Gospel-Centered Resources from Midwestern Seminary
It’s possible Jared just wanted to trick Ronni into talking about UFO’s again, but on this new installment in the FTC Film Club feature, the guys discuss the artistic excellence and spiritual resonance of M. Night Shyamalan’s 2002 film, Signs.
If you knew today that you were going to be single for the rest of your life, how would you begin serving God?
Perhaps this is the first time you have considered the possibility that you may be single for the rest of your life. This should prompt you to reflect on your own devotion to the Lord. Since God knows what He has planned for your life, you can devote yourself fully to Him in your present season and trust Him to orchestrate the details of your future.
Do not wait to begin serving God wholeheartedly until you are married. Rest in God’s sovereignty knowing that if He has called you to marriage, He will make it happen. As you trust God, I want to share a few reflections to help you maximize your singleness for His glory (Col. 3:23).
The desire to be married is a God-given one. Marriage can be a beautiful picture of the gospel, as shown in Paul’s instructions to the Christians at Ephesus about a God-honoring marriage (Eph. 5:22–33). The desire to be married is not sinful; rather, the New Testament shows that Paul gives God-honoring counsel to both single and married Christians. Therefore, you should take that desire to God in prayer often.
The Apostle Paul also acknowledges that some Christians will strongly desire marriage. Addressing Christians who are single, the Apostle Paul writes, “I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am. But if they do not have self-control, they should marry, since it is better to marry than to burn with desire” (1 Cor. 7:8–9). Paul recognizes that marriage is a God-honoring path for those who desire it. Therefore, if you desire marriage, bring that desire to God in prayer and trust Him with His timing and purposes.
While marriage has been created by God, it can become an idol in your life. If that desire is not held prayerfully with open hands, it can grow into an idol, pushing God from the primary place in your heart. Paul calls out this temptation in the church at Corinth, “I want you to be without concerns. The unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But the married man is concerned about the things of the world—how he may please his wife—and his interests are divided” (1 Cor. 7:32–34a). The demands of marriage and family bring additional responsibilities that can divide your attention in ways single believers do not experience.
This is why I challenge you to think about how you would live your life if marriage was not in the picture for you. Marriage is not meant to satisfy the God-sized void in your life. The fifth-century Christian theologian St. Augustine famously remarked, “You made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.”[1]
If you desire to get married, know that your future husband or wife will not satisfy you because only God can. While marriage is created by God, it is the union of two imperfect people. Do not idolize marriage; instead, be fully devoted to God in your singleness because this life is all about glorifying Him, not worshipping a spouse or expecting them to do what only God can.
Lastly, considering what has been said, I am not advocating that marriage should be dreaded. I simply want to draw out Paul’s point that singleness is a gift in the way that marriage is a gift. Paul says, “Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each has his own gift from God, one in this way, and another in that.” (1 Cor. 7:7; emphasis added).
Paul wishes that all were single like he is, but he recognizes that God has given the gift of marriage to some and the gift of being single to others. Marriage brings unique blessings, but it also brings unique responsibilities and challenges that single believers do not bear. Singleness is a gift because you can be fully devoted to God without the distractions of marriage and family life.
I want to ask you one more time: If you knew today that you were going to be single for the rest of your life, how would you begin serving God?
Make the most of your singleness by serving God with the same wholehearted devotion you would have if you knew you would remain single for the rest of your life. You have the gift of serving God with an undistracted devotion. There are so many ways to steward this gift well. Go on mission trips. Serve in your local church. Start a discipleship group. Find a godly mentor. Read good books. Write. Prioritize the spiritual disciplines.
This life is all about worshipping Him, so how will you steward the season He has given you? Don’t let your wishes about being married get in the way of your full devotion to God. And if God sees it fit to bring a companion alongside you to run the race set before you, trust in His sovereignty to work it out. Marriage, too, is a good gift.
[1] Augustine, Confessions, trans. R. S. Pine-Coffin (London: Penguin, 1961), 21.
