Moralism seeks to appease our thirst for praise, our hunger for attention, and our desire for self-gratification. Moralism is the tool that we use when comparing ourselves against others.

Can I share some encouragement for spiritual leaders and Christians who are engaged in Gospel ministry this week and are simultaneously experiencing spiritual battle?

If a guest perceives that we are ready and waiting, that we want to kindly engage with them, and that we remove and help with any obstacles and difficulties, then we are well on our way to building a new relationship!

Society has changed and speaking about Jesus is not enough—we must live it out. Several decades ago it was enough to advocate for conservatism, traditional beliefs, and Judeo-Christian values. Not anymore.

I am overwhelmed at how our local church in El Progreso, Honduras has responded in this crisis—both in the community at large, but also, and especially, for those of the household of faith.s.

Money is important for our immediate basic needs, but ministry partnerships are essential for lasting ministry success. I am looking for churches that have a strong desire to be involved in the missionary work, not only send money to missions.

God knows the path ahead and has specifically prepared us for it! He prepared you for the path. He is with you on the path. He knows the path. And He controls all of the outcomes of the path.

Ask many Christian husbands to summarize their biblical duty in one word, and they will answer, “Leadership.” Scripture answers the question with a different word: love.

After 10 years of being an assistant pastor, I have come to learn that many of the struggles an assistant pastor experience are predictable, understandable, and usually correct-able. While I have a long way to go in learning, these six books have probably done more for my ability to grow in my role than any others.

No matter who is in charge of a nation at any given moment, I know God is truly in charge. My hope is not in a fragile human leader but in the Sovereign Lord. I am not going to lose any sleep over who governs my birth nation or the nation in which I live (Ps 4:8).

Methods are tools—use them wisely. Like medicine, it is helpful if used when needed. But you cannot do without a Gospel-centered mind that will in turn yield a Gospel-centered ministry. We need the Gospel, oh how much we need it!

Healthy churches are always asking this question: “How can we get out of God’s way? How can we do better? How might we be blocking or hindering the work of the gospel in ways that we can’t see?”

As we preach and teach the Word, and as we disciple people, the Holy Spirit of God will do the changing. So stop trying to make everyone look like you! That is something I must remind myself often. People need to be what God transforms them into, not what I guilt them into.

Maybe family time is lacking because of Fox News, Netflix, golf, or the device you are reading this on. The reality is that God gave you a family and a calling. He doesn’t give us more priorities than we can handle. But we can give ourselves more priorities than we can handle.

Rather than giving your membership a set of rules and regulations to follow, loving leadership steps off of the pedestal of power and enters into the real world of real people. It’s messy, challenges our routines and can be uncomfortable, but I believe it’s Christ-like.

No one anticipated this. Even when we first heard of COVID-19, I do not believe any church leader anticipated being unable to assemble for as long as we have up until this point.

The life of a church planter is extremely unpredictable. You start deputation with eagerness because all you want to do is get to your city and reach people with the Gospel. No matter how much you travel, and how good the meetings are, your heart is constantly longing to be in the place you’ve been called to be.

Online Church—The very words bring strong emotion to the hearts of many Christians and ministry leaders.

Hope – to the extremely cautious.
Joy – to the tech savvy.
Peace – to the introvert.
Fear – to the majority of pastors.

Have you lost interest in the gospel? Are you looking for “more interesting” or “more engaging” things to say? Don’t Christians need more than “just the gospel”?

9 Marks (Mark Dever’s ministry) recently published a profound article (see link at bottom) surveying 18 hours of sermons from America’s biggest churches. The author found the gospel to be either completely absent or very minimally present in these churches during the course of four recent Sunday morning messages.

One of the greatest annual events for tech geeks around the world is unquestionably the Apple reveal in California. Year after year, the company releases its newest inventions—hardware and software meant to revolutionize the industry. Every year something faster and brighter, newer and better is developed for the ease of the consumer.

We live in an era where the internet causes constant spiritual noise. Christianity is defined multiple times a minute! Christians are thought to be supporters of a particular party, politician, or agenda. Churches are supposed to look a certain way, and have a distinguished kind of growth.

Have you ever asked yourself if apologetics is important? In a broad sense, apologetics is a discipline that involves the defense of any philosophical position. Christians engage in apologetics when attempting to defend any aspect of core Christian beliefs.

Has anyone ever asked you this question, what is the Bible about? There could be several different answers to that question. In general, though, it seems to me that there is a popular belief that the Bible is a moral encyclopedia that shows us what “we must do.” It tells us how to live, how to think, how to be a good father, mother or teenager.

Jonathan Morrow in Foundations of Spiritual Formation said, “Spiritual formation is divinely enabled by God through three essential resources: God’s Word, God’s Spirit, and God’s people (the church).” Of these 3 essential resources, which do you think is the most neglected resource, and why is it the most neglected?
I would argue that the church is, perhaps, the most neglected spiritual formation tool. This is based on both the positive emphasis the Bible puts on the need for fellowship in community, and the negative impact we see on those who isolate themselves.

Topical. Expositional. Textual. Devotional. Long. Short. Loud. Quiet. Humorous. Sobering. Exciting. Thought-Provoking. Encouraging. Convicting. Informational. Inspirational.

Children simply grow up too quickly. Heather and I were out to dinner in January on a date night when the subject matter of children naturally arose. Scarlett’s humor, Savannah’s sensitivity, and Jonathan’s recent growth spurt were the topics at hand when we were suddenly struck by terrible thought.

In the rapidly changing culture in which we live, teenagers are always searching for the latest fad or style that will bring them acceptance by their peers. Unfortunately, in a similar bid for acceptance, many of our student ministries have become entertainment and amusement-driven.

It is generally understood among evangelical Christians that God’s heartbeat is for His disciples to make more disciples of the Lord Jesus. This vital task is accomplished, primarily, by Christian fellowship with other believers in what is commonly referred to as “life-on-life discipleship.”

I will never forget the question. I had been the pastor of our church for all of two weeks when a leader in our church approached me after a service and asked, “So Pastor, where is our church heading?” It felt strange and awkward, then heavy and humbling. Real people with real lives were now looking to me to set a course for the future of their church.

I recently came across a powerful quote from an 18th century English pastor named Job Orton. Ironically, he wrote to the ministers of his day about doctrinal compromise. The struggles of churches nearly 300 years ago are the struggles of churches today.

There is one common pressure that every pastor feels regardless of the size of his congregation, the structure of his schedule, or the season of his ministry. This tension is felt in the reality that Sunday is always coming. Don’t get me wrong—I love Sundays, and I love what God allows me to do as a shepherd of His flock.

In just the first daylight hours of this week, I have sent out several texts that perfectly capture in a microcosm the wide range of emotional connections required in pastoral ministry. The recipients included a younger couple who just bought their first home together, a dear wife aiding her husband’s battle for his life against cancer, a group of faithful deacons willing to launch out by faith, and a couple celebrating yet another anniversary grieving a still-born child.