Christian Living

Editor's Note: Christian Focus has graciously supplied us with a chapter from Rob Ventura's forthcoming book Equipped to Evangelize: A Biblical Foundation. Ref21 will publish portions of chapter one along with endorsements over the next several months in anticipation of its September release date...

In college, I lived with seven of my best friends in apartment Nu 8, “The Ocho.” Our living room was placarded with posters displaying our various passions: a Pulp Fiction scene with John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson pointing pistols at a hapless victim, an atomic mushroom cloud, the album art of...

In our judgments of individuals, the Scriptures offer various binaries: one is either a child of God or a child of the devil (Jn. 1:12; 8:44; 1 Jn. 3:8–12; Matt. 13:38); one either has the Spirit of Christ or does not have the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9); one either walks in darkness or in the...

Following the tumultuous years of the mid-Seventeenth Century, two titans of English Puritanism left an especially enduring imprint upon church history. For centuries, many Protestant ministers have dedicated feet—yes, feet —of shelf-space to the published works of both John Owen (1616-83) and...

Chaplain Mike Gilson in the Spiritual Care Service unit of San Diego’s Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center shared about his visits with a Vietnamese patient and husband who both spoke little English. The wife had terminal cancer, but later on to the chaplain’s surprise while doing his rounds he...

The prayers of a Sunday morning service offer a perfect context to encourage both gratitude for the Sabbath and renewed ambitions for the Lord’s day. If you are a pastor or elder seeking to encourage thoughtfulness about the fourth commandment, perhaps consider a sampling from these suggestions –...

Do you have an evening service at your church? Is so, and especially if you are a Reformed pastor or elder, you’ll likely be wanting to encourage better attendance at your church’s Sunday evening service. Many of the Young, Restless and Reformed that entered the Reformed churches ten years ago are...

Editor's Note: In 2014 Dr. Waugh published on the same subject . However, this article, though similar is certainly different. The present article is updated and contains added information that we believe will benefit the Church. Enjoy! William Bridge was born about the year 1600 in Cambridgeshire...

When I was diagnosed with a rare cancer in 2010, our church family came alongside us and cared for us through several months of treatment. That experience made me passionate about how the body of Christ bears one another’s burdens and cares for the suffering. Our PCA church is seeking to do this...

Editor's Note: This article is related to William Boekestein's latest book titled, Finding My Vocation . The reader can order a copy of his new book on vocation here. Enjoy! For people listening to God’s voice, the importance of work is a given. The Bible is a record of God working to redeem a...