Can preaching be taught? Yes. However, this article argues that to discern whether someone can indeed learn to preach, it is important to see the following in the person: a sense of calling, a teachable spirit, a passionate heart, and a reckless abandon to risk being a fool for Christ.
How should Christians fight against Satan? Fighting Satan can be done by reflecting Christ. This is what Ephesians 4:25-32 explains.
Should you pray for bad things to happen to bad people? This article looks at imprecatory psalms. It shows how they call believers to love and seek God's justice, and how this should shape our prayers.
Smoking pot: should Christians do it? There are four guidelines that the believer should consider when answering this question.
How do you answer doubts and opposition to the gospel? This article explains that there are two wrong ways of responding to opposition: change the gospel or pounce on any opposing view. THe article also offers the right way of addressing opposing views: respond to the gospel yourself, which will impact your posture towards objecting views in a number of significant ways.
Christ-centred preaching starts with your exegesis. This article explains the need and benefits of reading the Bible in a Christ-centred way.
John Calvin taught that the Christian life is rooted in our union with Christ, the inseparable link of faith and the Word, the need for daily repentance, and self-denial.
Christian single men, how should you think about singleness? Remember that what defines you is your identity in Christ.
Prayer should be warm and intimate. How can you make your personal prayer to be like that? The article considers eight keys to this.
How can you be committed to everyday discipleship? This article shares six lessons to help you get started and persevere in this endeavour.
Are you struggling with a food addiction or an eating disorder? This article considers how being made in the image of God impacts how we treat our bodies, and then goes on to reflect on the fruit of the Spirit, self-control.
Are you struggling with being overweight, a food addiction, or an eating disorder? The gospel has something to say about this struggle. There are two ideas crucial to fighting the struggle with food: you were created and your body is the temple of God.
This article looks to offer aid to those struggling with being overweight, or a food addiction, or an eating disorder. It helps us think about this temptation in a right way, see food in a spiritual way, see the sin of it, and it points you to the right way.
Christians have died, been raised, are seated in heaven, and will appear with Christ. This gospel narrative of being in Christ is crucial for Christian growth and holiness.
This article encourages women to consider all of Scripture, not merely Titus 2:3-5, when it comes to discipleship relationships. The author explains what gospel-centred, whole-Bible discipleship entails, and how this shapes women's ministry.
What is God doing with your suffering? From 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, this article explains that God wants to comfort you, comfort others, and draw you near.
A storyline lies at the heart of building a Christian worldview, understanding the gospel, focusing on Christ, and rejecting false worldview. Without this biblical storyline, it becomes difficult to achieve the four things mentioned. This article explains the importance of teaching the Bible's storyline.
What should drive biblical repentance? There are four foundational aspects of repentance: it is from God, is centred on God, produces life-giving joy, and should be sought in community
You will be criticized but you also will criticize others. How should you receive and offer criticism? There are four ways the gospel shapes our attitude towards criticism, four ways of receiving criticism, and five things to consider when offering criticism.
Christian growth is linked to the cultivation of the heart. How do you do heart cultivation? This article mentions five things.
This article offers five signs that a church might be making disciples of the church rather than of Christ.
Is your parenting caught in the trap of health and wealth parenting? Good parenting is one that teaches children to be prepared to also face suffering. This article explains four ways to do this.
How do you represent the gospel at your workplace? This article explains five ways you can turn your workplace to ministry.
If you are not committed to discipleship, did you know that the reason may be that you believe one of the nine myths of discipleship that this article unpacks?
What is evangelism? Part of answering this question is knowing what evangelism is not. This article identifies five things that are mistaken for evangelism.
Evangelism is not easy, because of fear of man. So how do we grow in boldness for the gospel? This article draws encouragement in this regard from Acts 4.
How should you deal with negative church members? Be humble, shepherd, and be biblical.
The church is the household of God, which consists of different generations. How do you overcome generational gaps and build bridges through the gospel? You can do three things to create an inter-generational church ministry.
Have you been trying to grow as a Christian and you feel like you are not making any progress? What shapes your view of sanctification? This article explains that there are eight characteristics of gospel-centred sanctification.
If intimacy is the experience of closeness and being known, then the desire for intimacy can only be fully fulfilled by God. Psalm 139 shows that God is close to, knows, and is intimate with his children.
In a culture of having it all now, patience is a hard thing. How can you be patient? Learn to trust and embrace the truth of the gospel.
