Rhythms of Healthy Small Groups
In this short article series, I hope to help cultivate—or, perhaps, restore—your hope for biblical community and your heart for local church small groups ministry. (In these articles, I’m using the phrases “small groups” and “community groups” interchangeably.) I want to do this by helping you answer two questions for your context: (1) How will […]
On Conversion as Our Aim
The grand object of the Christian ministry is the glory of God. Whether souls are converted or not, if Jesus Christ be faithfully preached, the minister has not labored in vain, for he is a sweet savor unto God as well in them that perish as in them that are saved. Yet, as a rule, […]
The Ordinary Means of Grace
Series: Theology in the Everyday
What are the ordinary means of grace? They are the outward practices God has prescribed by which He promises His nourishing presence to His people when they participate by faith.
What Should Churches Do for the Fourth of July?
What should churches do on the Sunday of the Fourth of July? The Fourth of July can be one of the most perplexing dates of the year for many pastors. Unlike Easter and Christmas, the Fourth is neither a universal, nor a specifically Christian occasion. It’s only celebrated by Americans, and non-Christians can enjoy the […]
The Whole Gospel of Mark in a Single Verse
Editor’s Note: This post is excerpted from A Ransom for Many by John J.R. Lee and Daniel Brueske (Lexham Press, 2023). This book is now available for purchase. On the evening of Thursday, February 28, 1889, Charles Haddon Spurgeon ascended the steps of the Metropolitan Tabernacle pulpit in London, England, to preach a sermon that […]
Small Groups Are Hard—and So Worth It
I’ve been on a long journey with community groups and have arrived at a strong conviction: Community groups are the best place for us—as relational beings—to become mature disciples of Christ. I have spent fifteen years leading and hosting community groups, including seven years of serving as a community pastor at Sojourn Community Church in […]
The Eternity of God
Series: Theology in the Everyday
As the supreme Artist, God has not only created time but is altogether uncontained by it. He is no distant deity but intimate and fully present in all time simultaneously. But what is God’s eternity?
Cynicism Isn’t a Spiritual Gift
One of my favorite verses in the New Testament is a bit of an odd one. James, writing about prayer and dependence on God, makes this statement: Elijah was a man like us (James 5:17). Now, I’ve gone to church my whole life and have learned a lot about Elijah. He’s the wild wilderness dude […]
The Spirituality of God
“There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions. . .”
Five Reasons Why Pastors Should Share Their Pulpit
Every bad church story happens either at a business meeting or a deacon’s meeting. This was a deacon’s meeting—circa, Spring of 2011. I was a 25-year-old youth leader who desperately want to learn and grow as a pastor—particularly in preaching. Our church just lost its pastor and hired an interim—Pastor Don. God bless him. Pastor […]