Episode 192: Having a Happy New Year

By / Dec 28

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson offer some counsel on entering the new year with optimism and confidence.



What’s in a Name?

By / Dec 26

Ninety-nine years is a long time to wait for a new name. Most men make a name for themselves well before. Through their work, they conquer their field and make their contribution. Through their family, they establish their progeny and expand their influence.

But for Abram, it was a different story. We meet him in Genesis 12, where God calls him to go to a land he will show him (Genesis 12:1). He was a foreigner in a strange land, unknown by the world, childless, landless. In a world that depended so much on one’s family line, he was as nameless as they come.

The irony is the name Abram carried meant “Exalted Father.” Would he ever live into his name? That question constantly nagged. In his seventy-fifth year he heard a word from God and followed him into a new land, chasing promises from a God previously unknown but one whom he deemed trustworthy, Abram put all his chips on God’s square. What had become of the gamble? So far nothing.

But the promised remained. Not only did it remain, but it was also constantly reinforced. God kept coming to Abram, bolstering his word with covenants and signs and everything else. In Genesis 17, God did something new in Abram’s life. He changed his name. Abram had 99 problems, but a name wasn’t one. Exalted father ain’t too shabby, unless, of course, God says it’s not enough.

God changed Abram’s name by shoving two extra letters before the “m.” Abram became Abraham. “Exalted Father” became “Father of Multitudes.” A century-old childless man. Is that a joke?

The author of Hebrews said no. In Hebrews 6:17, he spoke of the promise God made to Abraham. “When God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath.” God oathed himself to Abraham. “Exalted Father” becomes “Father of Multitudes,” and what made the difference was the God who made the change.

Leon Kass comments, “The change of Abram’s name, offered in conjunction with God’s abundant promise, is in fact deeply significant. ‘Abraham’s very identity is now inextricable from God’s promise of abundant offspring. His being depends on God’s speech. If God breaks his promise, Abraham ceases to be Abraham.’”1 Abraham cannot be Abraham unless God is faithful. It all depends on the promise.

And what of Abraham’s part in this? Kass goes on. “As for Abraham (and his seed), the obligation of the new covenant is remarkably simple: keeping the covenant simply means remembering it, that is, marking its token or sign in the flesh of every male throughout the generations, by the act of circumcision.”[1]

You could argue circumcision isn’t nothing. That’s true, it’s not. But it isn’t something anyone earns. It is something that happens passively. It is a sign of the covenant, a reminder that God has made his claim on his people.

The only way Abram becomes Abraham is by the power of God through the never-failing word of God.

The only way we become who we must become is by the power of God through the never-failing word of God.

[1] Leon Kass, The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006), 312.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at thingsofthesort.com. 



His Star Appears In The East

By / Dec 25

Throughout history, mankind has sought to develop maps, instruments, and systems in an attempt to rightly orient themselves in the world. From roads to stars, navigation for travel was often aided by landmarks along a traveler’s journey. Yet, even with modern GPS, we have all found ourselves headed in the wrong direction or far from the place we intended to be. If only we had recognized that highway sign a few miles back?

In Matthew 2, the appearance of a star in the east signifies a miraculous event of a God that has intervened in the course of history. The star is recognized by the convinced kingmakers. The star is rejected by the conspiring king, Herod. The star is renounced by the cynical chief priests and scribes. For it is this star, His star, that revealed the advent of the King of Kings.

Yet, while major emphasis must rightly be given to the star’s kingly significance (Numbers 24:17), the star’s significance in relation to its’ appearance in the east allows us to treasure the coming of King Jesus to sinful man all the more.

From Genesis onward, the Bible utilizes direction to not only identify physical location, but to depict spiritual orientation in relationship to God. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, God banished them to the east (Genesis 3:24). Similarly, when Cain went out from the presence of the Lord after murdering his brother, he settled in Nod, east of Eden (Genesis 4:16). Not only had these biblical characters moved physically, but their sin had revealed their rebellious course and distanced them from communion with God. For man to move eastward appears to be one way the Bible uniquely depicts the rupture of fellowship and disobedient path of sinful man toward a holy God.