How do you shepherd small groups? This article offers six tips.
It is only in Christ that the fight against pride and self-doubt can be won. Why? For in Christ we gain humility.
In pastoral counselling how do you deal with people who are not listening? Be patient, present, petitioning.
Burnout has become a common experience of many missionaries. How do you fight against mission fatigue? Identify the causes, and fight against the burnout.
Every church member is called to build the church of Christ. In order to be a living member of the church and participate in church building, you not only need to know how to build the church, you must also know how not to kill her. There are ten ways you can kill the church.
What is the greatest need of the church? It is Jesus Christ, who comes to us through the preaching of the gospel. The church needs gospel preaching all the time. Why? This article offers five reasons.
This article gives ten ways to show how our union with Christ defines our identity. It draws implications for the Christian life.
Christ-centred preaching should be the desire of every pastor, in order to make mature followers of Christ. This article shows from the apostle Paul that Christ-centred preaching is possible when the preacher preaches like an evangelist, a prophet, and a theologian.
As parents how do you build a Christ-centred home? This article shows how Deuteronomy 6:6-9 can shape parenting in order to make a home Christ-centred.
As long as spiritual warfare is real, then doubting will always be part of the Christian life. How then should Christians go about dealing with doubt? This article offers five things.
How do you disciple those who doubt? This article calls for understanding the relationship between faith and doubt, because the gospel is the good news to those who are doubting.
Suffering can actually liberate you and help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. How? This article explains four ways that Christians can perceive God is with them in suffering: they can do so through the gospel, God's Word, prayer, and worship.
Why is there no tension in the Bible between ministry and family? Because marriage is the clearest picture of the gospel in the world today, and your marriage is one of the best forms of evangelism in the world today. How do you converge marriage and mission work? This article weighs in.
The Bible expects the husband to lead his wife. How does a husband provide leadership? There are seven things he can do to provide leadership in the home.
Is belief in the resurrection of Jesus essential or optional? This article examines the evidence for the resurrection through three lenses: the gospel tradition, skeptical scholarship, and faith. It concludes that faith in the risen Christ is essential.
Submission to God and what he defines that we do is what brings honour to God and yields results as God is pleased to bring them. This article discusses this, and then explains what sumbission to God and to his church requires of us: humility, vulnerability, and Christ-likeness.
Homosexuality is not just a topic outside the church. Even in the church, there are those struggling with same-sex attraction. The question is, how does the church deal with those facing this struggle? This article offers five things the church can do.
Christians battle with depression, self-condemnation, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. How are they to face these times of darkness? This article offers nine considerations.
The goal of discipleship in the midst of suffering is to bring comfort in Christ. Knowing that people suffer differently, what are ways to comfort the suffering? This article looks at eight of them.
How can the church disciple those with mental illness? Discipleship to the mentally ill should at least embrace these four things.
Seminary is a time of discipleship. Therefore, seminarians need the church. How can the church serve the training of pastors? This article provides three ways the church can do this.
Regeneration is the birth of a disciple. Therefore, discipleship should be rooted in the biblical doctrine of regeneration. This article discusses four aspects of regeneration that must shape the philosophy of discipleship.
The church as the body of Christ is called to a life of serving each other. This article explains how Christians can serve one another in the are of childcare.
Productivity for the Christian is motivated by a desire to live in this world for the glory of God. This article explains that productivity requires intentionality and effectiveness.
The purpose of discipleship is to make disciples Christ-like. Therefore, discipleship is not just a program; it’s life. This means that discipleship should be formal, informal, spontaneous, and intentional.
This article explains what transactional sanctification is: we can view our relationship with God as, "I do things for God and God does things for me." The author explains that life with God is not a transaction, since the transaction has already been completed.
This article explains that individualism is a threat to discipleship, because discipleship happens in a community rooted in the gospel.
Is church attendance important? This article explains that attending church is important because the gospel requires it.
Culture is everywhere and, like it or not, culture is changing you. If this is the case then how can Christians use the tools of culture for discipleship? This article defines what culture is and gives a way in which Christians can engage with pop culture.
Christians face grief too. The real struggle is learning to grieve well. There are two truths to consider in order to grieve well: God is God and he cares.
How do you help people who have placed their hope in places other than Jesus? It is by learning to identify false hope. This article points to four things that will help you identify false hope.
The church is called to live together as the body of Christ. Holding each other accountable is a way of living together. This article gives seven tips for pursuing accountability and confession within the church.
