5 Deceitful Schemes Seeking to Ruin Churches

In Ephesians 4:14, Paul desires that local churches “…may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” In this post, I want to give you 5 examples of deceitful schemes that would seek to rock a … Read more

Why You Should be a Baptist – Part 4

In the previous two posts, we have walked through 5 points on the significance of Baptism. I am trying to convince you to be a credobaptist. And if you already are a credobaptist, I hope that these posts help you to glory in the gospel all the more. We will finish 2 more points today … Read more

Why You Should be a Baptist – Part 3

In the previous post, we began to walk through 8 wonderful realities that our Baptism points to. We finished 3 last time and we will finish another 2 today. Before we get into the list let me say how much my walk with the Lord has been improved by listening to and reading paedobaptists. R.C. … Read more

Spirit Baptism and Water Baptism

Baptism and the Spirit In the New Testament, we recognize the word “baptism” is not only used to refer to physical water. For example, John the Baptist says in Mark 1:8 that Jesus is coming to “baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Or, in 1 Corinthians 12:13 Paul says, “For in one Spirit we were … Read more

The Work of Elders and Deacons (Benjamin Keach)

Consider the words of 17th century Baptist, Benjamin Keach (1640-1740), on Elders and Deacons: The Work of Elders 1. The Elder’s or Pastor’s work is to study the word, to show himself approved. “A workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,” 2 Tim. 2:15. And that he may also … Read more

An Open Letter to Unbelieving Parents

Dear Unbelieving Mom, Dad, or Grandparent, Perhaps you are a flat-out denier of the truth of Christianity. Or, perhaps, you would not refer to yourself as an “unbeliever” at all since you do profess to be a Christian. But, for all intents and purposes, you are what is referred to as a “nominal” Christian. In … Read more

Who Invented “Church Membership” anyway?

Is church membership a manmade idea or is it really biblical? In this short post, we’ll consider just one text. Peter told pastors in his first epistle to “shepherd the flock of God that is *among you*.” (1 Peter 5:2) There is a lot there we could unpack but let me make one observation. Either … Read more

5 Ways the Holy Spirit Builds Christian Fortitude

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines fortitude as “a quality of character combining courage and staying power.” In Ephesians 3:16 Paul prays that God would strengthen His people with power through the Holy Spirit. We might say, then, that it is biblical to pray for Christian fortitude. This post is about how God delivers His strength to our … Read more

5 Reasons Baptist Churches Should Associate

I may write a follow-up post on the nature of associations, but in today’s post, I just want to lay out 5 reasons that churches ought to cooperate. Dr. Gregg Allison says this: [C]hurches are to establish and promote strong associations with other churches for the sake of mutual accountability, sharing of resources, cooperative high-impact … Read more

Should Small Churches Unite?

I’m working on my master’s thesis with Grace Bible Theological Seminary and came across some things I thought our readers might find interesting. In 1689 the General Assembly of Particular Baptist Churches convened. One of the things the General Assembly did was give practical suggestions for cooperation among churches. Consider, for example, this question asked … Read more