Further in the biblical narrative, the connection between direction and heart posture remains, as those who, despite living in the aftermath of the flood, constructed the tower of Babel, first journeying east to settle on the plain of Shinar (Genesis 11:2).

However, as God sovereignly covenanted with Abram, a turning of physical direction in the narrative spotlights a new spiritual direction in relationship with God. With his back toward Ai, a city to the east meaning ‘heap of ruins’, Abram, is headed with his face toward Bethel, meaning ‘House of God’. There in the middle, Abram pitches his tent and builds his altar (Genesis 12:8).

Moreover, direction would separate Abram from his nephew, as Lot journeyed eastward as far as Sodom (Genesis 13:11). Upon the giving of covenant blessing, Abraham sets apart the promised son, Isaac, as the sons of his concubines depart eastward with their gifts to the land of the east (Genesis 25:5-6). Jacob, who wrestled with God, would too find himself in the land of the sons of the east (Genesis 29:1).

Later, God clearly displayed for the Israelites the connection, as the tabernacle would face east calling out to those distant from God, as the Aaronic priests moved west toward the Holy of Holies where fellowship was to be restored (Exodus 27:1-18; Number 2:1-34; Numbers 3:38). Nevertheless, Israel would later find themselves exiled to Babylon in the east (Daniel 9:9-10).

Our world today could aptly be described as one east of Eden. One does not have to travel far to realize mankind’s condition is far from God. Yet, the narrative of Christmas is one that finds a star appear in the east as the magi from the east recognize the coming King (Matthew 2:1-2). Was it not the prophet Ezekiel who saw the glory of God coming from the way of the east to fill the house with His Spirit one again (Ezekiel 43:1-5)?

This Christmas, as you travel far and wide to reach those who you love, remember, recognize, and rejoice, for His star in the east signifies the King who has come to welcome those east of Eden who were exiled so long ago. [1]

[1] Patrick Schreiner, Matthew, Disciple and Scribe: The First Gospel and Its Portrait of Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2019), 80.



8 Reasons to Rethink the Song of Songs

By / Dec 23

The Song of Songs is the most lukewarmly debated book in the Bible. There’s some engagement, but not enough. While the arguments and interpretations of Revelation run red-hot, Song of Songs tends to be entrenched in assumptions. I want you to rethink what you might think about the Song of Songs.

Since I’m doing my Ph.D. work on C.H. Spurgeon and the spiritual sense of the Song, I frequently find myself talking to friends and anyone with ears about the Song of Songs, and I preach from the Song whenever I get the chance. I’m not surprised that most of the people I talk to think the Song is only about romance in marriage—some even believe there is no way the book has anything to say about Christ and the Church or Christ and the Christian.

When I tell people that Spurgeon did nearly 70 sermons from the Song of Songs and that they are all about Christ and the Church, they are baffled. In one sermon, Spurgeon gives seven ways Jesus is like a “bundle of myrrh.” He also gave eight sermons on “I am my beloved’s, and he is mine” (Song 2:16). Spurgeon said about the Song:

“That Song of Solomon is the central Book of the Bible; it is the innermost shrine of divine revelation, the holy of holies of Scripture; and if you are living in communion with God, you will love that Book, you will catch its spirit, and you will be inclined to cry with the spouse, ‘Make haste, my beloved.’”

So how can we catch the spirit of this book? Most of us have probably heard that the Song is only about romance, and for years, that’s what I believed too.

Here are eight reasons we should also embrace the spiritual, Christ-centered interpretation of the Song of Songs.

1. Jesus’s View of the Old Testament.Jesus said the whole Bible is about him (John 5:39, Luke 24:27). Our belief that the entire canon bears witness to the Messiah, to Jesus of Nazareth, must include the Song of Songs—if not, then we don’t have a thoroughly Christian reading of the Old Testament.

2. Illumination of the Spirit.If there is no spiritual interpretation, spiritual significance, or Christological meaning in the book, then the Song of Songs is the only book of the Bible that you don’t need the Holy Spirit’s illuminating power; all you need is an understanding of ancient near-eastern poetry. If the surface meaning of romance is the only meaning of this book, then an unbeliever can understand and live this book just as much as a believer.

