Recently a ministers’ conference was held which had the general subject of “Tensions and Dangers” in preaching, pastoral ministry and the life of the churches. Tensions and Dangers included such things as preaching (comforting/consoling and convicting/exposing), objective/subjective work of God, profession of faith/profession of truth, expectations surrounding confessing members partaking
Continue readingEngaging a person with the Gospel is always daunting. Such questions as “who is this person?” “what will they say?” “what if I come across to them in a confusing way?” These and many other similar trains of doubt can derail evangelistic purpose and action. In combatting this challenge, I
Continue readingFaith is knowledge of a higher sort. We too often want to assess and evaluate faith compared to what we view as real, certain, and valuable (e.g. sensory experience) and as a result diminish faith. However, if we understand faith from that which is highest and most conclusive, God’s revelation,
Continue readingI am a firm advocate for being unified where there should, by God’s providence, be unity. Continuing outward separation, especially among Christians agreeing on the primary truths of scripture and vastly agreeing on secondary matters, troubles me greatly. Along this line, Herman Bavinck has written the following, The church’s witness
Continue readingFrom Herman Bavinck’s “The Certainty of Faith” we learn how science and other disciplines are unable to truly provide the certainty we need. However, theology, also, must be of a particular sort (i.e. not critical or merely historical) to provide certainty. Bavinck writes, Nevertheless, there is also a practical side
Continue readingEvery year, 7th Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan holds a community service on Good Friday. This service consists of seven meditations by seven Reformed ministers from different churches, each treating one of the seven sayings of Christ from the cross. They are usually very edifying and help maintain the
Continue readingA collection of sermons by Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones is entitled Let Not Your Heart be Troubled addresses an existential struggle we all are going through right now – trouble and anxiety. All of the chapters address the matter helpfully and from a robustly biblical perspective. It is a very satisfying
Continue readingIn between two tragic developments of opposition against Jesus in Mark 14:1-2 and 10-11 we have the contrast presented in Mary’s anointing of Jesus. Jesus receives this act of devotion, defends its high purpose, and establishes its significance for perpetuity. In this passage we are searched by God’s Word as
Continue readingOn Wednesday of the final week of Jesus’ humiliation we find the opposition to Jesus rising to a feverish pitch and Judas spies out an opportunity to betray Him. In the middle of these acts of aggression we have Mary’s act of devotion and love to Jesus. Bible passages that
Continue readingJesus always stirred the ire of the religious leaders, whether it was by the timing of his miracles (e.g. taking place on the Sabbath) or the words that He spoke (e.g. “Your sins be forgiven you…” So too now, the religious leaders were plotting to take Jesus and yet could
Continue reading