How do you deal with difficult times? There are two temptations that come with facing difficult times, and this article discusses them.
What does it mean to confess your sins to one another, along the lines of James 5:16? This article raises two dangers to avoid and three things to do in confessing sin to one another.
Christians are called to pursue holiness. How do we actually do it? This article says that by applying the grace of God in our life, we will grow in holiness, and it explains four ways to apply such grace.
Materialism kills generosity. This article argues that true Christian giving is rooted in understanding the generosity of God. From 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 it explains how this is so.
How do you build a gospel-centred community? There are two aspects to consider: remove the misunderstandings about the church and foster a true understanding. This article discusses six such misunderstandings, and then sevens truth about being a gospel-centred church.
The ascension of Jesus leads to him seated at the right hand of God. Did you know that believers are seated with Christ in heaven, and therefore are reigning with Christ? This article shows what this means for the daily life of the Christian.
There are some passions from which the youth must flee. From 2 Timothy 2:22 this article discusses four youthful passions that young people must flee: unrighteousness, scepticism, lust, and debate.
Gospel-centred counselling is what should characterize the ministry of believers to one another. This article explains that this counselling can only be found in the church because being rooted in Christ makes sense of the past, present, and future.
The study of church history can be used by God for your maturity. This article gives four reasons for how the study of church history can do that.
Thanksgiving should characterize the Christian's prayers. How do we learn to give thanks to God? Psalm 107 shares three reasons for giving thanks to God.
Are you seeking self-approval? Are you building your kingdom and not the kingdom of God? There are three habits that can help you stop seeking your kingdom and start focusing on God's kingdom.
How do you develop leaders in a church plant? This article discusses three essential things to do for the development of leaders.
Are you battling with spiritual depression or discouragement? This article discusses three ways to battle spiritual depression.
Guilt is something that not only believers but also unbelievers struggle with. This article explains that unbelievers also have a god, whose commands they try to obey but fail in their attempts, and continually suffer guilt and shame as a result. Only the biblical God can deal with guilt and silence the guilty conscience.
Preaching the gospel is essential to the life of the church, because the one thing that the church needs most is Jesus Christ. This article gives five reasons why preaching Christ is essential.
Following Christ may not necessarily result in you seeing revival. Yet you are guaranteed one thing: Christ himself. This article raises five lies that are successful at keeping us from persevering in faithful obedience to the Lord.
Growing in grace is what is expected of every Christian. How do you see your Christian growth and that you are becoming a mature Christian? This article explains that one of the signs of spiritual growth is seen in the extent to which you grow in your knowledge of sin in your life.
Christians are transformed into being like Christ. They are called to put off the old nature and put on the new nature. This article looks at Ephesians 4:25-32 to show what this transformation entails.
What does it mean to make peace, or be a peacemaker, and how does one seek peace? This article says that there are four aspects to making peace.
How do you find rest in a workaholic culture? You must learn to rest from overwork. How do you learn? The article explains two things crucial to learning to rest.
Mortification is the act of killing sin. How do Christians do that? This article looks at Romans 8 to answer this question.
What role can the church play in the struggle against racism? This article unpacks five things the church can do to pursue racial reconciliation.
How do you seek the welfare of your neighbourhood community? This article offers five simple ways: pray for the community, spend time in the community, know the assets in the community, make the community beautiful, and open your home.
While denying Gnosticism, are Christians practical Gnostics? How will you answer this question? This article explains that caring for creation is biblical and also testifies to our anticipation of the new world.
Pornography is a struggle within the church. How can Christians deal with this struggle? It is only through repentance. This article gives six ingredients that will bring such a repentance from pornography.
Absurdism is the struggle facing humanity. It is the struggle of seeking the meaning of life while at the same time feeling the meaninglessness of life. What is the answer to this struggle? The article explains that the answer can only be Jesus Christ.
Why should Christians fast? Fasting creates a hunger to experience more of God. This article gives three reasons for recovering fasting in the Christian life.
Motives fuel our pursuits. How do we discern whether our motivations are good for the things we pursue? This article uncovers four pursuits our lives may be gravitating towards: acceptance, authority, applause, and abundance.
How can we put to death our self-justification and selfish ambition? This article presents three gospel truths to help in this: God is the judge, your greatest need is peace with God, and Christ's work on the cross is the most important accomplishment.
