Over the years I have written a good deal about one of the great neglected qualifications for the ministry, which is the spiritual state of the minister’s family and home. Paul tells us plainly that a man whose house is not in order is not qualified to be a steward in the household of God. …
State of the Church 2013
INTRODUCTION:Near the beginning of every calendar year, it has been our custom for some years now to have a message that addresses the “state of the church.” Sometimes we have addressed the state of the national church, and sometimes of this local congregation. It all varies . . . depending on the state of the …
Keeping It All
This Table embodies one of the central realities of the Christian life, which is the glory of my life for yours. Of course, it doesn’t seem that way. It is designed to seem different than it is, so that we can walk by faith, and not by sight. How can breaking bread make it whole? …
No Static Center
Because Jesus has been established as both Lord and Christ, our worship of God through Him is the center of the world. Everything else we do, like the water flowing out from Ezekiel’s temple, proceeds from that reality. Not only is it the center of the world, but it also shapes the world. It was …
Nyuck, Nyuck, Nyuck, So To Speak
The balconies of Heaven are crowded to overflowing as the angels have all gathered to watch the brilliance of Our Serene Leadership on display. You know how it goes — whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad. And the angels pay good money to stare at it, fascinated. That’s how I account for …
Which Is Why It Strikes Some As An Attractive Business Model
“It was a sweet setup. He had the sweetest setup in the history of the world, short of a few popes. No shareholders. No product. No inventory” (Evangellyfish, p. 50).
A Jealous Good
“Godly jealousy is fierce — the scriptural testimony is very clear on that point. Moreover, the passages that refer to jealousy are overwhelmingly positive, and the fact that our default assumptions about jealousy are negative should tell us something about how unscriptural our worldview has become. As we have seen, God’s name is Jealous (Exod. …
Because Something Must Be Done
“Eloquence is so speaking as not merely to convince the judgment, kindle the imagination, and move the feelings, but to give a powerful impulse to the will” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery of Sermon, p. 20).
Establishing Your Street Crud
One of the reasons why contemporary Christians are having such a hard time with the postmodern moment is that we have made the mistake of thinking it is based on argument, instead of recognizing it as a massive cultural mood swing. It is a mood, not a defensible stance — and when somebody is in …
The Law Part of Natural Law
Whenever we speak about the kind of law that defines a crime, we are talking about making certain people conform to a pattern they don’t want to conform to. Law in this sense is a function of coercion. This is why I am a minimalist when it comes to law. The fact that something is …