We should be striving to be a church that 1. Baptizes those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus alone to be saved; 2. Receives baptized converts into the membership of the church; 3. Teaches NT apostolic doctrine; we want to teach and affirm “sound doctrine”; 4. Live in fellowship; we emphasize the importance of partnership among people of like faith and practice. We want to be of one accord, of one mind. 5. Worships through teaching the Word, providing the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, emphasizing corporate prayer, and praising God. Every Christian ought to be a member of a church that follows that pattern. Read More ...
We don’t know what may befall us in 2022. For some of us, like Paul, we may finish our course this year. Some of us may face persecution and opposition like Paul did. We may be tempted to quit or to sit on the side lines. We may be tempted to quit fighting and just give up. But quitting is not an option for the Christian. Our goals for 2022 should be that we fight the good fight, finish the course God has for us, and defend the faith. That’s a biblical and practical set of resolutions we can put into practice this year. Read More ...
If we want to avoid the distress that accompanies disobedience to God’s law, then the thing to do is to commit ourselves to walking in his law and observing God’s ordinances. Only if the nation as a whole returns to a basic respect for Christian morality can we expect God to bless our nation again. We need a national revival, a wholesale repentance and return to God and to biblical morality. Read More ...
Fathers in particular have a very important set of contributions to make to their children as they grow up. Fathers contribute differently to boys and to girls. All kids need parenting, but boys need one set of things from their dads, and girls need something else. Fathers should be careful to provide what their children need from them, especially those things that no one else can provide. Read More ...
Does music matter? Does it matter to God? Yes, there can be no doubt about that. Should it matter to us? Obviously it should. The Bible contains hundreds of references to music and its influence. We affirm God’s truth to one another through music. Music speaks to our emotions and helps us express our worship to God. Music matters to God and it should matter to us. Read More ...
I trust that on this Resurrection Sunday, we will all take time to ponder the marvelous news—“He is not here, but is risen.” And I trust that we will not think of this news as “idle tales” and nonsense, but as absolute, unchangeable, undeniable, verifiable truth. Jesus is risen, he is risen indeed. And it’s this great event that we celebrate today. Read More ...