3. Church HistoryFor the first 1800 years of church history, the spiritual interpretation of the Song was the interpretation. Notable names who taught the Song as instructive about Christ and believers: Gregory of Nyssa, Basil the Great, Bernard of Clairvaux, Theodore Beza, Martin Luther, John Owen, Richard Sibbes, Isaac Watts, Anne Dutton, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, John Gill, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, and many, many more. How comfortable are you to be on the other side of these names and centuries?

4. The Name of the Book“The Song of Songs,” derived from Song 1:1, is the same superlative paradigm as King of kings, Lord of lords, and Holy of holies. The Bible is saying this is the greatest song in the Bible. As Jesus Christ is the King of kings, this song is the Song of Songs, not because it’s only about the marriage bed. This is the greatest song because it’s about the great love of God for us sinners. Greater love has no one this!

5. Solomonic ThemesIn the first chapter of the Song, we learn this song is King Solomon’s and that he is also a shepherd. There is a bounty of biblical theology in Solomon. Who else do we know that is a Son of David, who is a King and a Shepherd? Solomon is a shadow of the one who says he is greater than Solomon—a greater king, a greater sage, and a greater lover of his people.

AI-Generated Image of “a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi” (Song 1:14)

6. Geographic ThemesThroughout the Song, you’ll notice three significant places of geography. The Song sings of a garden, Jerusalem, and the ability to enjoy milk and honey (Song 1:5, 5:1). Aren’t God’s people longing to go to the Garden, to the New Jerusalem, to the promised land that is flowing with milk and honey? The Song foreshadows the blessings to come from the reign and rule of the Messiah, the Bridegroom of God’s people, Christ the Lord.

7. Redemptive ThemesThe Bride asks in chapter three, “What is that coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?” (Song 3:6). She is making allusions to the Exodus narrative with “wilderness,” “columns of smoke,” and the unmistakeable aromas of the sacrificial system. Lastly, the Song sings of the reversing of the effects of the fall on men and women from Genesis 3. Their desires are no longer in conflict (Gen 3:16), there is now reciprocated, mutual, and experiential marital harmony, “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me” (Song 7:10).

8. Marriage is a Mega-themePaul tells us in Ephesians 5 that marriage was created with the encoded mystery of Christ and the Church. The mystery is now revealed, and we cannot hide it in the Song of Songs. Jesus calls himself the Bridegroom (Mark 2), John the Baptist calls Jesus the Bridegroom (John 3), Revelation ends with the marriage supper of the lamb (Rev 19), and the Church is the Bride of Christ (Eph 5). The placement of the Song in the canon continues the picture of Yahweh’s relationship with his people as a loving groom toward a struggling bride (Isa 62).

If these themes of biblical theology were sprinkled about in another book of the Bible, we would gladly say, “Wow, look at all of these pointers to Christ and the gospel.” So let’s not hesitate with the Song of Songs, the soundtrack of Christ and his bride. Our Messiah loves to use metaphors, and the Song is one we must learn to sing along with.



Patrick Schreiner on Why Christians Should Regularly Intake the Gospels

By / Dec 23

FTC.co asks Patrick Schreiner, associate professor of New Testament and biblical studies at Midwestern Seminary, “Why should Christians regularly intake the Gospels?”



Thoughts about Christmas Sermons

By / Dec 23

When missionaries arrive in a cross-cultural context, they look for cultural interests that may serve as points of contact for gospel proclamation. The preacher already has points of contact built in to his calendar through holidays and special cultural days. It seems to me special sermons connected to those days are strategic opportunities and a preacher would be wise to take full advantage. I agree with expository preaching legend, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who wrote in Preaching and Preachers, “I believe in using almost any special occasion as an opportunity for preaching the gospel.”[1]

I have often thought if Easter, Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day did not exist in American culture, I would set aside a time in the course of the preaching year to biblically focus on each topic. The fact each is on the cultural calendar provides an easy way to connect with a wide range of listeners as we biblically discuss each topic. Of all opportunities for special occasion sermons, I have found Christmas to be a uniquely powerful cultural opportunity. In our nation there are almost universally recognized sights, sounds, scenes, and foods associated with the time each year when we celebrate Christmas. What a pastoral gift.

