“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25). I don’t think he means that we are supposed to engage in self-sabatoge to make our life harder than it has to be. For example, I heard of a charity in the developing […]
What is Wrong With Some of the Recent Teachings on the Authority of the Local Church?
There is a growing emphasis on church membership right now and “being under the authority of the local church.” This can seem laudable in many ways, but there is a very important emphasis which often seems to be missing when people talk about this. Without this emphasis, people will inevitably misunderstand. The missing emphasis is […]
Why Plant Churches?
A fantastic and extremely helpful article by Tim Keller that everyone needs to read. Here’s the start: The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for 1) the numerical growth of the Body of Christ in any city, and 2) the continual corporate renewal and revival of the existing churches […]
What is a Gospel-Centered, Missional Church?
A great article at the new For the Church Website. Here are a few excerpts: What is a gospel-centered, missional church? Simply put, a gospel-centered missional church is one that recognizes that: Authentic heart-transformation cannot happen apart from the gospel; AND Culture is not the enemy of the church; rather it is a broken treasure God […]
Jesus is Not Customizable
Well said by David Platt in Follow Me: In Matthew 7, Jesus expose our dangerous tendency to gravitate toward that which is easy and popular. Hear his warning: Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the […]
Sam Storms on Insecurity in the Pastorate
Sam Storms, from his post What I Wish I’d Known: Reflections on Nearly 40 Years of Pastoral Ministry: 10. I wish I’d known about the destructive effects of insecurity in a pastor. This is less because I’ve struggled with it and more due to its effect I’ve seen in others. Why is insecurity so damaging? […]
John Owen on Hebrews 13:17
It is becoming more and more common for people to point to Hebrews 13:17 as giving pastors and elders in the church an almost unlimited authority to tell other Christians what to do — not just in affairs of the church, but also in their personal lives. This is a complete misunderstanding of the passage. […]
The True Nature of Elder Authority in the Church
Note: I originally wrote this post a few weeks ago, in partial response to everything that was going on at Mars Hill. I didn’t post it, however, because I was hesitant to speak up about issues at a church where I don’t attend. However, the issues at Mars Hill pertain to many crucial biblical principles that are […]
John Stott on the Motive for the Great Commission
I think this is well said by John Stott. Love for our neighbor is a critical motivation. But when the sacrifices become so great, and people begin to say “missions is not actually loving — go away,” it can be easy to say “are we sure it is really worth this?” That’s why it is […]
The Nature of Pastoral Authority in One Sentence
This is really, really important to understand: “The true picture in the New Testament is not that of a congregation under the authority of the preacher; but of both preacher and congregation under the authority of God’s written word” (Eric Alexander, What is Biblical Preaching).
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