church

Praise Yahweh (the LORD) – Psalm 117

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God has provided us with His Word that we might know Him and praise Him. Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter of the Bible, yet it is packed with God-glorifying wisdom, truth, and comfort. Let’s take a look at it! Psalm 117 (ESV) 1 Praise Yahweh, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! 2 For great … Read more

A Letter to a New Believer

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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, etc.” My response is below. Feel free to … Read more

Review: Lemuel Haynes, The Black Puritan

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Christian biographies are some of the most enjoyable books to read, in my opinion. I love to hear how God saved a man (or woman), and what good work the Lord did in that person’s life, and through that person. The biography of Lemuel Haynes, by Pastor Luke Walker of Redeeming Cross Community Church is a … Read more

Making the Best Use of the Time

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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 not … Read more

Time to Cut the 20 Minute Sermon

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Our pastor had recently left for another church and I was taking over a lot of the preaching duties in our local congregation. One afternoon the phone rang in my Youth Pastor’s study. The conversation went something like this: “Hello?” A lady from our church on the other line: “Yes, I want to talk to … Read more

On the Election of Infants – Part 2

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Earlier, we reviewed four of the six reasonable categories (Click here to read Part 1) one can fall in concerning their belief about the election of infants. Many folks have argued whether babies go to Heaven for centuries. For the sake of ease of writing, I will use the term “infants” to describe those “who … Read more

On the Election of Infants – Part 1

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What Happens When a Baby Dies? Many folks have argued whether babies go to Heaven for centuries. Instead of putting forth an argument, per se, I want to summarize what the possible positions one can take would be, and at least try to eliminate the ones that seem absurd, while explaining some of the implications … Read more

Recent Racist Rhetoric Reflections

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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 victims‪ of racism as well. … Read more

Run to Him

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My older son was outside playing basketball down the street. He had stopped to wave at me as I drove past him on my way home from work. I walked in the door of my house and looked around. My wife was in the kitchen putting the final touches on dinner, and my youngest daughter was upstairs working on schoolwork. Our middle son was engrossed in whatever had his attention. But the moment that struck me was when the baby looked up from his blocks and realized his daddy was home.

For everyone else, it was business as usual. But for Michael Robert (not a jr), seeing me walk in the door was enough to stop him from everything he was doing. He instantly dropped what was in his hands and ran straight to me. It didn’t bother him that there were obstacles (he didn’t even try to avoid them), and whatever fun activity had his attention was quickly forgotten. He was singularly focused on making his way to his daddy for a hug and kiss.

So What’s the Problem

My heart was filled with joy. I thought, what a gift it was for God to give my son such love for me! But my joy quickly turned to sorrow as I realized how infrequently I ran to my Heavenly Father in the same way. Why is it so easy for me to push away urges to pray or read the Scripture, and instead focus on whatever earthly task is before me? How many times had my Father in Heaven stood at a metaphorical door and simply looked on as I continued in my personal pursuit, rather than run to Him as my son ran to me that day?

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No, We Do Not Need to Own Hitler

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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. Something I have observed is that many people accuse other of fallacious reasoning when there really is not … Read more

Varieties of Gifts

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One thing I’ve noticed over the past several decades of watching the NFL playoffs and Super Bowls is that the teams that go to the playoffs and deepest into the playoffs have the most Pro-Bowl selections. What is striking, though is the team with the NFL rushing leaders or passing leader isn’t always the team that stands victorious at the end.

Teams that hold the trophy at the end are almost universally made up of a large group of guys who all played their part in the success. No one chastises the left tackle for the fact that he scored zero touchdowns. Yet the touchdowns scored by the team are credited to the left tackle for the part he played in making them happen.

A Variety of Gifts

Such is the case in the church as well. In 1 Peter 4:10, Peter writes, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace,” and then follows up with a list of the types of gifts God has given the church. Not only has God provided a variety of gifts to the church, each individual has his or her own personality and character. Some folks are more extroverted while some are introverted. Some people are more likely to dive headlong into a risky situation, and others will be cautious, maybe overly cautious at times.

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