If you are feeling the weight of the world, please take a moment to read the following timeless encouragement written in 1856 by James Smith. If you are a sincere believer in Jesus, whatever may be your present difficult circumstances, however trying, however perplexing: it will all end in mercy! You may not think so … Continue reading Hope for the Heavy Heart
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
Matthew Henry once suggested we can sometimes neglect to obey God because we misinterpret trials and challenges as permission to shirk our responsibility when, instead, God allowed these hardships to test and exercise our courage and faith. Here is an example. Imagine you are a pastor the Holy Spirit has called to preach the whole … Continue reading Misreading Providence for Personal Gain
It is crucial for us as believers to recognize the war against our souls. The enemy is more personal than we tend to realize and more publicly encouraged than we often recognize. Being conscious of it and entering the battle is one of the first steps to living in the Spirit. CLICK TO READ MORE
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
This morning I had the privilege of preaching at Bethel Grace Baptist Church. Since it was New Year’s Day, I wanted to spend time in a powerful passage of scripture to prepare us for what is ahead in 2023. This sermon gives five encouragements to live in the Spirit while also showing how to live … Continue reading How to Live in the Spirit
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 Magnificat, when Mary praises God after Gabriel tells her that she will be the mother of the Messiah, is a beautiful picture of the grace of God towards fallen humanity (Luke 1:46-56). But there is another side to the Magnificat ignored by many. Just as God is merciful to his children, he is righteous … Continue reading The Two Sides of the Magnificat
Too many of us celebrate the birth of Jesus while neglecting Christ himself. This negligence is because, though many of us would like to experience the joy of our salvation, our indulgence in worldliness cuts us off from it. We have lost the reason to celebrate. Many of us also desire the Lord to use … Continue reading Celebrating Christmas with Jesus Himself
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 Fight of Faith 