The principle of the antithesis can be described in two ways. First, it is the fundamental opposition between the believer and unbeliever related to our spiritual state (Gen. 3:15; Matt. 6:24; Rom. 8:5–9).[1] Believers and unbelievers live in the same reality of God’s created world, but every person is either spiritually dead in sin in Adam or united by faith and given new life in Christ (Rom. 5:12–21)[2]. For instance, the sheep and goats are together (Matt. 25:31–46). The wheat and weeds grow together (Matt. 13:24–43). Nevertheless, this temporary togetherness will end when the believer and unbeliever are finally separated at the end of the age. For now, both live in God’s created world but are spiritually at odds with each other. While we share workplaces, live in the same neighborhoods, drive the same streets, and shop at the same grocery stores, the difference between Christians and non-Christians is no less than between light and darkness (1 John 1:5–10).[3]
Second, the antithesis is the fundamental opposition between the believer and unbeliever related to our epistemological commitments (Eph. 4:17–18).[4] As John Frame writes, it is “the opposition between Christian and non-Christian thought.”[5] We observe the same world, but we have drastically different starting points and opposing interpretations. This contrast is between rival worldviews. Every worldview begins with its own set of first principles. It is a frame of reference that orients and directs our thinking. It is directly related to our spiritual state. For example, a humanistic psychologist assumes that man is by nature good, growth-oriented, and will thrive if given the right conditions. These are worldview commitments that directly oppose a biblical view of man as a sinner in need of divine redemption. The fall plunged man into a sea of distortion, folly, and intellectual rebellion (1 Tim. 6:5). Sin has cast a thick darkness over the unbelieving mind. When consistent, the unbeliever will express futility in thinking from a spiritually darkened heart (Rom. 1:21–28). By default, he interprets and responds to the facts around him through the lens of unbelief. In contrast, believers have the mind of Christ and, when consistent, interpret the world according to God’s Word (1 Cor. 2:14–16). In either case, human reason is never spiritually neutral.
This spiritual and epistemological conflict shows up in systems of thought. For this reason, a complete contrast must be maintained between believing and unbelieving systems of thought (Col. 2:6–8).[6] God’s wisdom and ways are categorically opposed to the wisdom and ways of the world (Job 28:12–28; Prov. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:21, 25–31; 2:14; James 3:13–18).[7]
Beginning in the garden of Eden, there have been two opposing counsels—the counsel of God and the counsel of the evil one (Gen. 1–3). The two opposing counsels are presented in Psalm 1:1–2: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Adams comments, “The Psalms, in particular, from the first Psalm on, set up the antithesis between the two ways and the two kinds of people who walk on them. It is not right for Christians, therefore, to become enamored with the ways of the world. From the garden of Eden, it has always been a choice between God’s Word and the devil’s, between the way of life and the way of death.”[8]
What does the principle of the antithesis have to do with counseling? As Adams developed biblical counseling, he accepted Van Til’s claim that all unbelieving systems of thought are opposed to biblical thinking. In his words, he aimed “to expose sharply the antitheses that exist [between Christianity and the major schools of counseling]. For too long biblical presuppositions and methodology either have been ignored or blurred by eclecticism.”[9] For this reason, the antithesis serves as a foundational principle of the biblical counseling movement. Using Van Til’s language, Adams presents, “In God’s world, all men are related to him as covenant breakers or covenant keepers (in Christ). The judgments of unbelievers, therefore, are arrived at and presented from a point of view which attempts to divorce itself from God.”[10]
Powlison, too, acknowledges that man is “either a covenant-breaker bedewed with common grace, or a covenant keeper compromised by indwelling sin and prone to suffer.”[11] In either case, a theorist or counselee’s spiritual state will fundamentally determine his interpretive framework. For this reason, he prioritizes “discerning the antithesis between secularism and biblical truth.”[12] Such discernment must be applied both when evaluating other counseling systems and working with specific counselees. A systematic, biblical approach to counseling will oppose secular counseling systems over issues such as: (1) the epistemological standard for truth and authority, (2) the jurisdictional standard for who has the right to help, and (3) the remedial resources to diagnose and cure souls effectively.[13] Powlison presented at least these three areas of sharp contrast and fundamental disagreement.
On this account, the clash is over basic issues such as the nature of knowledge, what it means to be human, the nature of people’s problems, who is authorized to help troubled people, and what resources can bring true remedy. Powlison believed the modern psychologies launched a self-conscious, intentional attack against Christianity.[14] As such, there can be no peace between biblical Christianity and the modern therapies. Through Word-based ministry, biblical counselors must make it our business to take every system of thought captive to obey Christ by destroying the competing arguments and lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:4–6).
