Articles

In the text above I believe we have a biblical mandate to read Christian biographies. Remember that Hebrews Chapter 11 gives the example of heroes of the faith, which is meant to encourage us to “run with perseverance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1). It behooves us, therefore, to remember past leaders who still speak God’s word

The fullness of the Christian life and all that it entails can never be experienced without the jaw-dropping moment in which God’s glory becomes everything to a believer. If you’ve not had such a moment, much is in store for you to experience. It is the most humbling moment of your existence to find that so little is actually

When most people think of the Protestant Reformation, their minds often latch onto the image of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the castle at Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. From there, other names such as Calvin, Beza, Knox, and Zwingli are not too far behind. But what if I were to tell you that the

Critical to the Protestant Reformation was the recovery of the great doctrine of justification by faith. Martin Luther believed this doctrine was the doctrine on which the Church stands or falls. I will not assume that everyone understands the meaning of the word justification. But by justification, both Reformers and

Inerrancy means that the Bible, in its original manuscripts, is “without error in all that it affirms.” For the first sixteen centuries of church history inerrancy was accepted. People believed that the Bible was written by men, but men who "spoke from God" and were "moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). With the Age of

In 1947, writing a foreword for his friend Philip Hughes, Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote, “There is no subject which is of greater importance to the Christian church at the present time than that of revival. It should be the theme of our constant meditation, preaching and prayers.” He described his daily prayer for revival as “an unusual

The church of Christ is a global church. From the inception of Reformanda Ministries it was our desire to reach as many people as possible with the good news of Jesus Christ. We are pleased to announce that in partnership with Soldados de Jesucristo, Reformanda is launching a new Spanish language initiative called

Prosperity is hot topic in the church. Does God care if a pastor drives a nice car or lives in a nice home? Does God command that all who follow Him take a vow of poverty and starve their families in a protest of earthly comfort? Bible teachers sell millions of books and accumulate mass amounts of wealth, are they in the same

In 2016, I officiated the marriage ceremony of my son, Jake, and his bride, Christa. In one part of the sermon I emphasised the permanent nature of the union. Here's an excerpt... In marriage God is joining one man and one woman together for life, because marriage is God’s design and God's doing just like all of creation is God’s design

Andrew Fuller (1754–1815) wrote, “A life of faith will ever be a life of prayer.” Central within the pastoral framework of the eighteenth-century Calvinistic Baptists was dependence upon the Holy Spirit and prayer as the primary means of Christian growth. Fuller’s friend, John Ryland, Jr. (1753–1825), concurred as he reflected

One of the greatest spiritual biographies appears in the book of Hebrews. What has come to be known as the “Hall of Faith,” Hebrews 11 showcases several key Old Testament believers as examples of faithfulness to God. Later, in chapter 13, the reader is exhorted to “remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to

Owen Strachan recommends the top four books that have affected his thinking, work, and life.

Within a year of posting his Ninety-Five Theses, Martin Luther was summoned to appear before Cardinal Cajetan to be examined for his accusations against the Roman Catholic Church’s theology and practice. When the Cardinal pressed him on the issue of the church’s authority, Luther responded, “The truth of

Our Lord begins his Sermon on the Mount, by pronouncing divine blessing upon his disciples, by using the Beatitude statements as the materials to generate a portrait for us of a true believer, a true disciple, a true follower of Christ. Each Beatitude of Matthew 5 begin with the words “Blessed are.” The Greek term translated “blessed” is

Church leadership models always seem to be going through a type of cultural renovation. Trying to stay relevant, influential evangelicals try to innovate at every turn; trading in biblical roles like elder and deacon for newer, less biblically stringent leadership positions. Some churches avoid having elders altogether because

There is something transcendently unifying when a group is engaged together in a singular, heroic cause. For instance, historians have often highlighted the camaraderie and esprit de corps they have found among the members of the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps embodies, perhaps more than anything else in

In Acts 4, the Apostle Peter stands before the leaders of Israel and identifies the cornerstone of all faith, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The bedrock and cornerstone which lies at the center of the other solas of the Reformation,

Twenty-two years after scoring in a game against Manchester United, now and then I’ll watch the highlight and hear the commentator on the video. “Clarke with the shot . . . It’s off the keeper’s hands . . . Peacock driving in . . . GOAL! Chelsea take the lead!” I can still feel the electricity and euphoria of the moment. It’s the kind 

Many Christians don’t contend for the faith because they don’t know why they should. Like a football team who hits the gridiron without a rally cry, the church can often be overtaken by naysayers who demand silence in the name of tolerance. This tends to rattle many passionate Christians who insist that we contend

We have heard a good bit in recent decades about “kingly” ministry in evangelical spheres. If your ministry paradigm is “kingly,” then you like leading, making decisions, setting up structures in a broad-strokes kind of way, and trying to apply vision to the future of your church or institution. There is good in this description. But we need to think

It’s been about 100 hundred years since Harry Emerson Fosdick made all the right headlines. The secular media welcomed his challenge to “fundamentalist” doctrine, even as gospel-loving Christians celebrated Christianity and Liberalism, the courageous and incisive response to Fosdick by J. Gresham Machen. After

One of my friends once asked me if it was morally permissible to sleep with his girlfriend. She was pressuring him to sleep with her, and he was contemplating giving in to her requests. By the time he approached me, he had almost talked himself into it.  When we sat down over coffee, I turned to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 where Paul says,

We are taken, in Matthew 17:1–8, to a setting that only three disciples are allowed to witness––Peter, James, and John. Six days prior, Jesus had forewarned his disciples what to expect once they entered Jerusalem. He described the events of his rejection, crucifixion, and the coming suffering he would endure once he arrived

For nearly three hundred years, New England had been a beacon of light to the nations. From the earliest days of the Puritanical devotion of the first settlers, to the heartfelt revival preaching of the Great Awakening, to the evangelistic and missionary zeal of nineteenth century believers, the Northeast had manifested a

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, Christianity in America was waning and the world sat helplessly in the clutches of The Enlightenment—a radical movement away from faith and religion, towards science, culture, and philosophy. There were many who questioned how Christianity would fare through these years, and hope

On a spring day in 1747, mounted on his horse, twenty-nine-year-old David Brainerd rode into the yard of a Northampton parsonage. It was the home of eminent New England pastor and theologian, Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) and his wife Sarah (1710–1758). It was Thursday, May 28, a day not unlike many others before. The

The Puritan pilgrims that had come over from England had ventured to American shores in attempt to establish “pure” churches. They failed to create “New Jerusalem” but succeeded in creating a society that embraced Christianity. But within two generations of their arrival, zeal for purity in religion and for the law of

In the 1980s as a young Christian and professional footballer (that’s soccer to the uninformed!) I saw older players mentoring younger ones. One experienced star player took an interest in me. He encouraged and corrected my game, and he developed my character. Premiership manager Tony Pulis spoke on