My Yearly Bible Reading Journey
Three years ago, I began an epic journey. I started reading through the Bible every year....
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Seeing Souls with a Gospel Lens
One of the greatest ministry challenges we all face is how to effectively reach people who come from a very different world than our own. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 provides important counsel for overcoming these walls and also a timely challenge for how we view people in divisive times such as we are facing today....
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What Did God Teach Me in Quarantine
I will never forget Wednesday, March 11, 2020. That Wednesday, our country began aggressively shutting down. The next 11 weeks were probably the most draining season of ministry I have ever experienced. By Wednesday, May 27, when we published our plans for restarting services, I felt as worn down as I have in a long time. The world is far from being “back to normal,” but now that I’ve had some time to reflect, I’d like to give thanks to the Lord for some important lessons/reminders that he taught me during quarantine....
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Justice vs. Authority?
The world right now wants to make you decide between justice and authority, but that is a false dichotomy. God says that both are important, and both are fulfilled in the person of Christ....
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Obedience to God or Men?
Last week I wrote a blog post entitled, “Human Authorities and the Present Moment.” My thesis was, “Obedience to God-ordained authorities ranks very high in the priorities of a biblical ethic; therefore, the threshold for disobeying authorities must also be high.” In this post I want to explore what type of things meet this threshold....
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The Problem of Psalm 91, Part 1
Psalm 91 is arguably one of the most beautiful chapters in all of the Bible. However, there is a strain of teaching in Psalm 91 that doesn’t seem to mesh with reality. The psalm says that “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High” (v. 1) will escape with his life from battle, though ten thousand fall beside him (v. 7). Not only will he not die from the plague, but the plague will not come near his house (v. 10)! He will be delivered from trouble (v. 15). He will live a long life (v. 16). No evil will befall him (v. 10)–he won’t even dash his foot against a stone because God’s angels are protecting him (v. 11-12)! How, I ask, can that be true?...
The Problem of Psalm 91, Part 2
In part 1 of this post, we introduced the interpretive problem of Psalm 91 and examined some less than satisfactory answers to that riddle. In part 2, we will discuss how Jesus’ own life, death, and resurrection helps us to interpret Psalm 91....
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Human Authorities and the Present Moment
Many Christians are growing tired of government restrictions and churches are antsy to begin meeting. Some have begun to wonder if they should ignore restrictions, they deem foolish or unconstitutional. Whenever we are faced with complicated and emotionally charged questions, our selfish bias can easily distort our view of reality or even our interpretation and application of Scripture. Therefore, it is essential that we go back to Scripture and read it honestly for what it has to say. In this post, I'd like to consider what 1 Peter 2:13-3:22 have to say about our present situation....
Steward Your Stimulus Check Wisely
We will all be receiving stimulus checks shortly. How will you steward yours?...
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Biblically, what Can and Can’t We Say about COVID-19?
One of the tremendous benefits of a crisis is that it forces people to think. Perhaps now, more than ever before in our lifetimes, people are asking questions. "Why does sickness exists in the world?" “What should I be living for?” “What happens when I die?" Bible-believing Christians must step to the plate and answer these questions. However, there is a danger here. In seeking to shine light on current events, Christians can easily go too far and say more than Scripture allows! When that happens, we damage not only our own reputation, but also that of the church and of God! More than that, we displease our Lord. Whether He is dealing with unhealthy speculation (Job 42:7-9), those who would add to the Bible (Deut 4:2; 12:32; Rev 22:18), or all-out false prophecy (Jer 23:9-40; 2 Peter 2:12-17; Jude 1:12-19), God doesn’t have nice things to say about those who put words in His mouth. So what can and can’t we say about COVID-19?...
You Cannot Worship with Your Church, but Don’t Skip Family Worship!
Throughout church history, Christians have recognized three forms of worship: personal, family, and corporate. When extremely unusual circumstances cause us to suspend church worship temporarily, the other two forms become all the more vital. So what are you doing for family worship?...
Parenting Resources
This spring, I taught a class on parenting at our church. In preparation for the class, I interacted with a number of different parenting resources. Here are five of the resources I found most helpful....
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"Sorrowful yet Always Rejoicing"
I don’t like sorrow. You might respond, “Of course, who does?” But I really don’t like sorrow. My natural instinct is to flush it out as quickly and aggressively as possible. I don’t want to think about what is wrong, and I especially don’t want to talk about what is wrong. I want to smash my pain into a tiny ball and launch it into outer space. But the longer ...
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Why Come to Church on Wednesday Night?
Wednesday night is one of the most exciting times of the week at Life Point Baptist Church. Apart from the Sunday morning worship time, there is more energy and enthusiasm in the building from 6:30-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday evenings than at any other time during the week. On any given Wednesday night, you will find the building bustling with seventy to seventy-five children, ...
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Why Do We Have a Sunday Night Service?
Coming back to church for a Sunday evening service is often difficult for people to manage. This post reflects on what Life Point is trying to accomplish through our Sunday evening service and on the benefits of making it part of your weekly routine....
Keep ReadingSix Reasons to Attend Sunday School
I think it is true of most churches that the Sunday morning worship service is the best attended service they offer. And yet most churches offer other services to meet a variety of needs. Our church is no exception. Although we don’t take attendance during Sunday school, I would venture to say that Sunday school attendance is about half that of the main service. In light...
Keep ReadingIsn't Sunday Morning Enough?
Many Christians have always assumed that attending Sunday morning worship is enough church for the week. This post offers five reasons why Christians should consider being with the church as much as possible. ...
Keep ReadingIntrospection That Edifies: Part 2
Part 2 of this post continues to explore the role of introspection in the life of a Christian. I will offer warnings and encouragement to the perfectionist who always worries about his standing with God and give 4 conclusions for all Christians regarding more edifying introspection....
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Introspection That Edifies: Part 1
The role of introspection in the Christian life has always been fascinating to me because of the role it has played in my Christian experience. There have been countless times where I have read the Word or listened to it preached, and I have been challenged to look deeply at the patterns of my own heart and life. But there have been other times that improper introspection ...
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Is It Really Okay Not to Be Okay?
We must cultivate a church culture in which it's okay not to be okay, as long as you're seeking grace....
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