[1] Van Til used the term “absolute ethical antithesis.” Cornelius Van Til, An Introduction to Systematic Theology: Prolegomena and the Doctrines of Revelation, Scripture, and God, ed. William Edgar, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2007), 64. James Anderson uses the term “spiritual orientation.” James N. Anderson, “Presuppositional Apologetics,” in Understanding Christian Apologetics: Five Methods for Defending the Faith, ed. Timothy Paul Jones (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2025), 95, Kindle. Oliphint proposes the term “covenantal” in place of “ethical.” K. Scott Oliphint, Covenantal Apologetics: Principles and Practice in Defense of Our Faith (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 47–67, Kindle. In this sense, then, the antithesis can be described as ethical, spiritual, or covenantal.
[2] Scott Oliphint argues, “An absolute ethical antithesis is one in which there are not two worlds but two kinds of people in one world; two activities—in principle—that are associated with these people. To use the language of Reformed theology, there is a covenantal antithesis between believer and unbeliever. All people are either in Adam or in Christ. These are the two, and only two, covenantal representatives whom God has appointed.”
[3] According to James Anderson, “This is a categorical difference, not merely one of degree.” James N. Anderson, “Evangelizing Fallen People: Apologetics and the Doctrine of Sin,” in Ruined Sinners to Reclaim: Human Corruption in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective, ed. David Gibson and Jonathan Gibson (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024), 858.
[4] James Anderson explains, “A biblical epistemology should also recognize the fundamental antithesis between Christian thought and non-Christian thought—that is, between believers and unbelievers with respect to their intellectual orientation and outlook.” Anderson, “Presuppositional Apologetics,” 108, Kindle.
[5] John M. Frame, Apologetics: A Justification of Christian Belief, ed. Joseph E. Torres, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2015), 289.
[6] Greg Bahnsen clarifies, “Van Til held that there are no main points, systematically basic principles, or central truths in philosophy where the disagreement between the believer and the unbeliever will not be seen.” As such, he argues, “The antithesis between the thinking of the believer and the thinking of the unbeliever must be systemic and total.” Greg L. Bahnsen, Van Til’s Apologetic: Readings and Analysis (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1998), 273–74.
[7] James Anderson asserts, “Paul draws a sharp contrast between the ‘wisdom of God’ revealed in Christ and the ‘wisdom of the world’ and correlatively between the ‘spiritual person’ and the ‘natural person.’” Anderson, “Presuppositional Apologetics,” 108.
[8] Jay E. Adams, Teaching to Observe: The Counselor as Teacher (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 109, Logos Bible Software.
[9] Jay E. Adams, Shepherding God’s Flock: A Handbook on Pastoral Ministry, Counseling, and Leadership (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1974), 166, Kindle.
[10] Jay E. Adams, Competent to Counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling, The Jay Adams Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1970), 269.
[11] David Powlison, “Frame’s Ethics: Working the Implications for Pastoral Care,” in Speaking the Truth in Love: The Theology of John M. Frame, ed. John J. Hughes (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2009), 760.
[12] Powlison, “Does Biblical Counseling Really Work?,” 64.
[13] David Powlison, “Modern Therapies and the Church’s Faith,” Journal of Biblical Counseling 15, no. 1 (Fall 1996): 34.
[14] Powlison, “Modern Therapies and the Church’s Faith,” 32.
Pastors are often discouraged. This is for a variety of reasons. Some pastors are left beaten, battered, and bruised by their congregations. Others are left burdened and discouraged by the normal things of ministry—unfinished tasks, needy sheep, financial stress, an upcoming counseling session, a deacons’ meeting that could go off the rails, etc. And all of this gets compounded by the stress of Sunday morning. Sunday morning is the big day. It is, naturally, what many pastors give the most weight to. Sunday, largely, will make or break a pastor’s level of encouragement. The “Monday blues” plague so many pastors, but what if the battle against Monday discouragement actually begins on Sunday itself? Your encouragement cannot depend on how you think Sunday went. It must be shaped by God’s faithfulness before, during, and after the service.
Wake up early. I know some preachers who finish their sermon on Sunday morning. As such, they wake up early—5:00 a.m. at least! Others I know are ready by Thursday afternoon and don’t need to be at the building until Sunday School starts. Let me encourage you to wake up early, especially if you do not have a sermon to write or notes to refine. Wake up early, do not look at your phone, and place the Lord’s Day service at the forefront of your mind.
