Cornelius Plantinga: Christianity is against individualism. In the Old Testament God made his covenant with Abraham and his descendents, with a whole people. We now baptize persons not because they are individual believers or even because they belong to a…
Why your pastor shouldn’t have to look like Brad Pitt
Tim Challies: . . . Christians today have access (via the Internet, of course) to vast libraries of the best sermons by the best preachers—the Pitts and Depps of the preaching world. Of course in place of square chins and…
For Those Who Think Their Sin Affects No One Else
“Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai taught: There is a story about men who were sitting on a ship, one of them lifted up a borer and began boring a hole beneath his seat. His companions said to him: ‘What are you…
A Turn Around Church?
This sermon excerpt may make you mad. But, there is a point. You need to read the whole thing – no skipping ahead. *********** Once there was a church that was dry and dusty, frustrated and confused. It smelled like…
When Laola Rolled out the Red Carpet for a Pastor and His Wife
One of Jamie and my favorite pastoral visits was to an older lady. I am not sure of her exact age, but I do know that she and her husband had been married for 67 years. It was a visit…
Al Mohler: “Let’s not be caught in the dark, wondering why we missed the opportunity when it was day.”
Whether or not you are a Southern Baptist, if you are interested in the future of the church in North America, I encourage you to watch Al Mohler’s analysis of the history and future of the SBC. A great deal…
Do You Need Braces?
If you need to get braces, then get them in the next few days. The sooner you get them on, the sooner you will get them off. I woke up several years ago and couldn’t open my mouth. Literally, my…
On the danger of excusing ourselves from church in the name of the family
Obviously, the nuclear family should be a priority for local churches. But, sometimes people play the family card in excusing themselves from a deep commitment to the local church. This is yet another area where balance is needed. Remember: the…
Grudem: “We must be careful here, as with baptism, to avoid the mistake of overreacting to Roman Catholic teaching and maintaining that the Lord’s Supper is merely symbolic and not a means of grace . . .”
Christians should treasure the Lord’s Supper. Wayne Grudem: The Lord’s Supper is not simply an ordinary meal among human beings—it is a fellowship with Christ, in his presence and at his table. Once again, we must avoid the idea that…
“The baptism was beautiful. I waited every day for over a month. . .”
Does your church have a baptism service coming up? A good friend from a different part of the country, recently wrote this to me in an e-mail regarding her church’s baptism service. It pictures how we should feel about the…