The Five Things You Want Your Church To Be

This is life in this world. If there are five things you want your church to be, you can have three. The question is, what will you do with the other two? How will you relate to the church when those other two continue unaddressed or unimproved or under-prioritized? How will you live with such imperfection?

The Bondage of Either/Or Spirituality

Since pride de-centers God and his gospel in favor of self, it creates a self-defined, either/or view of the world, that grasps whatever can be used to make oneself look better. The surprising reality is: both the legalist and the libertine are walking down the same path, albeit on opposite sides of the fence.

John Stott’s Simple Secret for Spiritual Productivity

I’ve experienced many benefits from this practice: I depend on God in prayer for ministry fruit; God often brings clarity to complex situations; I often have fresh ideas; and at the end I’m refreshed to sit down at my desk with new vigor.

How Much Authority Does Satan Have in the World?

“Hello, Pastor John! In Matthew 4:9 and in Luke 4:6, what authority is Satan talking about? Is he lying that he has authority to give? Or does he truly have authority over the earth? If so, what is it, and how does this relate to God’s complete sovereignty over all things?”

Three Approaches to Ecclesiastes

I’ve found interpreters of Ecclesiastes to fall into three general categories, though there are subtle distinctions of flavor even within each category.