Pray through the entire service that morning. Do not just pray for the things you are responsible for—the sermon, Scripture readings, Sunday School. Get out your order of service and pray for each element and those who will play a part. This gets your eyes and mind off of just what you are responsible for and puts your sight upon the wide array of other things which will be done to glorify the name of Christ. The sermon is very important, but it is not the only element of worship on Sunday.
Pray for the people of your church. It is natural to pray for the elements of worship and parts of your church—music team, ushers, etc.—but spend time praying for specific people. Perhaps specific people playing a part in service, or perhaps it is just people the Lord lays on your heart. Pray for the people of your church by name before you see them.
Focus on who is there during the service. Focus on the number of people who showed up. That number may be low one particular week, but you must not let those who are not present steal away your affections and attention to those who are present. Aside from health concerns you may have for someone who is not accounted for, do not let your mind be occupied with the names and faces of those who are not there. . At least, not in the way that would lead you to be discouraged or to doubt. Focus on the 30, 300, or 3,000 who showed up. Imagine that, 30 people got out of bed and cancelled brunch plans to hear you preach! More than that, they showed up to worship alongside of you. That’s worth being encouraged by.
Try to find one thing each Sunday, unrelated to yourself, which encourages you. This is something I learned from a mentor, and it has paid dividends. By all means, be encouraged by those who thought you preached a good sermon and liked your outfit (I mean, your wife didn’t even pick out your clothes this time!). But look around at the church being the church and find something that encourages you which is totally unrelated to you. I am regularly encouraged by members who go out to lunch with one another. Just this week, I saw a member hand their newborn baby to a couple they have connected with recently. Those things encourage me and show me the work of the ministry being done by the saints.
Eat a good lunch. Let me press in there for a moment. We are embodied creatures. The physical, mental, and spiritual all combine and all attribute to our state of being. Sunday is a stressful day. My fitness watch records my heart rate and “stress level” all day long. Sundays always have a spike around the time of Sunday service. Indeed the whole day is mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually taxing. You need to eat a good lunch with good nutritional value. As hungry as you may be, do not give into your flesh to overeat or to eat junk food. Your mind and soul will be served by taking care of what you put into your body.
Do not take a misery nap. If you have a rough, discouraging Sunday, do not just “sleep it off.” Nothing is worse for you than to take those discouraged emotions and that negative mindset and to try and pacify them with sleep. By all means, take a nap because you are worn out in service to Christ. (I mean, you got up at 4:30am after all!) If you are discouraged, don’t take a nap. Drink another cup of coffee, walk around outside, tell your wife to pinch you if you start nodding off—whatever you have to do. Just do not go to sleep. You will wake up groggy, cloudy, and even more discouraged than when you went to sleep.
Have a short memory. This is what they say of Quarterbacks after they throw an interception. If he goes out there unsure of himself or his preparation, on the next possession he will second guess himself and make a mistake. He needs to click “delete” on that file and move on. Likewise, brothers, have a short memory for the bad sermon you gave, embarrassing turn of phrase you used, or the lambasting you took from a church member. Learn from those things, sure, but do not let them linger upon your heart and mind.
The battle against discouragement is often won or lost before, during, and after the Sunday gathering. Take care how you spend your time and prepare your heart in each area and you will be more encouraged.
It’s a new installment of the FTC Mailbag, in which Jared Wilson and Ronni Kurtz respond to your submitted questions and topics. On this episode, the guys speak to: applying to be a lay elder, cultivating the soul, keeping your mind from wandering during spiritual disciplines, preaching’s importance in a church, responding to a Catholic challenge on the sufficiency of Scripture, and breaking out of introverted ruts. If you’ve a question or topic to submit for a future episode, you can always email us at [email protected]
Recently I’ve been asking myself a simple question: What am I reaching for?
My phone the moment I wake up. An energy drink before I’ve even fully opened my eyes. My wallet when I think buying one more thing might make life just a little better.
These things aren’t inherently bad. They may not even be a crutch for you. But I’ve become increasingly convinced that there is something deeper beneath them. What we reach for often reveals what we depend on.
My wife and I have three little children under four. If you’re a parent, or if you’ve been around little children, you can probably picture this story.
