As we have gone through this series of articles together, I am sure anyone with a child in worship looked in anticipation to this one more than any other. There is a desire in us that says, “tell me what to do”— but we must learn why first. We need to be driven by our convictions so when things get tough, we will not abandon the course. May I say, if you are embarking on this journey with your kids, the road is clear, but it is not easy....
In the last article, we looked at what the Bible says about children being present in corporate worship. Here we address the unintended consequences, along with a brief history of how children’s church was developed. Again, I want to reiterate, I am not seeking to insult people who serve in children’s church, and I do not think this is a tier one issue. However, there are unintended consequences in an approach to children’s church....
While the topic of children’s church is not forbidden in Scripture, we certainly cannot take a cavalier attitude to the topic. It is most certain that the Israel’s worship in the Old Testament and churches of the New Testament knew nothing of an age-segregated worship or “children’s church.”...
I must confess it has been some time since I went to the barbershop. About four years ago, I began shaving my head completely because my forehead kept growing and my bald spot was about to meet my forehead. But about 10 years ago when I was still visiting stylists, I sat down in the chair of a barber who was cutting my then-remaining hair for the first time, and the subject of my job as a pastor came up. The man told me he listened to Joel Osteen and wanted to know my thoughts. ...
The teenage years are ones that, if honest, most parents will admit they dread. Why? We all know about the vulnerabilities of teen life and remember our own struggles during those formative years. Many people have told me that they would not go back and relive their teen years for “all the money in the world,” a sentiment with which I heartily concur (and we’re only slightly exaggeratingTry and remember those days for a moment. If you were like me, in your teen years you would think things like,...
I must confess that although I love the Lord of the Rings series, I have not completed the books! It remains on my unending list of things to do and read. This well-loved classic from J.R.R. Tolkien is not only a great story, but for believers, a delight in seeing Christian themes embedded throughout the series. For example: the bearing of sin in Frodo carrying the ring. Or the resurrection of Jesus in Gandalf’s plummeting to certain death and coming back as Gandalf the White. ...
Christians in most American churches are encouraged to evangelize – which means sharing the gospel with unbelievers and calling them to faith and repentance in Jesus Christ. This highly appropriate activity is rooted in the words of the New Testament and obedience to our Lord who commands us to make disciples. Yet while we see many circles and pockets of Christendom “doing evangelism,” many approaches to evangelism are far from appropriate, and in fact are unhealthy and rooted in bad theology....
I want to share just a few things a church and its members should consider in relating to a pastor’s wife, because honestly few people know what it is like to be in a pastor’s home. Unless you hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, how could you know? So here goes....
The other day my son asked me why people who used to go to church stop going, presenting a “teachable moment” on the importance of church in the Christian life. My son was observing a behavior that was already a tendency in the first-century church, as seen when the writer of Hebrews instructed his readers to “not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.” (Hebrews 10:25)...
Last week we sought to define legalism, with an emphasis on the particular form of legalism that I have experienced in my former life as an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist: elevating one’s personal preferences to the level of doctrine, or insisting on them to bind the conscience of another believer. ...
Recently I wondered to myself: do other Christians sometimes not “feel” God’s nearness? Not a day or so later, I heard a famous preacher speak about seasons in life when God seems distant. I guess I am not the only one after all! In fact, the Bible is full of stories of people of God who felt a distance from their Creator. We may be tempted to think that those who h...
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How did Martin Luther really feel about the term "Lutherans"-- and how does this apply to modern Christians? ...
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I imagine the average church member is about as interested in procedures of pastoral placement as they are parliamentary procedures of the United States Senate. The topic sounds about as interesting as watching grass grow Yet what if I told you that one of the many factors contributing to the challenges facing American Evangelical Christianity is the way pastors are place...
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It seems like Evangelicalism’s so-called “worship wars” go back just a few generations – but as a matter of fact, the church throughout its history has wrestled with changing music, instrumentation and styles in its public worship services....
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There are some conversations that no one wants to have but we all need to have. The issue of pornography is one elephant in the room that needs to be discussed. But where do we even begin with such a difficult conversation?...
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Our last blog post addressed reasons why a person may doubt his or her salvation. This topic is near and dear to me because I too struggled with this challenge in years past. As I have studied the Scriptures, I identified Biblical four responses that God has used in my own life that may help other sufferers doubting their salvation....
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There are few things more debilitating to a Christian than doubts about his or her salvation. I know about this firsthand, both because I have had seasons of doubt and because all pastors face this challenge in the lives of their members. So, it’s critical to know how to converse with them about these doubts....
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February 18, 2019 is probably not a big day for you unless you had a child born that day. While I doubt anyone remembers where they were that day, I sure do! It was my first Sunday as Pastor of Flat Run Church....
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Is it possible for a true Christian to backslide? The answer depends on our definition of the term. If by backsliding, we mean that our enthusiasm and vigor for Christ can begin to wane, then it is certainly possible. We see the church of Ephesus going through this in Revelation 2:4 where Jesus in rebuke says, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the lov...
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In November 2022, I celebrated 20 years since I preached my first sermon. I am still shocked that it was this long ago. During those two decades, I have come to appreciate, respect and even revere not just the teaching office of pastor, but also any teaching role in a church. ...
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