Prayer is a means of beholding the glory of Christ. This article explains what this means and how we behold Christ's glory in prayer.
How do we become disciples who last? This article discusses four ways we can develop discipleship perseverance, in an effort to make mature disciples.
God instituted fatherhood to be a mirror of his own character. Therefore, Christian fathers are disciple makers; every day they speak something of God to their children. How can they fulfil this task? This article explains that they must be aware of the responsibility, accept the reality that they will fail, and live in repentance.
Why is it that unbelief is growing? While this question cannot be answered fully, part of the reason may be the way the church does evangelism. If the church's way of doing evangelism is coercive, lacks wisdom, and is not personal, then the church cannot expect to have an impact.
How is it possible to behold the beauty of the Lord in the midst of the chaos of life? This article explains that while there is never going to be a convenient time, it is vital to make time to gaze upon the Lord, in order to be reinvigorated for the challenges of the day. It offers seven ways to make time.
Where do you find your identity? This article makes a call for Christians to find their identity in Christ, and shows how can the church be a community that points its members to the redemption that is in Christ.
Life as a sinner with other sinners is challenging and messy. How shall we respond to one another when misunderstanding happens? This article points to Christ as the picture of what ministry and discipleship look like: they involve being misunderstood and being vulnerable.
Church history should be part of the life of the church and the believer. Why? There are nine reasons why the church and believers cannot ignore church history and should study it. This article explains the importance of church history.
Demonic opposition is real in the Christian life. How do Christians engage in this spiritual warfare? Learn to identify with Jesus in his victory, and follow his example.
Discipling children is the call of every parent. What can we learn from the lives of those who went before us? This article looks at how Fred Elliot, the father of Jim Elliot, discipled his children. There are four things we can learn from his parenting.
A catechism is a great tool for instruction and teaching. The combination of theological questions and answers given in the catechism help in making truth stick. This article gives six reasons how the catechism teaching does this.
Discipleship has characterized the church throughout history. This article looks at the life of Saint Patrick, and four lessons we can learn from him on making disciples: discipleship is an effort of teamwork, it must be holistic, community based, and hospitality can play a role.
The Christian life is a life dependent on the grace of God. Based on Luke 18:10-14, this article shows why we need God's grace.
What makes idolatry so attractive? This article explains the charm of idolatry, and how replacement gods ultimately don't deliver what they promise.
The idols of choice, sex, and acceptance are counterfeits gods to many young people. How can parents in their parenting help their children spot these counterfeit gods and disciple their children for Christ? This article offers some advice.
When thinking about discipleship, no one should ignore the lessons gained from Herman Bavinck. He There are three essentials to discipleship in his view: God's revelation, union with Christ, and ordinary obedience.
How can Christians take part in the fight against abortion? There are three things they can do: know the science, encourage adoption, and share the hope of the gospel.
Is discipleship merely about knowledge transfer? This article argues that discipleship needs to be aware that our gospel begins not with the fall, but with creation and the cultural mandate. Thus, not only one's private life needs to be discipled, but also one's public live. Understanding the goodness of creation will foster engagement in the world.
Slavery may be an issue of the past, but racism is still an issue. How can the church address the issue of racism? Looking at the life of John L. Girardeau, this article considers the role of family life, preaching, and sacrificing in the discussion.
The Bible condemns idolatry. How can you tell if you are an idolater or not? The article explains that you can tell by knowing what rules your heart.
We all live with some type of worldview. How do we expose false worldviews and show people their need for Jesus Christ? The church has the gospel, discipleship, missions, and apologetics to do this.
Biblical counselling is part of obeying Christ's law to love one another. This article gives biblical grounds for the call to care for each other and how this is linked to the law of love.
The church has always pursued making disciples. What can we learn from those who went before us? This article draws four lessons from Jan Hus on discipleship.
Loving God is a call that the believers can fulfill by being together. Growing in love for Christ happens within a community of believers. This article explains that this growth happens by listening, repenting, and confessing together.
Gospel holiness opposes legal holiness, it is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit, and it is an expression of God's grace. These are three lessons on holiness from John Owen.
If racism is rooted in sin and injustice, then the Bible has a lot to say about it. This article explains how the church can take part in the fight against racism and segregation.
Discouragement in ministry is a reality for many pastors. How do you overcome discouragement? The article highlights three things to remember: your sanctification, your insufficiency, and the call to faithfulness.