Every morning, we get our kids up. We open their door, their blinds, turn off the sound machine, change their pull-ups, and begin our trek downstairs for breakfast. And every morning, before we head downstairs for breakfast, our two-and-a-half-year-old reaches both hands toward me at the top of the stairs and says, “Daddy, carry me, please.” I used to think he was just clingy or needy, but then I realized something: That’s what children do. It’s all he knows.
He’s reaching because he’s tired and he knows I can safely carry him down the stairs. Children instinctively reach for the one they trust. In many ways, that’s exactly what the Lord invites us to do.
That realization forced me to ask a harder question for myself: If my son naturally reaches toward the one he trusts, what do my own instincts reveal about what I trust?
My heart instinctively reaches toward whatever it believes will satisfy. Sometimes it’s my phone, caffeine, or shopping. Other times it’s a distraction from what’s in front of me.
But why do I do it? Because I reach for what I think will provide satisfaction or safety.
Our reaching reveals our worship.
Consider what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:
So don’t worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt. 6:31–34)
Scripture reveals that the habits and routines that form my life don’t always reflect how the Lord calls me to worship and live.
Instead of reaching for my phone to scroll, I’m called to reach for my Bible to be renewed. Instead of reaching for an energy drink to get me through the day, I’m called to depend on the Lord for lasting joy and strength to live for Him. And when I’m tempted to reach for my wallet to buy the next best thing, I’m called to discern whether my purchase is a need or a want fueled by my desires.
And we’re not just called to the omission of something, but to the submission under the only One who can satisfy more abundantly than we can imagine.
The Bible doesn’t simply tell us to stop seeking satisfaction, it redirects our desires altogether. Rather than chasing the world, Christ invites us to seek Him and His kingdom first, trusting that He alone provides what our hearts truly need.
Every morning my son reaches for me because he knows I’ll carry him safely down the stairs. The question I’ve been asking myself is simple: When life feels exhausting, when anxiety creeps in, when I’m bored, when I need comfort, who or what does my head and heart instinctively reach for?
By God’s grace, I want that same instinct to mark my own life. That my instinct isn’t to reach for my phone, wallet, or another distraction, but that my first instinct is to reach for Him. Because what I reach for first often reveals what I trust most.
Dear brothers, honor your sisters.
In recent years, many pastors have found themselves in difficult positions and conversations as they seek to defend conservative biblical doctrine. In defending and holding to such doctrines, these shepherds are doing what they are called to do: Protect the sheep of God’s flock. In an age where progressive theology has challenged historic Christian beliefs and reshaped many denominations, there is a need for faithful leaders who stand firmly on sound doctrine and the authority of Scripture.
Jesus warned of “ravenous wolves” who would seek to harm His sheep (Matt. 7:15). If the church abandons biblical convictions regarding leadership, it is the church membership—the sheep of the pasture—that will ultimately be led astray and harmed. Therefore, pastors have a responsibility to protect the flock, guard sound doctrine, and faithfully proclaim the truth.
But as we contend for biblical convictions, we must remember that how we engage these conversations matters. Well-meaning pastors, brothers in Christ, and co-laborers in the work of the kingdom are seeking to uphold the biblical model of leadership found in Scripture. Yet, in the process, faithful women can be trampled underfoot.
Complementarian leadership does not mean the suppression or oppression of women, yet that is the impression being given through many media outlets and from those who disagree with this position. It is important for these brothers—who are leading churches around the world—to recognize that the language and rhetoric they use in this conversation is extremely important. Every pastor is involved at some level, and how things are said matters as much as what is said.
In conversations about biblical leadership, two things can be true at the same time.
First, complementarianism is the ecclesiological position held by many conservative evangelicals regarding the roles of men and women in church leadership. Many evangelical churches and some denominations have sought to clarify these convictions to better reflect the teaching of Scripture.
At the same time, the way these convictions are communicated matters. A defense of biblical doctrine should never communicate a disregard for women who faithfully serve Christ and His church.
Unfortunately, there are many pastors and individuals who are doing more harm than good in the posture that they approach this issue. Due to how vehemently and passionately they argue, it makes it sound like they truly do wish to suppress women to the point of insignificance. This is largely accidental and is not the heart of biblical complementarianism. When we focus so much on what we oppose, it is easy to lose sight of who and what we are for.
