Certain details in Scripture are easy to miss if we do not slow down to meditate on them. One of those passages tells us Daniel was overcome and lay sick for some days after seeing a vision (Daniel 8:27). We can often read passages like the one that reveals the vision Daniel saw with presumption. … Continue reading The Vision that Made Daniel Sick
Of all organizations, does the local church have preeminence in our lives? In the clip below, Pastor Jeff Saltzmann of Bethel Grace Baptist Church unpacks a quote from the church covenant. What he says is counter-cultural to non-believers and even ruffles the feathers of many professing Christians. Many others would agree with this idea of … Continue reading The Preeminence of the Local Church
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
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
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
There are two dangers Christians face when culture pushes against our beliefs. The first is to give in to the pressure to conform, and the second is to stand defiant in an ungodly way. The first danger reveals itself in some professing Christians' fear of the world's disapproval. This fear is not only true of some churchgoers but … Continue reading Two Dangers Facing Christians Under Cultural Pressure
This weekend, I had the privilege of preaching a couple of sermons at the First Christian Reformed Church in Artesia. This sermon looks at sin and its consequences through the life of Gehazi in 2 Kings chapter five. There are times when the hand of God is heavy upon us because of our sin, but … Continue reading Sin and Its Consequences
It was the 1960s, and he was a doorman at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, that was about to change. He was in his early thirties, and not only was the pay good, but he was also meeting some of the biggest names in show business; people like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, … Continue reading A Pastor’s Story: I Left Vegas a Winner
All believers have been set apart by the gospel, but have we all been set apart for the gospel? This was Paul's reality. God had made Paul a minister of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but what about us who have not been called to preach? Jesus called Paul to be an apostle. Along … Continue reading Set Apart for the Gospel
The Fight of Faith 