Monthly Archives: April 2012

Celebrate what God is doing or gloat over what you think he’s not doing?

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

I ran into a former church member the other day. (Maybe I should be honest and say “disgruntled former church member.”) They recited a litany of things they had “heard” about our church. It was almost humorous because everything they … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Urban Ministry: The Kingdom, the City & the People of God by Conn & Ortiz

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

Book Review Urban Ministry: The Kingdom, the City & the People of God By Harvie M. Conn & Manuel Ortiz Reviewed by Michael R. Jones There is no main thesis to this book as the author says explicitly that the … Continue reading →

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Why I am uncomfortable using “emptying” language with regard to Christ’s Incarnation

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

In discussions of the relationship between Christ’s human and divine natures one often hears kenotic language, that is, the language of “emptying. Kenotic language “focuses on the person of Christ in terms of some form of self-limitation by the pre-existent … Continue reading →

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Four Ways Prayer helps with Temptation

Posted on April 18, 2012 by

R. C. Sproul talks a little bit about the importance of prayer for combatting temptation in his book Following Christ: The neglect of prayer is a major cause of stagnation in the Christian life. Consider the example of Peter in … Continue reading →

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Some thoughts on the meaning and significance of Baptism

Posted on April 17, 2012 by

Among proponents of believer’s-baptism-only, one often hears that baptism is an outward sign of an inward change. But I don’t think we can rightly limit the significance of baptism. Baptism signifies several things each of which is attested to either … Continue reading →

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Why I believe in and practice believer’s baptism only

Posted on April 16, 2012 by

Who should receive baptism?  The Scriptures provide not only teaching to answer this question, but also provide examples for us to follow. I realize that in posting this that I will convince few who already disagree with me, but I hope it … Continue reading →

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If Baptism is so important, make it an important part of Church

Posted on April 16, 2012 by

In the church where I serve I baptize people in the middle of the Sunday morning worship service. I realize that’s nothing unusual for many churches, but you have to understand that in many medium and small baptist churches, baptism … Continue reading →

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Programs or Priorities?

Posted on April 9, 2012 by

Everybody wants the next big program. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked by a visitor or someone wanting me to candidate at their church, “What kind of _________ programs do you have?” I guess Willow Creek’s … Continue reading →

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Not everything has a hidden meaning

Posted on April 5, 2012 by

It’s funny to hear what people think when they visit a given church. Sometimes what they think reveals more about themselves than it does about the church. Often people who visit our church think things mean something that they don’t. … Continue reading →

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Avoiding an Improper Distinction in John 10

Posted on April 3, 2012 by

The point of John 10 is to contrast the Good Shepherd with the bad shepherds who were over his people Israel. (Note that the bad behavior of these false shepherds was illustrated in chapter 9.) In thinking through this passage, … Continue reading →

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