Faithful pastors and students of the Word know how important women have always been to the work of the gospel. Jesus’ ministry was supported by women such as Mary Magdalene, Mary and Martha of Bethany, and even the Samaritan woman who proclaimed Christ to her town. The birth of the church was spurred on with the help of women like Lydia, Phoebe, and Priscilla.
We celebrate the work of women throughout church history who devoted their lives to the advancement of the gospel on the mission field such as Elisabeth Elliott, Annie Armstrong, and Lottie Moon. In local churches around the world, there are countless women who have poured blood, sweat, and tears into the building of the church for the glory of God. Many of them have no desire for recognition—much less a title. They desire to use the gifts God has given them to serve Christ and make an impact on the world. That work must be honored, celebrated, and encouraged.
Brothers, you have sisters who are listening and following your leadership.
This is an important moment not only to fight for biblical convictions but also to stand alongside these women who are laboring with you to win souls for the Kingdom. Elevating women does not mean placing them into positions not allowed by Scripture. Elevating women in a biblical way means giving them every opportunity to serve in their own ministry capacities and to do their part in building the church. The church does not honor women by setting aside biblical convictions, nor does it honor biblical convictions by failing to honor women. As Paul says, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom. 12:10).
Should “Christian celebrity” even be a thing? How should we think about Christians and fame? How should we think about the concept of public ministry and platform? On this ep of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ronni Kurtz discuss the challenges — and potential — of Christian celebrities and Christian celebrity culture.
Vs. 3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”
Luke’s first beatitude is “blessed are the poor” (Luke 6:20). Some have argued that Luke and Matthew are at odds because, in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus adds the words “in spirit.” In the Old Testament, there is a frequent connection between the poor and those who rely entirely on God. Consider Psalm 37:14, “The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright.” Notice how the psalmist connects the poor and needy with the way of the upright. Or consider Psalm 69:32–33: “When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive. For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.” In this psalm, the ones who are humble and who seek God should not be discouraged. Why? Because the Lord is attentive to the needy, literally, “the poor.”
Now, it must also be said that the poor are not automatically blessed by God just because they are poor. One can become poor due to their sinful or foolish actions (see the example of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11–32). Likewise, wealth can become a detriment to one’s spirituality because of its tendency to make one feel satisfied apart from God. That being said, the blessed poor hope in God, not in the things of this world. Even though they have nothing to their name aside from their hope in Yahweh, they are flourishing.[1] It’s entirely possible for the wealthy to be “poor in spirit.” But generally speaking, it’s more difficult because of the temptation to trust in one’s possessions apart from God. Put another way, it’s easier to trust God when he is all you have. Though Luke and Matthew emphasize different aspects of this reality, the first beatitude in their Gospels are talking about the same thing.
Both this beatitude and the second (“blessed are those who mourn”) are likely alluding to Isaiah 61’s picture of the eschatological restoration that the Messiah would bring. Isaiah 61:1 says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners.” Jesus fulfills this prophecy in his ministry (Luke 4:16–21) and proclaims freedom from the power of sin and death. Final deliverance will not come until his kingdom is consummated, but there is real deliverance for the poor in spirit now at the inauguration of his kingdom.
Going a step further, it’s necessary to say a bit more about what exactly it means to be “poor in spirit.” To be poor in spirit is to see ourselves as we really are on our own: hopeless. Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes, “To be poor in spirit means a complete absence of pride, a complete absence of self-assurance, a complete absence of self-reliance. It means a consciousness that we are nothing in the presence of God.”[2]
Our culture today is fixated on self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-reliance. We are told that we must believe in ourselves. If we believe in ourselves, we can do anything. Unfortunately, this mindset often carries over to our spiritual lives as well. We can be tempted to take credit for the spiritual growth we see in our lives. We might even think that we are pretty good Christians compared to other people in our church. As a result, we begin to implicitly believe that we bring something to the table, spiritually speaking; that we’re pretty good at this whole Christian thing and the church would be far better off if more Christians were like us.
To be “poor in spirit” is the opposite of that. When you’re poor in spirit, you realize that it’s not about you and what you can do. It’s to realize that you bring absolutely nothing to the table. Apart from Jesus Christ, every person is spiritually dead—no matter their education, wealth, accomplishments, or social status.
The poor in spirit recognize their spiritual bankruptcy and total need for God. All they can do is beg for mercy and grace. This describes the person in Isaiah 66:2: “To this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at my word.”
