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?...
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?...
In my last post I argued that anger is a severe problem we can’t ignore. Even if you despise your anger, you may not believe you will ever make progress against it. However, the Scriptures tell a different story. This post offers practical counsel for overcoming anger....
In my last post, I outlined three broad principles for overcoming anger. Unfortunately, knowing these principles is often the easy part of helping an angry person. The hard part is overcoming the obstacles to sound counsel that anger creates. Therefore, this post offers four practical ideas for helping others overcome anger....
Anger is a bigger problem than we often realize. The Bible warns us about the dangers of anger and commands us to put it away. This post challenges us to recognize the wickedness of anger and how it makes us vulnerable to Satan's attacks, so that we will do the hard work of putting anger away through the strength of Christ....
There is a lot of passionate debate in our society over the fair treatment of animals. This post reflects on the debate from biblical perspective noting how the story of creation and the gospel itself speak to modern questions....
I watched a documentary recently about one of the best rock climbers in the world. One thing that stood out to me about this rock climber was his commitment to personal growth in his sport. And one symbol of his commitment was his climbing journal, in which he meticulously tracks his performance. I wonder if we as Christians could learn from his example as it relates to tracking our spiritual progress....
As evangelists, we often struggle to merge the free grace of the gospel with the demands of discipleship. This is because we don't always understand that Christ is the primary gift of the gospel, and everything else flows from him. In this post, I will demonstrate the primacy of Christ and how every other gift of the gospel stems from him....
We often assume that discipleship requires an arrangement between a disciple maker and a disciple. But is this the only way discipleship happens?...
We would all agree that taking God’s name in vain is a sin (Ex 20:7). But is it a sin to watch movies in which His name is misused? How should we think through this issue, and what should be the heart behind our decisions?...
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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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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When people ask me what it is like to pastor Life Point Baptist Church, I typically respond by saying something like this: “Pastoring Life Point is incredibly hard but incredibly exciting.” Both the difficulty and the excitement are tied in part to the theological and philosophical diversity of our church....
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Luther had always assumed that this righteousness was something he was responsible to achieve in order to earn salvation. But the more he gave himself to achieving God’s righteousness, the more he realized how far he fell short and the more he grew to hate the God who would demand such an impossible standard. He believed that he must be missing something, but for years, ...
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I’d like to make a case for two distinct types of forgiveness. When a person gets saved, God forgives all of his sin—past, present, and future. This is often referred to as “positional forgiveness.” Although some people may not like that term, I don’t think anyone even close to orthodoxy really disputes the idea. However, the Bible is clear that even after salvat...
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In preparation for our recent study on prayer, I read several books on the subject. Here are my three favorites....
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During one of my first staff meetings at Inter-City, Pastor Doran challenged us that if we were truly going to help each other grow and lead the church well, we had to be able to debate ideas without taking things personally or letting emotion cloud our judgment. It was fairly simple advice, but in the years since I have thought back to his admonition many times as I have ...
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Do you listen to podcasts? About one in five Americans do, according to a recent survey; and that number is increasing rapidly. I discovered podcasting last fall, when I set up a podcast for our church. Since then, listening to podcasts has become a regular part of my week. I like to listen while I get ready in the morning, drive, or work in the yard. I listen primarily fo...
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This past Sunday, I briefly touched on the tricky subject of dating and marriage. It’s no secret that we live in a day with many conflicting ideas about these subjects. Secular culture has always been obsessed with romance; but sadly, I've heard a lot of Christians express bad ideas also. Several years ago, I came across an interview by 9Marks, and it really challenged m...
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My sermon last Sunday was entitled, “How to Leave a Godly Legacy.” If you were not present you can listen to the sermon here. We looked at several characteristics of a life worth honoring from 1 Timothy 5:5...
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