Falling into sin may be viewed as weakening your Christian witness. However, are you aware that your repentance is also evangelism? This article explains how repentance is a form of witnessing.
How should Christians engage with opposition on social media? This article offers three guidelines: know where you stand, understand where others stand and why, and love people with the gospel.
Discipleship is a call to share not only the gospel but also your life. This article explains that only love can motivate us to share the gospel with those we disciple. After explaining this, the article draws three practical implications.
To understand the reason for the incarnation of Christ, one must understand the holiness of God. Both the holiness of God and the incarnation of Christ must shape how Christians live in the city. The article draws five implications of the incarnation for the Christian life.
This article lists three things you can do to help you get the most of listening to sermons: open your Bible and follow along, listen for key ideas, and learn to interpret Scripture.
Where should you start as a church when reaching out to the community and discipling others with the gospel? This article presents five sets of questions to help you asseess your community, and then discusses what you are to do with your answers to the questions.
What are the lies that hinder you from living the Christian life, witnessing, and evangelism? This article shows from John Calvin that there are three lies: self, society, and Satan.
Experiential Christian living can only come as a result of experiential meditation. How? The article explains what biblical meditation is and how it leads to experiential Christian living.
Spiritual formation comes through studying God's Word. How can you be formed by Scripture? This article identifies five effortless ways.
What are life's ultimate questions? These questions are different, from the Bible and the world. This article discusses such questions from the Bible.
The church is the new covenant temple of God. This article explains the relationship between the heavenly temple where Jesus is as the High Priest and the earthly temple. It shows how the New Testament uses this imagery to morally exhort the church to holiness and to provide hope for sacrificial living.
How does the gospel shape counselling? 1 Thessalonians 2 paints five portraits of a gospel-centered counselling.
The Christian community is not something we create, but something we participate in. How? The Bible explains that it is by loving one another in God's church, because love is what characterizes the Christian community. This article explains what it means to grow together in this love.
This article gives nine reasons why the church ought to prioritize one-on-one discipleship, for the good of the church.
Where do you find your personal identity? Since the fall into sin, man has sought his identity in three things: status, performance, and exclusivity.
A biblical view of salvation will help us have a correct view of your sanctification, and how growing in holiness is often not at the pace we would like to experience. This article therefore describes the past, present, and future elements of salvation.
How can you find joy in prayer? If praying is hard for you, you can use the Lord's Prayer as a template to enrich your prayer life.
This article offers four essentials for cultivating discipleship in the church: storytelling, the gathering of the church, the church in the world, and family worship.
The evangelism ministry of the church must be full of grace in welcoming sinners. Often, however, this is a key struggle for the church. This article outlines four misconceptions that unbelievers have about the church, which serve as barriers to evangelism.
When we pray, "Hallowed be your Name," what are we praying for? We want to see God's glory revered in our lives and the lives of others. Thie article shows how this prayer shapes discipleship.
It is the desire of every pastor to cultivate a culture of evangelism in the church. Do you know how to do that? This article shares six ways that can direct your church to a culture of evangelism.
What does it mean for us to pray for the kingdom of God to come? We pray that sin be eradicated, Satan destroyed, and Christ glory to cover the earth. This is the essence of praying, Your kingdom come.
Has social media become a platform for seeking self-glory and people's approval? How can you fight this temptation to self-glorification? 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 gives three things Christians can do to avoid this temptation.
How do you cultivate a church environment where discipleship is rooted in a circle of disciples discipling others? In Acts 11 and Acts 13, the church in Antioch gives the essence of a multiplying culture. This article explains that there are five things essential to multiplying disciples.
This article explains that the sixth petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Deliver us from evil," is linked with discipleship.
Long-term discipleship is the key to preparing believers for a short-term mission. This preparation should consist of gospel clarity, spiritual integrity, cultural agility, and team unity.
Psalm 27:4 tells us that the Lord is beautiful. How exactly do we see the beauty of the Lord? This article explains four things that reveal the beauty of the Lord to us.
Is there a model the church can use to reach out to the lost through evangelism? The church can use the model of incarnation, inquiry, interpretation, and ignition. This article explains what this model looks like—the model Jesus used on the road to Emmaus.
Does your church attendance have anything to say about your walk with Christ? This article gives seven reasons why attending the church every week matters.
Why is missional coaching necessary? There is no amount of training that can fully prepare you for mission work. Every leader and community is different. Leaders must be reminded of the gospel. Leaders need support. For this reason, coaching is needed.