Don’t Squander the Gospel Opportunity

With all I have said about the opportunity a holiday like Christmas affords the preacher I must also acknowledge it is an opportunity frequently squandered. Some of the worst sermons in a calendar year are Christmas-themed sermons. Below are some frequent mistakes to be avoided:

  • Do not preach the cultural Christmas story rather than the biblical one by adding details that are not in the biblical text.
  • Do not act as though celebrating the cultural aspects of Christmas are essential or a measure of anyone’s spirituality. A person can worship the incarnate Christ without the cultural trappings of a tree, Santa, presents, and ugly sweaters.
  • Do not preach Christmas sentimentality, preach biblical Christmas reality (leave the former to the never-ending loop of Hallmark Channel Christmas movies).
  • Do not get so clever in crafting Christmas sermons that you stretch biblical characters beyond their biblical proportion and act as though their unrecorded psychological state is the point of the biblical narrative. I once heard a Christmas sermon from the perspective of the innkeeper (Now, where is that biblical text about an innkeeper?).

 

Take Full Advantage of the Unique Gospel Opportunity

Some preachers talk as though the yearly repetition of Christmas sermons is a problem. To the contrary, I think repetition is strategic and necessary. There is a sense in which the entire Old Testament narrative funnels toward the incarnation of God the Son in Bethlehem and then expands out again toward the ends of the earth. The apostle Paul describes the incarnation like this: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4). If the birth of Christ is a significant redemptive-historical hinge point, then preachers must never get too far removed from its centrality in telling any part of the biblical narrative. Retelling the story of Christ, including his incarnation, is fundamental to what it means to be a Christian preacher.

Preach the Uniqueness of the Christmas Message

No other religion has a message like the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, took upon himself a human nature and body—fully God and fully man. Jesus is God, so he is to be trusted, obeyed and worshiped. Jesus is man, choosing to take on flesh and becoming subject to pain, hunger, sorrow, injustice, suffering, and even death. Thus, the salvation he offers is both of infinite value and a remarkable resource for believers in the midst of their pain and suffering. The Christmas message reminds us that our faith is not based upon what we do and offer to God but what God has done by coming to us and offers to us by grace.

Preach Christmas as Spiritual War

The initial promise of Christmas is found in the first proclamation of the gospel immediately after the fall into sin and the declaration of God’s judgement on sin: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). The first gospel is a statement of victory through the birth of a child in the battle between God’s kingdom and Satan’s parasitic kingdom. The Old Testament storyline follows the battle to preserve that Messianic line in the face of Satan-inspired attacks.

When Jesus was born, Herod’s fear of the ancient gospel promise led to a bloodbath in Bethlehem. When Immanuel, God with us, was crucified and resurrected, he gave his disciples his Great Commission, reminding them his Immanuel promise would see them all the way to the end of the age (Matt 1, 28). The conflict of kingdoms ends when, “that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth” (Revelation 12:9). Jesus was born as the warrior baby who would crush the head of the serpent and deliver his people through the triumph of his crucifixion, resurrection, and the consummation of his kingdom in the second coming.

Preach Christmas as a Call to Christian Courage

Do not skip the genealogies when preaching the Christmas message. The genealogies remind us that all biblical and human history points toward the one whose birth is “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). Matthew’s Gospel portrays the birth of Christ as the genesis of a new creation (Matthew 1:1, see also John 1). The genealogy that opens Matthew’s Gospel indicates that Jesus is the one who fulfills the gospel promise to Abraham by his grace in redemptive history (Matthew 1:1-17).

Matthew then explains the identity of the one whose identity should transform our lives. Jesus of Nazareth is the supernaturally virgin-born Messiah God, who saves his people from their sins, who is God with us. His presence makes unbelieving kings like Herod fear, and makes poor teens who trust him fearless. Angels, shepherds, Magi, Jews, Gentiles, and Samaritans are transformed by his presence to boldly speak in his name. This is the courage of Christmas, our hope is found in the supernatural, incarnate savior, whose presence is always with us.

