The Scriptures teach us in countless places that we are to be unsurprised when God’s faithful ones come under attack. When they tragically come under attack from fellow Christians, the charge against them is (obviously) not that they have been faithful, but rather unfaithful. This also should be no surprise. Jesus was executed for blasphemy, …
Fellowship and Office
Once there was a young man who worked for a retail store that was owned by a fellow Christian, and his job was that of a cashier. Although he was tender-hearted, he was also undisciplined and weak-willed, and when he was running short on funds one month, he “borrowed” from the till one day with …
How Water Means
We serve the living God, and we are to be characterized by that same life, the life which He has imparted to us. This is the basic division in Scripture—life and death. The division is not between those who know the passwords and those who do not. The division is not between those who go …
A Weekly Deadline
When we gather together, we must remember the wisdom and grace of God. In an assembly like this, there must be countless offenses, grievances, hurts, misunderstandings, and more. These are knots that should not be untied; the more we try to untie them, the worse we make it. God’s way is far simpler. Love dissolves …
The Apostles’ Creed
As a congregation we have been discussing this for some time, and we have been using it in worship in our evensong service. The intent all along has been to incorporate a congregational confession of faith into our weekly service of worship. This morning we begin with the Apostles’ Creed. This creed is ancient and …
Courtships Are Interesting
Because of how God made the world, with the marriage of His Son to the Church central to the story He was going to tell, and His determination to picture this in every human marriage, the fact is settled that courtships are therefore interesting. But we are sometimes too interested, or, in another way of …
Near the Back
We are creatures and so we are necessarily affected by our surroundings. But we are responsible creatures, and this means that if our surroundings are distracting us from our duties, then we must fight those surroundings and overcome them. This room where we are meeting is not conducive to worship in various respects, but one …
The Mere Fact of Worship
The efficacy of worship goes far beyond the intentions of the worshippers. It is fitting and proper that all worshippers of the triune God fix this in their minds. We are worshipping God in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. We are doing so in faith, and are offering up a right worship of …
Be Careful
One time there was a man who did not like the legalistic and fussy way many Christians approached their lives. They always had scruples about everything. There was always a problem with something. And although he had a point, I am afraid he over-reacted, and he began to do things just to get a reaction …
Sola Fide
We know that we are saved by grace, through faith, so that no one can boast. We know also that we are saved by faith alone, sola fide. But we must take care. What kind of faith can be trusted to go out alone? Whenever we make theological distinctions, we have to be careful not …