Prayer is not the least you can do; it is the most you can do. This article explains by discussing things that hinder us from praying, misconceptions about prayer, and the problem of legalistic prayer. It is when we understand the purpose of prayer that we come to realize that prayer is the most we can do.
One of the blessings of family worship is that it produces meaningful family time. How do you structure family devotions to get such a meaningful time of fellowship together? This article explains four things you can do.
Part of the reason why pastors become burned out and leave the ministry is that they neglect their walk with Christ. Perseverance in ministry can take place when pastors are rooted in Christ. From Colossians 2:6-7 this article shows how this is so.
Is discipleship a once-off thing? Is there a time when discipling others should stop, and how do you help those who think they have been discipled enough? This article explains that discipleship is a lifelong process, and those discipled still need discpling. It shows four ways in which this can be done.
If discernment is knowledge filtered, then it is highly needed in a time where there is so much information available. Discernment is what every Christian is called to practice, according to Philippians 1:9. This article discusses three pitfalls Christian fall into when they do not practice discernment.
For mission work to go well it must be linked to prayer, because in the Bible mission and prayer are related. This article looks at Ephesians 6:19-20 and Colossians 4:2-4 to show this relationship.
When God created marriage, he declared that the two shall be one. This article explains that oneness in marriage must be cultivated. It shares two things which may help to cultivate this oneness—intentionality and confession.
Parenting is part of discipleship. This article is a call to churches to partner with parents and equip parents to make disciples at home. The article discusses the different ways the church can be involved in this ministry of equipping parents.
Church unity requires you to relinquish your personal preferences. This article mentions four preferences that may hinder unity among believers.
Have you reflected on how your smartphone shapes your memories and affects how you view reality? This article is a reflection on the impact of a smartphone, digital media and way it affects the Christian view of reality.
Is the celebrity culture influencing how the church thinks about church leadership? This article argues that the church has been influenced, and this emerges in how the church chooses its leaders more according to giftedness than godliness. The author explains why this is a problem, and points to a better way to find leaders.
Fighting sin is the warfare in which every Christian is engaged. How can you engage better in this battle of the mortification of sin? Know the three ways that sin attacks: from Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh.
The priesthood of Christ is the cure to soul-fatigue. Looking at Hebrews 4:14-16 this article explains how Jesus as the High Priest cures soul-fatigue.
Spiritual growth happens as you grow in your relationship with God. How can you grow in this? This article shares nine things.
When we forget the gospel we commit idolatry. How? Because we start to live from good works. This article discusses this matter, and the solution to it.
How does transformation take place in the Christian life? This article explains the process of transformation and the relationship between obedience and sanctification.
What is the key to evangelism? It is the ability to listen. There are two things you can do to help you when evangelizing: listen to people's stories, ask questions, and then tell the gospel.
Is Christ in Matthew 5:10-11 expecting Christians to be persecuted? This article argues that those who stand for Christ are not of the world and cannot be popular with the world, so they must expect persecution.
How can a church do mission work in a small town? The church must be gospel-centred and church orientated, it must equip people and be a mission community. These are the anchor posts to support mission in small towns.
Christian growth should be the desire and character of every believer. How is this growth possible? Just like natural growth is linked to eating, so spiritual growth is linked to God's Word. It is only when you hear, read, memorize, meditate, and study God's Word that you will experience growth.
Loneliness is meant to be filled to the full by Christ. But often we believe the lies about loneliness. This article raises three such lies.
Is your Bible study small group stuck? Try these five suggestions to get your small group a tune-up.
What does a prayer for a sermon look like? There are five things you can pray for as you prepare to preach.
The coming of Jesus marked an inaugurated eschatology that pointed to his second coming. This is so because Jesus brought the kingdom, bound the strongman, and through the preaching of the gospel is fulfilling the reality of the kingdom. This understanding is crucial to missional living.
As a pastor how do you adapt to your first calling or a new calling? This article shares six lessons that can help you find your place in that new church.
Do you have a passion for doing work in God's kingdom but not sure where God is calling you to go? This article offers four questions and answers to help you work through this issue.
How do you find purpose in working when your daily work is filled with seemingly mundane tasks? This article explains six ways in which you can learn to relate Christ and the gospel to your work.
This article explains four attributes of Scripture: the indispensability of Scripture, clarity of Scripture, sufficiency of Scripture and authority of Scripture.
