“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;"

What are these promises that are made concerning the Messiah? They relate to the relationship between the one who sends the Messiah, and the sent Messiah (verse 1a-c), the accomplishment of the Messianic purpose (verse 1d), and the manner of the Messiah in accomplishing his purpose (42:2-3).

Guest Author By Ali Timmer Ali Timmer is a homeschooler, Christian, and teenage writer.

There is a belief going around that says that family worship is silly, old-fashioned, and above all, unneeded and useless.  But that’s a lie. We cannot give in to the belief that family worship is useless. On the contrary, Family Worship is probably one of the most important things you can do for your child. Family worship is beneficial to kids and adults alike. How? You might ask. Well, just to prove it to you, I will give you five solid ways that family worship has impacted me, a Christian teen, and will probably impact your kids too.

I’m struck time and time again by how often eschatological realities inform the daily practical outworking of Christian living. James gives a strong prohibition – don’t grumble against one another. He then reminds his audience of their family status – brothers and sisters. Like any good leader (or parent) he provides a motivating warning after the instruction – or you will be judged.

Generally, “neighbor” is understood in a geographical sense, referring to those who live near us. By this definition I can see focusing on our neighbors is indeed a wise strategy for serving God, as it starts right where we are, with those around us. As Christians, we are called to be kind, to build relationships, to earn the trust of our neighbors, and to share our faith and lives with them. Ultimately, we hope they come to know Jesus in a saving relationship, joining us in worshiping and serving God and living for His glory. More than simply becoming part of our church community, the true goal of focusing on our neighbors is for them to know Christ as their Savior. This focus on our neighbors holds several important advantages for our church’s mission, yet it also presents unique challenges.

A family liturgy guide to go along with Jesus as the Great Prophet.

Biblical theology is like looking at the whole wedding cake. You are looking at the overall image of the cake or the overall story of scripture. Systematic theology is looking at the individual pieces of scripture, just as there are many ingredients used to make a beautiful-tasting cake.

Prophet, Priest, and King!  Take a minute and think about the first thing that comes to your mind when you see those three words.  Begin with the prophet, maybe the words, old, wise, or someone who speaks with and on behalf of God.  However, what do the sacred writings say about prophets?  Words like warning, exhortation, conviction, prayers, sorrow, anger, ridicule, martyred/killed, prosecutors, and witnesses are among some of the descriptions the Bible uses to describe these men and women. (1)  In this article, we will explore and hope to gain insight into these men and women to see their amazing and impactful role in the lives of God’s people.  The Westminster Confession of Faith assembly met in 1643-1649 and in the shorter catechism asked and answered four questions on the three offices of mediator.

In spiritual matters, as opposed to issues connected to serving tables, what submission-requiring authority do deacons have, if any?

Acts 6 is an archetype, prototype, precursor, or early form of Diaconal ministry, then authority comes by way of delegation from the united move of the Apostles and congregation. Strictly speaking, the Apostles lead in solving the problem, include the congregation in the process, and then as a solution delegate the matter to the deacons (the 7) chosen for the work. In this matter, the issue was handed over to those deacons. Unless a new issue outside the boundaries of what the apostles and congregation had intended arose, the deacons were to handle the serving of the tables. 

All of human history centers on two climatic moments. The first of those moments has already come, the second of those moments is yet to come. The first climax of human history was in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. The second will be the return of this same Jesus to Judge the living and the dead.

Often the CREC wins adherents and attendees by being loud on social issues and horrendously ambiguous on basic gospel tenants. People see the CREC as happy to host families and encourage certain traditional conservative political agendas, and then....well that thin shell is used to cover the gaping holes of heretical doctrines. 

Every year, the question of whether or not to celebrate Halloween shows up on social media and in conversations among Christians. This topic appears as Christian parents struggle with determining whether they should or shouldn't celebrate Halloween. There is no straight answer according to some, while others believe there is an easy answer. No matter where you fall on this subject, I wanted to address what our choices about Halloween are teaching our children.

There are many questions surrounding the word Reformed. Come learn more about what it means to be Reformed.

2 John is often in direct contradiction to the theology of "invite everyone to church!" and "how will people hear about Jesus unless they hear my preacher on Sunday?" - well....while the gospel does go forth through Lord's Day sermons, far more often it is beyond the gathering of believers that the gospel goes forward to unbelievers. The gathering of God's people is not a "public" free-for-all all event despite what seeker-sensitive churches and what public government policies say. Church gatherings are for the building up of the saints in the ministry of Christ. It is not an open debate hall, or a town hall meeting of listening circles where "everyone can be heard, and everyone can feel accepted". The gathering of the saints is a very special time of meeting wherein God gathers his people and meets in Spiritual communion together.

One of the most recognized people of the reformation era is Martin Luther. Luther, more than any other individual is recognized as the catalyzing force which launched the reformation. When marking the period of the Reformation, October 31 is remembered as the day the Reformation began. On that day in 1517, Luther nailed a document containing 95 statements of question and critique of the Roman church.

Reformation day is a holiday that is celebrated by many reformed churches and Christians throughout the world. Reformation day dates back to 1517, when Martin Luther nailed 95 theses on the door of the church in Whitten burg, Germany. This act from Martin Luther, started the separation from the Catholic church, and the Biblical teaching that we are saved through faith not by works.

God’s word is Truth. If we are to follow Christ and become more like him, then we are to follow and obey the Truth of His Word. Within His Word, you will find many truths, one of which is a warning against false teaching. 1 John 4:1-6 is a dense portion of John's writing that details how the church was to identify and safeguard themselves from false teaching and false teachers. Today I'll give a brief history of some false teaching within the history of the Christian church and current iterations, beliefs, and statements that reflect contemporary false teaching. We will look at Antinomism, Adoptionism, and Marcionism, and see how these false teachings are relevant in today’s churches.

One of my favorite discussion points with unbelievers is the historical reliability of the Bible. This often comes up when discussing the reason for my faith (1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,). The Bible is frequently caricatured by unbelievers as a book full of myths, old wives tales, and is in general untrue. This position is most commonly parroted by militant atheists, many of whom I admire as they seem more evangelistic regarding their lack of faith than many inside the church regarding their presence of faith! 

Family Worship Westminster Question 41-45.

In our previous articles, we demonstrated how the author of Ecclesiastes, the preacher, is a TYPE (1) of Christ. This is significant because it explains our Triune God’s roles as Prophet, Priest, and King for the world at creation and our roles as the image bearers of God in reflecting Him as Prophet, Priest, and King to the world. 

Since we as authors are especially involved in Ecclesiastes, we would like to use the wise council of both the WLC and the historical redemptive reading of the Scriptures to guide us to our Great Redeemer, as mediator between His church and God, the One Good Shepherd in Ecclesiastes. First things first. How in the world can we make a connection between Christ Jesus, Ecclesiastes, and his church? Here are a couple of things to consider:

Humble suggestion and example for my brothers in the pulpit - I learned from another Pastor's dissertation (Rev. Andrew Vandermoss) about oral preparation for preaching.