Two paragraphs in Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus give us a powerful profile for testing our maturity levels in Christ (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-10). The following list depicts spiritual qualifications from both letters: Overall spiritual maturity (a well-rounded man) Above reproach (a man of good reputation) The husband of one wife (morally pure/faithful)…
If you were to explain to someone how to find a church, what would you say and where in the world would you start? Is finding a church family a lot like some of the criteria we put forth when looking to date someone? “Yes, I would like a church that is witty, always available…
1 Timothy 6:9-10 says, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the…
The first line of Paul David Tripp’s chapter in the book On Anger caught my attention and deeply resonated with me heart. He said, You will never have a relationship with another person that is free of conflict. You will always find yourself in moments of disagreement, even in the best of relationships. Further, unity…
Have you ever considered confession as a grace of God? Most Christians haven’t considered confession in this way and probably move away from confession all together as confession means owning and acknowledging sin. However, haven’t you (read all of us) experienced a time or two (or many more!) where a real burden was removed as…
A deeper knowledge of God. D. A. Carson in his book A Call To Spiritual Reformation: Priorities From Paul And His Prayers makes a compelling case that what churches need is a commitment to know God deeper, which will come as God’s people avail themselves to Him in prayer. Carson spends the majority of the book walking…
Busyness is an issue that is ever-present in my life. I don’t say that to boast. In fact, many times my busyness is attributed to the lack of stewardship of time in my life, as well as a neglect of more important matters in favor of less important matters. Busyness happens. But how do you…
The Scriptures exhort Christians to be watchful because the Devil prowls around the world looking for whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Thus, accountability is a crucial part of a Christian’s life. Here is an abbreviated version of John Wesley’s famous accountability question that I came across in Jared Wilson’s book The Pastor’s Justification: Applying…
Accountability is a word that isn’t specifically mentioned in the Scriptures, though there are a lot of passages that speak to exhorting and confronting one another in truth. One passage is Galatians 6:1-2. One truth to take away from this passage is that if you are caught in sin, you need to be restored by…
The title of this post is just one among many sentences I underlined in reading Jared Wilson’s The Pastor’s Justification and as I’ve tweeted several times, I was greatly refreshed and challenged. If you’re in pastoral ministry I would encourage you to have his book on your shelf. The book has two parts. In Part…
Theology Along the Way 