Is your Bible reading leading you to Jesus? This article explains that the centre of the Bible is Jesus, and thus reading the Bible should lead you to him. There are three questions you can ask yourself when reading the Scriptures in order to keep Christ central.
How can the church be intentional in integrating singles in the church? This article offers some practical steps on how to help such single Christians.
Though Christians know that Bible reading is essential to their growth, many do not do so. This article considers why, and then shows how you can start reading the Bible.
How can the church serve the hurting and broken through its liturgical music? Singing only victory songs does injustice to God's people. This article explains that the church in its worship services should learn to sing four types of songs.
Women's ministry needs the gospel. Why? It is only the gospel that can bring them lower, at the same time bring them higher, and show them where to hide. The article explains how the gospel does this for women's discipleship.
How do you deal with the guilt that leads to self-condemnation because of sexual sin or any sin? When your conscience condemns you with guilt you need to hold the right standard, and know where to turn to.
How do you conduct family devotions? This article shares ten tips for family worship.
What role can the church play in dealing with the sin of racism? Based on Romans 12:9-21 this article shares six things the church can do in bringing racial reconciliation in the church.
How do you practice discipleship in an age of social media and smartphones, which result in people having a shorter attention span? There are four things you can do to build disciples in such an age.
If discipleship is about helping others follow Jesus, where should one start when looking to foster discipleship of women? This article offers three things to consider.
How can a pastor build a healthy accountability group? While humility is the overarching value, there are four other values that cannot be ignored for pastoral accountability.
Holiness is what distinguishes Christians from the world, and it strengthens Christian witness. But why is it that the church is uncomfortable to be known as holy? This article answers, explaining the importance of being counter-cultural.
What constitutes a happy life? Ecclesiastes shares six categories to which people turn in their pursuit of happiness, but which do not satisfy. This article considers where the truly happy life can be found.
This article explains how Martin Luther suffered a lot from the fear of death, hell, and God's wrath. He was liberated from this fear when his eyes were opened to the truth of salvation in Christ.
What is the character of the speech of God? This article explains that it is God's personal speech to us, yet what is particularly unique about his voice is that it comes through other voices. The author says that his voice sounds like Jesus.
Can the Great Commission be taken personally? This article argues that discipleship has always been done by a group of Christians each reaching out to the people around them.
Greed and guilt are close friends with anxiety. How can Christians overcome anxiety? It is by trusting in Jesus and living under the Fatherhood of God.
Is your church gospel-centred? How do you know? This article asks five questions you can ask to see whether or not you are gospel-centred.
What happens when the church aims to be effective, efficient, and practical? This article argues that the church may risk the danger of falling into utilitarianism in its view of its members. The author explains and calls for embracing wastefulness.
What does it mean to do mission work in suburbs? While suburbs may pose a challenge to missions, this article identifies the needs common to suburbs and shows how these needs can be addressed in order to reach those in suburbs.
What is the Christian view of sexuality? This article explains that by creating male and female in his image, God intended our sexuality to be a vocation, and he made the two genders complementary.
This article discusses the authority of the Bible. It considers what makes the Bible authoritative: its inspiration and its author. Further, the article goes on to consider the character of the Bible: it is a covenant document, which means it's about a relationship as well as rules. Finally, the article draws implications that this has for the church.
By imitating the goodness of Christ, the church can be an appealing community. This article explains what following in the footsteps of Jesus actually looks like.
Christians understands the need to tame the tongue. This article shows that taming the tongue can only happen through a change of heart, and bases its remarks on James 3.
A true test of friendship is whether you are willing to rebuke and admonish your friends. This article discusses this reality, taking its direction from Proverbs 27:5-6.
To speak evil about someone is to use any form of speech about them that is destructive, harmful, negative, unrighteous, or unforgiving. But is there a time when it is right to speak evil about someone? This article argues that there is.
What do you do when dullness characterizes your walk with the Lord? This article answers, based on Jonathan Edwards' resolution: identify the cause and see how sin causes dullness, pursue repentance, and seek your pleasure in God in your Christian life.
What brings joy to Christian obedience? This article explains that the joy of Christian obedience comes from knowing who you are, and who Jesus is.
This article shows from Scripture that one of the ways that the ancients sought after wisdom for life was by thinking about death. Scripture teaches us to number our days, and that it is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting. Thus, the author speaks about the benefits of starting to plan already now for your funeral.
