The following is a post by Pastor Rob Golding of First Artesia Christian Reformed Church. He also writes for the Westminster Theological Seminary Magazine. A fish swallowed the recalcitrant prophet Jonah, but what happens when the obstinate Christian similarly buries his feet in the sand? Is the Christian’s fish only for cars, or does God appoint fish … Continue reading We Are Jonah
The following is a post by Pastor Rob Golding of First Artesia Christian Reformed Church. He also writes for the Westminster Theological Seminary Magazine. What do people really mean when they say, “Jesus is my life”? What did Paul mean when he said, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal … Continue reading Life in Christ and the Struggle with Sin
Why did God allow humans to fall into sin? To answer that question, we need to think of redemption. If our redemption (and glorification) is merely a return to the garden-of-Eden-state, then the fall makes little sense (hardly the felix culpa it's known to be). On the other hand, if our redemption eventually brings us to a state that is better than our original state in Eden, the fall begins to make sense. In that way, the fall is a tool in the hands of the Redeemer... CLICK TO READ MORE.
The following is a guest post by Pastor Rob Golding of First Artesia Christian Reformed Church. He also writes for the Westminster Theological Seminary Magazine. Nothing is more frustrating than being a small-time pastor. Pastors spend their time reading and preaching God’s word. They constantly pray that the New Heavens and New Earth would come, that unbelievers … Continue reading The Pastor’s Futility and the Pastor’s Hope
The following is a guest post by Pastor Rob Golding of First Artesia Christian Reformed Church. He also writes for the Westminster Theological Seminary Magazine. Do not forsake individualist Christianity! We are rightly concerned with avoiding over-individualism. We know Westerners are inherently individualistic. Americans are proponents of “rugged individualism.” We have heard that Old and New Testament … Continue reading Good Individualist Christianity
The following is a guest post by Pastor Rob Golding of First Artesia Christian Reformed Church. He also writes for the Westminster Theological Seminary Magazine. Why are God’s leaders so quick to count and boast about what God has given them? That is an interesting question. More interesting, however, is the following question: Why does God hate … Continue reading Evangelicalism’s Hezekiah Problem
The following is a guest post by Pastor Rob Golding of First Artesia Christian Reformed Church. He also writes for the Westminster Theological Seminary Magazine. Christianity entails many divine ironies—the dead man lives; the humble woman is exalted; the servant is the King; finding life is losing it; salvation is not by works; the Son of … Continue reading Christian Maturity and Secular Infancy
You will not want to miss this one. It is a guest post by Rob Golding, Pastor of First Artesia CRC. Rob blogs at Classic Christianity. Christ tells His followers that they will have abundant life now. Do they? Many people today say that Christianity is a sour religion. It poisons our ability to enjoy … Continue reading Why You Are Dissatisfied with Christianity
We often see the fires of sin burning in our world, and like all fires, we want to hurry to put them out, but through his Word, our Father tells us, “there is something more important you must do first.” When Moses was on the mountain with God, there was an extreme spiritual emergency going on in the foothills. Astonishingly, God seemed to ignore it. God... CLICK TO READ MORE
This past Sunday, Rob Golding of First Artesia CRC, pointed out that not only is health and wealth preaching false, but it is also shallow. God's plan may involve suffering, poverty, illness, and a host of other hardships, but it is infinitely better than worldly prosperity. Take a listen to this short clip and be … Continue reading Prosperity Preaching is Shallow
The Fight of Faith 