What pastor worth more than his weight in salt does not feel the daily pressure of pastoral anxiety? And how do we as pastors overcome this daily tension that we sometimes feel so deeply in our souls? Paul actually describes this anxiety and its pressure in 2 Corinthians 11:28. By considering this verse and others,… Continue Reading
In Acts 12:15, the Christians praying for Peter could not accept that Peter had somehow been released from prison (cf. Acts 12:6–11). When Rhoda announced that Peter was at the door, “They said to her, ‘You are out of your mind.’ But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, ‘It is… Continue Reading
I wrote last week on the desire to be a pastor, primarily from 1 Timothy 3:1, but also from other passages that shed light on the matter. As a follow-up, I thought it would be helpful to ask the question, “What is the call to be a pastor?” and clarify what it is and what… Continue Reading
What does it mean to desire to be a pastor? Granted, this desire is only properly present and fulfilled when joined to a giftedness to teach and administrate, a godly character, and the confirmation of the church in ordaining such a man (cf. 1 Tim 3:2–7). Without these qualifications, one’s desire should actually be for… Continue Reading
Over the last three weeks, I dished out the meat and potatoes of what made for a workshop that I presented a conference near my church. (Click here if you’d like a PDF of the notes.) I know I said it was a three-part series, but I thought it would be helpful to give a… Continue Reading
Note: This is part 3 of 3 of a series, “Discipling Younger Men.” Last week, we looked at five principles for discipling younger men. Here are five more to end this brief look at how an older man can disciple younger men. Teach younger men the Word of God, encourage them to uphold it, and… Continue Reading
Note: This is part 2 of 3 of a series, “Discipling Younger Men.” Last week, we explored the ages of Timothy and Paul. They were about 30 years apart, being 50 and 20 when they came together for ministry. With the relationship of Paul and Timothy in mind, let’s walk through their lives as Scripture… Continue Reading
“If me being gay was a choice, it was a choice that was made far, far above my pay grade…. And that’s the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand. That if you got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me — your quarrel, sir, is… Continue Reading
Note: This is part 1 of 3 of a series, “Discipling Younger Men.” This purpose of this post and the text two and is to encourage Christian men to reach out and disciple younger men. As to what we mean by “discipling younger men,” I hope to encourage us in ministering to young men in… Continue Reading
If you had the opportunity to give the gospel to only twenty people, who would be on your list? Who would be “first place” on your list of hopefuls for salvation? Please don’t misunderstand—I am not advocating giving the gospel to only those who you like or those who are like you. Such a narrow… Continue Reading
Deciding whether or not to leave one ministry for another can be difficult, to say the least. It’s a decision that requires discernment, godly counsel from others, and time before God in prayer. Especially if one is a pastor, it means giving up one’s joy and crown in one church (i.e., the people themselves) in… Continue Reading
In closing his letter to the Colossians, Paul gave some greetings, including one from Epaphras: “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God” (Col 4:12 ESV). As simple… Continue Reading
Acts 8:1–25 records the great persecution of the church by Saul and the consequent spread of the gospel to Samaria through Philip. “Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ” (Acts 8:5), and “there was much joy in that city” (Acts 8:8; cf. 8:6–7).1 Prior to Philip’s coming, “a… Continue Reading
In Acts 6:11–14, Stephen is falsely accused of blaspheming God by speaking ill of the Mosaic Law and the temple. Acts 7 then records his speech, notable because it is the longest speech in Acts and one by a non-apostle. Given a quick read of his speech, we might wonder why it took Stephen 50… Continue Reading
Any church or Christian organization can feel somewhat lost when a pastor or leader steps down, especially if he does so suddenly or resigns because of sin. In the absence of his leadership, there is a time of limbo for God’s people while they search to fill the previous leader’s shoes, or, even if an… Continue Reading
What did it mean that Stephen’s “face was like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15), and why did it look this way? We first meet Stephen as a deacon, “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5). He was appointed to coordinate meals for widows (cf. Acts 6:1–7), but he… Continue Reading
The devotional study below was a challenge given at my own church this past week. May you find it encouraging for your own soul, and have a Merry Christmas! Introduction The point of Matthew 1:18–25 is to tell how “the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way,” that is, in the way described… Continue Reading
Does Acts 6:1–7 tell us anything about deacons, technically speaking? After all, the word deacon is not used, some of the seven men appointed to ministry also preached (Stephen and Philip), and the seven’s appointment was for a singular task, not serving the church’s tangible needs as a whole. While such a description may push… Continue Reading
Where I live, we just had several inches of snow. Not only does the Bible say a few things about snow itself, but it also uses several wintry analogies to teach us truths and lessons to live by today. Winter’s Origin, Purpose, and Duration God created winter (Gen 8:22; Ps 74:17) so that we would… Continue Reading
Psalm 124 is a psalm of corporate thanksgiving, a psalm that instructs us how to thank God together. This psalm also instructs us as to one of the ways for how to thank God as well.1 The psalm was written after having escaped some enemies, perhaps in battle, and assuming the superscription’s accuracy, David was… Continue Reading