Do your pain and suffering drive you away from the body of Christ? Hurting church members are still part of Christ's body and they are needed for the health of the church. This is what the article explains.
True fasting is joyful fasting for one primary reason: it is worship of God. How can Christian practice this type of fasting? This article discusses what hinders Christians from fasting, and it distinguishes false fasting from true fasting.
Eternity is real. Did you know you can invest in eternity? This article explains what the Bible means by eternity, the nature of this eternal life with God, and the manner and fruits of investing in eternity.
The golden rule is rooted in the gospel and it also leads to the gospel. This article discusses three ways the golden rule does this.
Spiritual poverty is the key to discipleship. How? It is spiritual poverty that drives us to Christ and it is the same poverty that prompts us to direct others to Christ.
Moses was a prophet, deliverer, and lawgiver. This article shows how Jesus Christ fulfils these roles as the final prophet, deliverer, and lawgiver.
Where should Christians find their identity? This article argues that Christian identity is found in union with Christ. This union that also constitutes unity among believers is demonstrated in 1 Corinthians.
What is the solution to violence against women? This article explains that the gospel points to the root of the problem, the heart of the solution, and brings hope.
With an eye to Job, this article reckons with the question, where is God in your suffering? It discusses three truths about suffering: God doesn't promise to keep us from suffering, he doesn't promise earthly goods, and he works through suffering. So the article shows how we can find hope in suffering.
What does self-denial really mean? This article explores the meaning, and also considers what we are to deny, and how to practice denying yourself in an age of self-fulfillment.
This article explains the humiliation of Christ from an Old Testament perspective, with a focus on Isaiah 52:14.
Why is the resurrection of Jesus so important to Christianity? This article shows that the resurrection is so important because of its exclusivity, significance, specificity, and investigability.
Is Scripture memorization important? This article explains the need for, importance of, and benefits of memorizing scripture.
As a Christian husband, you are called to lead your wife. How do you exercise your headship and shepherd your wife? Shepherding your wife can be done through these seven things, which the article unpacks.
This article presents ten ways in which our anger is unrighteous anger, even though we tend to excuse it as righteous anger.
Instead of offering up prayers whose content is determined by what is happening in our lives, this article suggests that what should be happening instead is that our prayers inform our lives and alter our living. It suggests that there be three movements in our prayers: give things, make confession, and practice discernment.
How can you save your marriage from transactional living? This article discusses what this means, and four things you can do to avoid it and enjoy a lasting marriage.
Do you struggle with spiritual growth because of all the distractions around you, like technology? There are five things you can do to better your walk with Christ, and all have to do with what you do with your time.
When is it that one is gospel-centred? You are gospel-centered when Christ is the centre. Once Christ is lost, the gospel is lost.
Is there any one test that's better than the rest in determining whether someone is a true Christian? Martyn Lloyd-Jones believed there was, and suggested that it is the hope of glory in the face of death.
This article suggests that discipleship has always been the Lord Jesus' primary plan for the church, even though many churches lack this practice. The author considers how to build a disciple-making church.
Prayer is difficult for many. How do you learn to pray? This article shares lessons that can help you in learning to pray, but the best way to learn is by getting a mentor.
The culture of generosity has gripped your heart if you take more delight in giving than getting. How does one develop the discipline of generous giving? It is by understanding the story of the generosity of God. This article explains how this story unfolds and how it leads to generosity.
How should Christians face their suffering? 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 gives three lessons for our experience of suffering and dealing with suffering.
This article lists five things you can do to improve in your sermon listening.
Is your discipleship strategy missing something? This article argues that many churches' discipleship strategies lack Jesus' plan for making disciples.
Pastoring your family is not so easy for many pastors. This article explains five habits that can help you pastor your family.
As a church member, you have a role to play in your church. This article shows how you can play your role among the church membership: through prayer, discipleship, evangelism, and celebrating each another.
The difference between selfish ambition and holy ambition can be difficult to spot. How do you pursue holy ambition and crucify selfish ambition? This article draws fours lessons from Haggai.
As a church member you have a role to play in strengthening the church. This article suggests four ways you can take on responsibility for your church.
How can you improve your Bible reading? This article suggests three things that will help create time for Bible reading.
For a beginning pastor, the ministry may look daunting. How should you approach pastoral ministry? This article shares six lessons: soak yourself in the Word, avoid the performance syndrome, point people to the Saviour, honour other pastors, love your wife, and love your people.
