Scripture has a clear gospel shape. We are introduced to a holy and good God who created the heavens and the earth. We then see the world plunged in darkness as a result of sin. The bulk of the Bible then describes God’s gracious work of restoring his creation – culminating in the work of Jesus. The classic reformed summary is creation, fall, … [Read more...]
The Varied Contributions of the Body
When we think of the Protestant Reformation, we might think primarily of the bombastic, outspoken personality of Martin Luther. But some of the other reformers made equally valuable (albeit very different) contributions. John Calvin was born in France to an affluent family in 1509. He left France as a young man due to religious persecution. He … [Read more...]
New Sermon Series: The Priorities of the Church
Every local church is unique. But there are some core disciplines that very mature group of believers should adopt. Join us as we explore these disciplines this September, or catch up with the podcast and video stream. Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. … [Read more...]
Calling All Workers into the Harvest Fields!
Today is Pentecost Sunday – the birthday of the church. Fifty days after the resurrection we find Jews from all over the world gathered in Jerusalem to commemorate the Jewish agricultural feast of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit was poured out on them and they responded to the gospel message of salvation through Jesus the Messiah (Acts 2). How does this … [Read more...]
More Significant Than a Mexican Border Wall
“So a Roman Catholic priest, a Greek Orthodox priest and a Baptist pastor walk into a room…” It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke but this was the scene this past week as I participated in an ecumenical panel on the topic of baptism and communion. There were clearly some significant theological differences in the room in terms of how we … [Read more...]