The poor in spirit flourish because they are a part of God’s inbreaking kingdom now. Again, the verb is in the present tense: “The kingdom of heaven is theirs.” It’s a present reality for those who follow Christ. They may have nothing of their own to cling to, either physically or spiritually, but they have their Father’s kingdom which, in turn, gives them everything. If they have God’s approval and are heirs and citizens of his kingdom, then what more could they possibly want or need?
Editor’s Note: Excerpted with permission from The Sermon on the Mount: A Devotional Commentary ©2026 by W. Tyler Sykora. Used with permission of Courier Publishing.
[1] Don Carson, Matthew & Mark: The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 131.
[2] David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001), 40.
I used to be a church planter. Maybe I still am. I don’t know.
All I know is that the church I planted more than a decade ago is no longer a church “plant.” It is an established church with elders, staff, property, and long-term plans for disciple-making.
I am also no longer there. A little over a year ago, I was called to serve as a lead pastor of BLDG 28 Church in Clearwater, Florida. Meanwhile, the church I planted, HighView Church, has carried on—advancing its mission and continuing to make disciples in that community.
The truth is, I didn’t stop being a church planter when I left the church I planted. In many ways, the church had ceased to be a plant years before my departure. By year three, it was financially self-sustaining, with a functioning membership, a plurality of elders, deacons, and countless faithful ministry leaders.
From my front-row seat as a church planter, I was able to watch God work in powerful ways. What began with a core team of five people and $200 in support became a vibrant, healthy, gospel-centered church through one act of God’s grace after another.
My time as a church planter was the most faith-building season of my life.
My biggest regret? That I didn’t enjoy it more.
Church planters are a rare breed. Distant cousins of the international missionary, they are (usually) very driven people. While not every church planter is entrepreneurial—that’s a tired stereotype—most possess a deep, internal drive to reach people and start new things. They can instinctively gather a group of people with the gospel and then build that group of people into a functioning, institutional reality we call a local church.
This is a wonderful and desperately needed calling and work. But with some of these “future-facing” gifts comes a shadow. Church planters can become prisoners of then.
“Then” is a mythical time in the future when the church finally becomes what you imagined it would be. The problem is that then never quite arrives. Like Tantalus from Greek mythology—forever reaching for food he would never be able to grasp—our desires always remain out of reach.
Recently, a young pastor exploring church planting asked me, “What’s one word you rarely use to describe church planters.” I blurted out “happy.”
Most church planters I know are joyful people. After all, joy is possible because we rest in Christ regardless of our circumstances. But happy? For me, at least, happiness as a church planter was often elusive because it was tied to arrival—to becoming some final version of the church that was never truly attainable.
If I had it to do over again, here are three lessons I would tell myself.
When you are wired to build what isn’t there yet, gratitude takes discipline.
Your eyes are trained on the gap between where the church is and where you believe God is taking it, and that gap never fully closes. So you have to deliberately turn around.
Look. Remember. Keep a record. Write down the name of every person who comes to faith in Christ, every leader God raised up, every month the bills somehow get paid.
I wish I had built a habit of rehearsing those mercies out loud from the beginning—in elders’ meetings, around the dinner table, on the drives home. Looking back is not nostalgia; it is how you store up evidence of God’s faithfulness for the next valley.
Zechariah spoke these words to a discouraged remnant laying a foundation that seemed insignificant next to the temple they remembered from Solomon (Zech. 4:10). These words are just as relevant for church planters.
The small gathering in a living room, the awkward first baptism, the volunteer team held together with duct tape and prayer. These are not the embarrassing prelude to the real church. They are the real church. God delights to work in such a way that only He can get the credit.
If I had believed that more deeply, I would have spent less time apologizing for what we did not yet have and more time appreciating and thanking God for what was already right in front of me.
The “small” day was never small to God.
Jesus said He would build His Church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). I believed that. I preached it. But somewhere along the way, I began to live as though the outcome rested on my next decision, my next hire, or my next sermon series.
That is a heavy way to plant a church, and it is an unhappy way to live.
If Christ is the builder, then I am not the one holding it together. The church I kept straining to produce was never mine to build in the first place. It is His to build, in His time and by His grace.
So, church planter, be happy. Not later, when the vision finally arrives. Now, while the work is small, unfinished, and unmistakably His. Christ is building His church. You have the privilege of watching Him do it.