Biblically faithful Christmas sermons proceed with a desire to reach lost people who may be more likely to attend church services than at other times. Preachers tend to understand the need that Christmas sermons both edify believers and evangelize the lost with the gospel message. We also understand that the expectation is that Christmas sermons are about Christ no matter the text. Focusing on Christ’s first coming in the incarnation, naturally drives preachers to point out that he came to be crucified and raised for sinners and that his first coming leads to his second coming when he consummates his kingdom.

Come to think of it, we might be better off if we allowed our approach to Christmas sermons to shape all of our sermons.

[1] Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 205.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at davidprince.com. 



A Christ-Centered Christmas

By / Dec 22

Whether the holidays fill you with joy or dread, November has come and gone and December is here. Thanksgiving has passed and now it is time to reload before another round of family dinners, get-togethers, and events. One more month and we are on to a new year, but don’t consider this year over. There is still time to make an impact in 2022, whether it is in your own life or another’s. As you find yourself buying and wrapping presents, cutting down or putting together a tree, or squeezing in everything else you put off for this year, here are three simple things you can do to make your holiday season count.

Remember the Reason.

In a world that is quick to get wrapped up in their gifts and festivities we cannot go a Christmas season without hearing things like, “Jesus is the reason for the season!” What a beautiful truth we all need reminded of in such a busy time of our lives. We would do well to remember this sentiment in all seasons, not just this one. The truth is Jesus is the reason for every season, every day, every breath, and every heartbeat. Just as Colossians 1:15-17 tells us: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.” Christmas is a great time to reflect on Christ and what he means to us.

Sadly, for many this does not go beyond the scene of a manger. Many are quick to read the story of Christ’s birth and to sing songs of this glorious sight, but what about the rest? What about his life, his ministry, his death, and his resurrection? During this holiday season don’t just reflect on Christ’s birth, reflect on his cross. Reflect on his resurrection and how he has changed your life. If you are going to reflect on a birth, also reflect on your re-birth in salvation.

Enjoy the festivities and the glorious virgin birth, but don’t let it end there. Remember that Christ came into this world to rescue sinners from hell and to deliver them to eternal life. This isn’t about a baby in a manger; it is about the God of the universe coming to save his people from sin and death. So yes, remember the reason for the season! Remember why Christ came and what it means for the rest of our lives, not just our holidays.

Be Generous.

When we stop and remember the reason, we must be reminded of all that Christ did for us. Before we came to know Christ, we were lost and hopeless. We could never achieve a right standing before God, we were doomed to Hell, but once Christ came into the picture our story changed quite dramatically. We went from rebels to sons and daughters, from enemies to heirs, and none of it was based on our own achievements. It was a gift from Christ. As Romans 6:23 reminds us: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Our sins earned us the wages of death, but Christ gives us the gift of eternal life. There is no better gift we can receive.

As Christians we have received the greatest gift anyone could hope for in this life. We have received something more valuable than the riches of the world or the cure to cancer; we have received a right relationship with God. Seeing as we have received the greatest gift we should be ready to give as well.

This year as you reflect on your blessings, the greatest of which is salvation, be sure to pass some blessings onto others. Donate some toys to kids without families, give the extra five dollars to donate a stuffed animal as you are buying gifts for family, send some money to a good cause, serve the needy in your community, do whatever you can to love and serve others in need this Christmas season. Be generous to others as you reflect on how generous the Lord has been to you.

Share the Gospel.

Give the gift of the gospel too. When else are we surrounded with as many lost loved ones for an event that is at its roots based on the Christian faith? Whether they say happy holiday’s or Merry Christmas, they gathered for an event that celebrates the birth of our savior. The good news of Christ is right in front of you ready to be unleashed on lost souls. Just as your personal reflection should not stop at the manger, neither should your outward proclamation stop there either.

Don’t be scared. Go on and share the message of Christ and him crucified, tell of mankind’s helplessness and of Christ’s mercies, call them to repent and believe. Be missional even in your family gatherings. Don’t be afraid to be shut down or to be made fun of, but fiercely proclaim the good news of the Gospel with the loved ones surrounding you. If you don’t share with your loved ones, who will? Remember Paul’s words in Romans 10:14-15:

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’”

Now I am not telling you to jump up on the table right before Christmas dinner, but I am telling you not to let another holiday season go by without sharing the Gospel with a loved one who needs to hear it. Whether it is in light conversation by the fireplace or when you read the birth of Christ with your family. Find a time you are comfortable with, but by no means be silent. As a follower of Christ, we are commanded to share the good news of the Gospel and what better time than a holiday all about the one who came to save.

