEvangelism.com. Then we plug a few books we like.
Post Tenebras LuxIt means 'after darkness, light' and it's hanging on the wall in my Study and features the pictures of John Knox, Jonathan Edwards, William Tyndale, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. I'm all for free candy, and I think it is certainly permissible for...
In today's Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon, the morning reading touched on the tendency of some men to withhold their finances from the work of God, in order that they may take care of their families. You can read the entire devotional here (and I recommend...
*This post is adapted from Appendix 1 in the book From Death to Life: How Salvation Works. Many true believers repeated a prayer at the time of their conversion usually referred to as “the Sinner’s Prayer.” I am not saying that if you came to Christ and prayed this...
"I'm homosexual," Isaac told me, "and I don't think I could give up the happiness it brings me and deny who I am — for something I am not certain about." This was Isaac's response to a question I asked him. What preceded and what followed the above response is the...
If you haven't read part 1 and part 2, read those first. God Comforts Those in Mourning 1 Thessalonians 4, verses 13 to 18, and here’s what we learn: God comforts those in mourning. Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are...
I remember the time clearly. My baby boy (who is now 16) had finally grown to an age where playing an organized sport was possible and sensible. As seems to be the case perpetually, the league needed coaches, so I signed up to coach. I was happy to help, and my...
If you haven't read part 1, read that first. Christ Died for Sinners Think of any story where someone risks his or her own life for a friend or even a stranger. A man in a New York subway station falls onto the train tracks. Suddenly, some stranger jumps down and...
The ostensible goal was to gather a million believers on the National Mall in Washington D.C. The effort surely fell short, but there was at least a decent crowd. So the claim goes, it turned out to be "the largest Christian event in the history of the United...
If you don’t choose Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you won’t go to heaven. That’s right. I said it. A sinner must choose Christ by faith in order to become a Christian. I don’t know if you’ve been in some of the circles I have before, but there are pockets of people...
September 11, 2001 is a day many people will never forget. My friend Angela Braxton was in one of the buildings that was crashed into that day and survived the tragedy.
At the time she nearly died from the events of 9/11, she was a non-believer abiding in the wrath of almighty God. But God has different plans for her.
I received a question about how to grow as a Christian and what advice I would offer to someone who was recently converted on how to "practically" mature in the faith. The person specifically stated "I need a literal path, not just read your Bible, attend church,...
Christianity seems to be marked by a divide between people who actively evangelize and those who do not. Clearly, some folks are particularly burdened about and gifted concerning the dissemination of the Christian gospel. But it is also generally understood that ALL...
It was funny at first. Little two-year-old Brittany’s parents thought it was so cute as she’d spit out the green vegetable and then viciously rub her hands on her tongue as though attempting to erase every shred of taste completely out of her mouth. Well, it was sort...
There were two primary things I didn't know about God Speed before it arrived by parcel. First, it doesn't center around driver Sage Karam's struggle following an accident that killed fellow driver Justin Wilson, though the story does occupy a couple of chapters. Much...
On the 25th of June, 2018, the Lord Jesus Christ granted me an opportunity to preach the Word to a college football team. There's a school in Ohio that is not a Christian University, but, due to some Christian faculty in the athletic department, I was asked to bring a...
Upcoming TGC article: Finding the Gospel in Chris Pratt's Presentation of the Gospel (#troll) — Garrett O'Hara (@mokaThought) June 21, 2018 Seriously, I haven't watched it, and I'm not planning on it. I do not care. Carry on. — Garrett O'Hara (@mokaThought) June 21,...
The Will of the Lord In Ephesians 5:16, Paul instructs the church to make the best use of the time (commonly known as redeeming the time). The Apostle reminds his readers that the days we are living in are evil, and that only a fool would live in such a way that he is...
These are just a few of the excuses I’ve heard, and I don’t buy any of them. Scripture memorization being difficult for you is all the more reason you should strive to do it! And I don’t think it’s an unnecessary or legalistic yoke to place on you, as the Scripture itself is full of references which can only be rightly interpreted as requiring memorization. How do you expect to meditate on God’s Word day and night if you don’t have it in your heart? How shall a young man keep his way pure when he encounters temptation? Jesus quoted Scripture from memory in the wilderness, let him be your example.
How would you go about evangelizing a city? What are some strategic ideas for reaching God's elect in the town where God has placed you or your church? Photo by malcolm lightbody on Unsplash The Foundation According to Romans 10:13–17 (and the rest of the Bible), it...
Hot Take My take on the recent rhetoric about race. There really is evil in the world in the form of racism. Like abortion, some Christians are on the front lines fighting that evil as the outworking of their faith in Christ. This is a good thing. Some Christians are...
A 2014 Christianity Today article highlighted a growing trend in the SBC of baptizing children age 5 and under. From my personal observation and discussions among other Southern Baptists, I have no reason to believe this practice is slowing down in 2018. It is my...
Frank Turek wrote the other day that "Christianity would still be true even if the Bible [were] never written." He goes on to clarify that the specific topic is having an inerrant Bible. But some of us erroneously think that Christian beliefs cannot be sustained...
March 24, 2018, will long be remembered as the day of the first national March for Our Lives event. My understanding is that over 1 million people participated in March for Our Lives events around the world making it one of the largest protests in history. Setting the...
What is Hospice? Hospice care is a form of palliative (rather than curative) care, wherein the focus is on making the terminally ill patient as comfortable as possible rather than curing the terminal illness. Within the United States, patients become eligible for the...
We had a great bible study on a recent Wednesday night on Matthew 7:13-14. We've been going through the Sermon on the Mount and seeking to think deeply about how Jesus wanted His followers to understand Kingdom living. But this post isn't about the Sermon on the...
1 You can hardly visit a social media thread/debate without seeing the commission of countless logical fallacies. The level at which unregenerate people and immature/uneducated Christians commit logical fallacies is only eclipsed by their perceived mastery of them....
The Lord Jesus Christ blessed us with pleasant weather and friendly crowds at the 2018 Arnold Classic Outreach in Columbus, OH. The Arnold Classic is an international exposition featuring athletes from a number of different sports including, bodybuilding,...
(Photo Credit: Stephen J. Melniszyn) I've had several people asking me about where I am on my current book project, so I thought I'd have a place where I could point folks to give them the latest on how things are progressing. I'm pretty new to this book...
Free speech, free expression, and the freedom of religion are excellent rights which our constitution's 1st amendment promises cannot be taken away. These elements, though not the Gospel themselves, allow the Gospel to be proclaimed freely within our borders. Our...
People are innocent until they are proven guilty. The burden of proof in any case, no matter how small, is on the accuser. A carefree approach to justice only leads to greater injustice. God, in His wisdom, gave us instructions and America's forefathers followed His...
Colossians 3:1-2 is, in essence, the theme of this blog. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of...
It seems everyone in the conservative evangelical world is trying to think more creatively about what to do to get people in church. Or how to 'be the church', which of course you can't 'be the church' if you're not regularly gathering as a local church. In today’s...
Everyone is made in God's Image Everyone you meet is made in the image of God. Thus, each person you encounter has a level of dignity because of his or her Creator, and you are responsible to treat folks with respect as a consequence of this fact. Individual people...
Introduction This is the first in a series of posts where I hope to provide training and encouragement to dear Christian brothers and sisters who want to dispense the gospel in various situations. [bctt tweet="For many people, giving the gospel to family and friends...
We have some young men in our congregation whom I’ve started texting a Bible thought each morning, usually from my own time in the Word. The other morning I was reading the 29th Psalm. Verse 10 says: The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as...