Following an argument by Nick Gier in search of a non sequitur is like following a lit fuse in search of an explosion. And mysteriously, Nick talked the Idaho Statesman into publishing an article under the headline “Neo-Nazi Christians make presence felt again in Northern Idaho.” In the past, when Nick has published his screeds …
Jesus Is Lord
As we continue our study of historical optimism, a good thing to keep in mind is the need to constantly turn to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. When we think through these issues carefully, we must recognize that the basic issue is really the view we have of …
God Throws Down the Proud
We cannot have an assembly like this without collecting together great sin and sinfulness. But this is not a function of the size of our church. The same thing would happen if any one of us were to assemble, all by ourselves, in a closet. We are all sinners, and God is in the process …
How Much Bread and Wine?
In order to correct some of the disorders that had crept into the worship of the saints at Corinth, the apostle tells them to deal with their hunger at home. Apparently, the love feast that accompanied the Eucharist in the first century was being used as an occasion to fill the belly, at the expense …
The Center of History
“The resurrection of Christ defines history, and not the other way around. The central Christian confession–the Apostles’ Creed–is full of historical claims, and ministers are the appointed guardians of those claims. At any moment, a trained historian might come into the Garden and say, ‘Yea, hath God said?'” (Black and Tan, p. 2).
The Original Flame
“The duty of ongoing sexual relations is clearly presented by Paul when he says, “Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband” (1 Cor. 7:3). Modern liberated types enjoy sniffing at this, as though making sexual relations a duty somehow removes the romance, the …
In Pleasant Places
Father in heaven, You are a gracious God, and You have poured out blessing after blessing upon our heads. You have established the lines for us in pleasant places. We have opened our mouths, and You have filled them. We have turned to You, and You have bestowed Your covenant kindness upon us. We thank …
Fullness and Overflow
Who are you? What are you doing here? How did it come about that you are now here? The instruments used by God are many, but the fundamental answer is that you are here at worship because you have been called, summoned. God wants you to hear His Word. He requires you to worship Him, …
Lockstep or Likemindedness?
We are told to tarry for one another. This is why we take and eat together, and why we take and drink together. The point of this is not communion in lockstep, but rather communion in likemindedness. We are told in various places of Scripture that likemindedness is one of our great duties – we …
Inescapable History
“But all preachers must also be historians in some sense, because we preach from the Bible, most of which is sacred history. The center of our faith is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, an event in history. When a professional historian sidles up to me and says that the event did not happen, it doesn’t …