It makes me very happy to know that the Book of Philemon is in the Bible. I’m glad that there is an entire book devoted to pursuing the freedom of a first century Roman slave. I’m glad that Paul tells the former slave owner to regard this man: “no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother.” (Philemon 1:16 ESV) I’m glad that an Apostle of Jesus Christ offered to take personal responsibility for any financial loss that might be involved to the owner: “If he has…

20 years ago I was absolutely convinced that if I truly loved the Lord, truly loved my wife, spent quality and quantity time with my kids and consistently led family devotions around the dinner table all 5 of my children would eventually grow up to embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I would have put the odds at 99% or better. Afterall, the studies I had read said that the young people who were falling away frequently cited the unreality of their parents’ faith as a major…

You’ve heard the line: “Evangelicals worship God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Bible”.  The joke means to imply that some Christians are in danger of having too high a view of Holy Scripture; they are in danger of reading the Bible not as a means to something (or someone) better, but as an end and idol unto itself. Fair point. It is possible to read the Bible frequently, carefully and reverently and yet to miss the point entirely.  Jesus rebuked the Pharisees in his day saying: Yo…

Hear this carefully: An act done in faith can be saving. Consider the example of Naaman in the Old Testament. He was told to DO something that he thought was ridiculous: “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5:10 ESV) At first he was angry and refused to comply, not seeing how such a simple act in such an insignificant river could accomplish anything of lasting value. But then his servants intervened and convinced him to…

A few years ago I engaged in a good natured internet debate with my friend and colleague Paul Martin about the pros and cons of infant dedication. I was for it and he was against it. Amazingly, we remain friends. This is a low intensity disagreement within the wider evangelical world, but that is not to say that it is unimportant. When a new mom comes to you and asks you to dedicate her beautiful new baby you better know why you will or will not accommodate her request. To help you think…

To be clear, I am incredibly thankful for the gifted evangelists that God has given to his church. My parents came to Christ as part of the Canadian Revival, led in large part by the twin evangelists, Ralph and Lou Sutera. So I am maximally thankful for evangelists. I just don’t think that they should pastor local churches. Here are a few reasons why: 1. A pastor is primarily a teacher When Jesus restored Peter to the ministry he told him: “Feed my lambs.” (John 21:15 ESV) “Tend my…

Sometimes there are two fulfillments for one promise. 1 Kings 8:17-20 provides a perfect example of this principle: “Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 Nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.’ 20 Now the…

When it comes to the conversation around climate change Christians often find themselves caught between conflicting biblical principles. On the one hand, the Bible says: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14 ESV) But at the same time it also says: “Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.” (Proverbs 26:17 ESV) Provide guidance – but wisely, cautiously and from a certain distance. Toward that…

A great deal of New Testament imagery assumes a knowledge of Old Testament narrative. In a sense, the New Testament is like a painting painted in colours lifted directly from Old Testament canvases and therefore you have to read the Old Testament – again and again and again – in order to really understand and correctly interpret the New. Nowhere is this better illustrated than with respect to Jesus’ famous declaration, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” (John 15:1 ESV) Jes…

It would be difficult to think of a word that is more central to our identity as Christians than the word “repentance”. According to Matthew it was the theme of the first sermon every preached by Jesus. Jesus was travelling around Galilee and saying: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17 ESV) It has pride of place in the first sermon ever preached in the Christian church. On the Day of Pentecost Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and preached a sermon that cut his…

When we are meditating upon the agonies of Christ upon the cross it may be helpful to revisit the narratives of judgment upon Israel that are found in the Old Testament. One of the things we say (quite rightly) is that Jesus suffered the punishment our sins deserved – but what exactly was that? Ezekiel 22 may be helpful here. God lists all the sins and iniquities of the covenant people: Shedding of blood Disrespect for parents Mistreatment of immigrants Disregard for worship Slander and…

I’m not sure if the term Young Restless and Reformed ever really applied to me. I am 45 years old, so that really doesn’t qualify as young. I’ve never self-identified as restless and I’m not entirely comfortable referring to myself as “reformed”. Let me explain. I grew up in an independent baptistic church where everyone believed that the Bible was God’s Word, Jesus was God’s Son and the cross was God’s answer to the sin and brokenness of this world. It was a good church and it gave me a…