Jesus' Resurrection Changes Everything
What does the resurrection of Jesus mean? What makes it so significant for the world?...
Keep ReadingHow does the New Covenant Surpass the Old?
Hebrews 8 teaches that Jesus mediates "a better covenant." How exactly is the new covenant better than the old covenant?...
How Does the NT Use the OT?
We’ve all experienced it. Matthew 2:15 asserts that Jesus fulfills the prophet’s words. Then, flipping back to Hosea 11:1, we discover Israel coming out of Egypt. “How did Matthew get that?” we wonder. When comparing the historical, contextual meaning of an Old Testament verse with its appearance in a New Testament context, we often feel tension. How are the NT authors using the OT?...
Preaching the Gospel to Yourself & Others (Part 2)
So what does preaching the gospel to yourself look like? We learned in Part 1 that amazing news that God changes the heart. Yet we also know that change comes through hearing, treasuring, and heeding his word....
Preaching the Gospel to Yourself & Others (Part 1)
I want to explore how the gospel functions in the life of the church. No matter what the church faced, the apostles wove the gospel into the very fabric of the church’s life, ministries, and mission. The gospel never amounted to a “shelved” message for the church. It has ongoing significance....
Killing Racism & Ethnic Prejudice
The Lord’s word speaks pointedly to so many issues we face. Some months ago, our church studied Paul’s speech before the Areopagus in Acts 17:16-34. It took two Sundays, but we drew several inferences. One inference spoke directly to an issue that many, for varying reasons, have been thinking about afresh: racism. Acts 17 gives us at least four truths about all people that, when embraced rightly and applied comprehensively, kill racism....
The Importance of Church Membership
What is the biblical rationale for church membership? ...
8 Ways to Fight Sexual Temptation (Part 2)
Pornography is one expression of sexual immorality inundating our culture.[i] Grievously, it’s far too common in the church as well. Covenant Eyes reports that “64% of Christian men and 15% of Christian women say they watch porn at least once a month.”[ii] Such statistics hardly represent the biblical imperative: “sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints” (Eph 5:3). Are you among the 64% or the 15%? By God’s grace, you don’t have to be. Are others you know among them? By God’s grace, you can help them not to be. Contrary to popular resolve, Christians can say No to pornography and to any other sexual temptation....
8 Reasons You Must Flee Pornography (Part 1)
The following reasons remain part of my own arsenal in the fight against lust and sexual immorality. I share them to equip you in the same fight. Part two will come soon, where I develop eight ways to fight sexual temptation. Until then please consider these seriously, especially those of you who may be looking at and thinking about porn. Some of my comments are geared toward men, but much of this post also applies to women....
What is the church?
What is the church? While certainly not exhaustive, here's a brief portrait of the church based on numerous texts from Scripture....
The Gospel & Our Giving
The gospel of Jesus Christ motivates our giving. Giving is motivated not by looking at another ‘law’ for a minimum amount I’m constrained or required to give, but by looking at Jesus’ person and work for the maximum amount I’m freed to give. When we look at the gospel, we find at least four principles that guide our giving....
Filling Your Soul with Scripture
The world has other false stories it wants us living by, as does our flesh and the devil. But only God’s story is true. He sees things about ourselves and the world that we cannot see but desperately need to see; and he has written it down for the sake of our eternal joy in him. Therefore, O how much we should fill our souls with the written word of God! ...
Keep ReadingIdols of the Heart
The King and God of time and space, Who chose to grant to me His grace, Holds out His scepter - bids me stand Close to His heart, under His hand. He calls me friend, though well He knows My fickle heart will oft oppose......
Keep ReadingChildcare Responsibility & Intentionality
Sunday morning the Houston Chronicle published the first in a series of articles investigating numerous sexual abuse cases in Southern Baptist contexts. The Chronicle’s report serves as a sobering reminder for all of us to ensure the best care for our children. Here are several principles that guide Redeemer Church when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable in our m...
Keep ReadingKilling Racism & Ethnic Prejudice
The Lord’s word speaks pointedly to so many issues we face. Some months ago, our church studied Paul’s speech before the Areopagus in Acts 17:16-34. It took two Sundays, but we drew several inferences. One inference spoke directly to an issue that many, for varying reasons, have been thinking about afresh: racism. Acts 17 gives us at least four truths about all people ...
Keep ReadingThe God-centered Life Is One of Thanksgiving
Of all the thanksgiving words and concepts in the New Testament, over seventy-five percent appear in Paul’s letters alone. Here are seven observations about thanksgiving from Paul's letters....
Keep ReadingConfronting False Notions of Thanksgiving
How does Paul's theology of thanksgiving confront false notions of thanksgiving in our culture?...
Keep ReadingThe Importance of Church Membership
What is the biblical rationale for church membership? ...
Keep ReadingBaptism & Receiving the Spirit
In the book of Acts, how does water baptism relate to receiving the Holy Spirit?...
Keep ReadingThe Only Cure
For Paul, the attitudes and perspectives of “the world” which needed to be crucified were his boasting in his Jewish pedigree and works of law-righteousness. For others, it may be a commitment to one’s career, or even to one’s own family. And for some, like myself, it can be a preoccupation with Christian ministry...
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