Enjoy this holiday season, but don’t waste it. Make it count for your life and in the life of a loved one. Never forget the reason for this season and every other season. Open your heart, open your life, and let God use you this Christmas! 



Faith Lifts Our Eyes Up

By / Dec 22

I watched my brother die. 

He was one of the strongest men I knew in my life and there he was struggling to take his last breaths. A brain tumor discovered six weeks earlier was now completing its fatal work. In a small hospital room, my brother passed away surrounded by our parents, his wife, his four kids, and mother-in-law. He and his wife are members of the church I pastor, so there I was mourning as brother and pastor. One nephew stayed by his side the whole time, weeping and holding his hand. My oldest nephew was in and out, feeling responsible to watch the youngest two children. When the time came, they all were there at his side. We prayed. We read Scripture. We sang. We said our good-byes. 

And then we planned services. I officiated over his memorial service and declared the hope of the gospel to the best of my ability. In some ways, it is easy to speak upon the hope we have when the loved one who has passed was a devoted believer. And my brother, Aaron, was that. He had given so much of his life to proclaim the gospel to teenagers. He had served the ministry of Young Life for around 20 years. He served faithfully at church and he led his family in following the Lord. But of course, in many ways it is never easy, especially when the departed is a loved one of your own. Many people voiced if I could get through the service, and it was hard, but we all got through it. 

And now a few months after, it is still surreal. His birthday came and it was even harder and now Thanksgiving has come and gone, and it seems to have gotten harder. Grief comes in waves, one moment it all seems fine and then the next I can’t see because of the tears. Sometimes I expect to see him, to have him help me with a project on my house, to walk through the door at my parents, or to ask to take my son rock climbing. 

Doubt can grow in times of hardship. This can be a very real concern, one which I have for my nephews and nieces. I pray they never doubt that God is there and never doubt his goodness. I have been asked if I have experienced doubt in the midst of my own grief and I can honestly say I haven’t. I haven’t doubted God being real or doubted His love and goodness. For that I am thankful. 

But I have sat in confusion. It is the confusion of not understanding. It is the confusion of not being able to grasp how my brother’s death brings God glory. It is the confusion of the created not being able to fathom the infinite. I truly don’t understand why God allows and ordains such things. 

It is right there that faith reigns. For I don’t know the “why” but I do know the “who.” Elisabeth Elliot said it like this, “Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.” This is the essence of what we see again and again stated in the Bible, like in Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” We can live with this verse only through faith, not understanding how all the events in our life speak the truth of this verse, but trusting the one who is working. 

When my brother passed I was reading through J.I. Packer’s Knowing God with one of my church members. Packer has a statement that says, “Every single thing that happens to us expresses God’s love for us, and comes to us for the furthering of God’s purposes for us.” To read this while my family was grieving was hard. But it is true. Faith demands we see beyond the pain of the moment to the One who loves us, who gave His Son for us, and who will wipe every tear away. A faith in Jesus Christ is an eye lifting faith, lifting our eyes to the One who stands above. 

Faith doesn’t stop the confusion, but it does direct our hearts to the One who reigns in a seemingly confusing life. Faith allows us to question while we trust. Faith allows us to weep while we rejoice that a believer is now with the Lord. Faith allows us to take that step the next day, mourning our loved one but continuing to live. 

So I lift my eyes up… to behold our Almighty Father. “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 



Episode 191: The Christmas Episode with Ronnie Martin

By / Dec 21

Mr. Christmas himself — pastor and author Ronnie Martin — is back for our annual Christmas episode. This time he and host Jared Wilson discuss their favorite “redemptive” moments from various Christmas movies.



Episode 190: Navigating Family Difficulties

By / Dec 14

With the holidays on our mind, we know the prospect of spending time with difficult family members can be anxiety-inducing for many. On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson share some ways to navigate family conflicts and tension with grace and joy.