As a missionary, I was asked to speak at a church while the Pastor was gone on vacation. The pastor was a dear friend of mine, and I was humbled and honored at the opportunity to preach. I asked if there were any series or scriptures that the Pastor would like me to preach on, and it just so happened that the church was going through the book of Genesis and had come to the list of names in Genesis 11. My friend encouraged me that I didn't have to preach that passage if I didn't want to, I was more than welcome to pick another passage. Perhaps out of ignorance or some other motivation, I simply accepted the text and began studying the genealogical passage. This set me on a small quest that has over the years developed into a love of the lists of the bible. These lists have been a tremendous help in my faith, even as I have conversed, shared, and preached Christ crucified to many.

As soon as you read a word on a page, you begin interpreting it. Interpretation can be thought of as a mental exercise of putting communication messages you receive (via visual, audio, or other sensory receptors) into thought forms and recognizable patterns in your own mind.

I thought it appropriate to share some thoughts on the Lord's Table. Some may wonder "Why not simply quote a catechism or confession of faith?" While I love a lot of the historic documents of the church, many are (particularly those that arise out of the European Protestant Reformation) comparative in their nature based on the struggle of that era.

This piece also shows a woeful misunderstanding of a completed canon. This is besides any argument for continuations or cessations of apostolic gifts. This is just regarding the canon as it stood completed. Just because Christ expanded, and extended pieces of the Old Covenant in his teaching and establishing the New Covenant, doesn't mean we are to then extend or expand beyond the parameters Christ has laid out.

This week is a teachable moment regarding the good news of the gospel. The good news of the grace of God in Jesus Christ is so grand that even those who have the most disdain and evil intents towards Jesus are the very targets of Jesus' affection. The very ones who seek to mock most earnestly Jesus Christ are those for whom Jesus willingly died for to secure new life. I know this because I am the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:12-17)! Yet the son of God died for me! His death paid for all my sins. There is no more wrath awaiting me thanks to Christ (Romans 8:1) and because of his glorious resurrection, I know that sin and death have been defeated (1 Corinthians 15). This isn't just my "personal truth". This is the truth of all those who have been saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and it's true for all those who will come to saving faith in the future!

The Bible is the basis of our Christian faith. Many of us own a Bible and read our Bible frequently, listen to sermons, and attend Bible studies. But have you ever been taught how to study your Bible independently? I will admit that throughout my lifetime attending various churches and Bible studies I was never taught how to study my Bible.

Today we answer the question what is the difference between Convenental and Believers Baptism.

So what exactly is Baptism? Depending on who you ask, you will receive all sorts of answers. Today we will define Baptism from a Biblically Reformed understanding of Scripture and look at different scriptures referencing Baptism.

A look at Ephesians 4

Read and Sing Psalm 19 from the Trinity Psalter

This is a BIG question, what is the church? We will not exhaustively answer this question in this series. We will answer some questions in this series, but for the most part, it is actually our goal, hope, prayer, and desire, that this series will stir up questions such that we will diligently search the scriptures together. This series, in a sense, is not one that will end, as throughout the rest of your life you will be, as you already have been throughout your life to this point, learning and experiencing different answers to the question - what is the church? 

In this final section of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher lifts the curtain and reveals his end goal, which is the true nature of wisdom. I think that many people in the church don't want to hear about wisdom, but instead, they want to be told what to do. We confuse wisdom and law. You see, at the deepest part of human nature is the legalist, and he/she loves the law. This is because they believe that it's their adherence to the law that will save them and guide them in every single circumstance in life. But this is the very point that the Preacher is refuting. He is comparing books' demanding and exhausting nature to the dynamic and liberating nature of true wisdom.

Wisdom theology can be described as general observations about how God ordered the world in creation.  This ordered creation is reliable, regular, coherent and ethical, as seen and taught in Proverbs. If we link Ecclesiastes with wisdom, then we must connect “life under the sun” as coming from creation. However, Ecclesiastes 1:14-15 reminds us that this same creation has been made crooked by man’s rebellious sin:

Together Read: Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 And Rev. 21:18-20

Many scholars and laypeople believe Ecclesiastes is not, and cannot be, connected with any of the books of the Bible. Yet, in our hearts, we know this must not be true. When people do try to fit it into the rest of Scripture, they will typically try to connect it in one of two ways. 1.) Ecclesiastes is responding/reacting to the entrenched teaching, “If you do this, this will happen” of Proverbs.” and 2.) Ecclesiastes shows us our need for God by the Solomonic Preacher giving us a life lesson in what not to do.

When talking about manhood or womanhood from the Scriptures one should begin at the very beginning.  Last month in an article we looked briefly at motherhood/womanhood and what the scriptures say about their role as covenant ally, particularly from Proverbs 31.  In this article for the month of June, we will be investigating fatherhood/manhood and will be seeking the Word of God to glean an understanding of what God reveals to us about what it means to be a man and a father.

Dear brothers,  I write this to you who are considering if the Lord's purpose for you is to serve in the church as pastors and elders. It is a good and right thing that you desire to serve the Lord as elders, pastoring the people of God. This is a weighty thing, not lightly to be considered, and certainly not lightly to be entered into. As a result of the great responsibility and weight of this calling and work, I write to encourage you should the Lord choose to use you as elders and pastors, and I write to you to guard you against some of the temptations and traps that lay ahead of you as you pursue this noble task (1 Timothy 3:1). 

Last week we launched June’s theme of husbands and fathers by giving an overview of what the Bible has to say about fathers. This week we turn the focus of our attention from a broad overview to a specific expectation of God for husbands - that husbands would “love your wives”  (Ephesians 5:25, Colossians 3:19). In this expectation there is great blessing, command, instruction, and goals for husbands to pursue wholeheartedly.

During the month of May, we examined what God’s Word has to say about mothers. Throughout June we will be examining what God’s Word has to say about fathers. To get started with this month’s topic of fatherhood we will give a brief overview of what the Bible has to say about fathers. 

Women are often looking for specific passages in scripture that pertain exclusively to them. Many answers to these queries will reference two biblical passages: Proverbs 31, and Titus 2. We looked at Proverbs 31 earlier this month, so today we will take a look at Titus 2. Titus is a WONDERFUL book that I encourage you to read and study. There are a few verses (Titus 2:3-5) that explicitly give instructions and descriptions for women to pursue Godly living. While these few verses in Titus 2 do provide a clear picture of how women following Christ can grow in Godly living, these verses lose much of their meaning when removed from the context of the whole book. To grasp hold of the goodness, wisdom, and helpful instruction given for women in Titus 2, we need to look at the book of Titus as a whole.