On his first missionary journey Paul said something startling to the believers in Derbe. He said, “[through] many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”[1] Nearly twenty years later, toward the end of Paul’s life, while in his last…
Perhaps you are becoming increasingly disturbed by the comeback stories of preachers who seem to be obviously disqualified from the ministry but continue pretending to be shepherds. Or maybe you wonder how some men seem to be immune from proper…
Priscilla and Aquila are two lesser known characters in the New Testament. The impression we get is that they were a man and wife team ministry, for the New Testament references to them are invariably as a couple, and not…
I enjoy the little story tucked away in Acts 12:12-17. It appears between King Herod’s tirade (Acts 12:1-11) against the church and his death for blasphemy (Acts 12:18-24). Oddly, it’s a humorous little story. Peter, having been miraculously freed from…
God has so ordered his church that “there should be ministers or pastors to preach the Word of God.” The church must send ministers to preach so that sinners can hear the gospel, call on Jesus, and be saved (Rom. 10:14, 15).…
Editor’s Note: The views expressed by the author are not necessarily the views expressed by Ref21 or the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. After 25 years serving the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a rather scruffy, nobody pastor is watching what the…
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…
I shouted over the many voices crammed into the Twin Lakes cafeteria, “I went to Covenant!” The man was likely the same age as me and looked very confused by this answer. “How did you end up here?” I am…
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,…
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…
