Articles (Page 11)

Articles (Page 11)

What Happens When We Share the Gospel? Six Encouragements

When I found out that I was going to speak at a college in Malang, Indonesia, and perhaps 300-400 students would be waiting for me, I quickly organized in my head how I could share the gospel most effectively. We have to be ready in our travels for such times. There they were when we walked in the gymnasium, sitting on the floor quietly waiting for me to speak. There was only one blaring mic, so I gave it to…

On Stumbling

Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night . . .” (Mt. 26:21, 31, 34). One betraying, one denying, ten stumbling. All twelve disciples fulfilled the prophesy of Jesus. We learn from this…

The Mistake of Being Quick to Strategize and Slow to Pray

My wife and I recently realized we’ve become quite the “strategists” with our children. When they share dilemmas with us, we are quick to offer (oftentimes) dogmatic counsel without asking clarifying questions and, more shamefully, without praying. We eventually get to prayer, but not as soon as we should. You would think that now that our kids are moving into adulthood, we wouldn’t still fail in this area. Yet, here we are, so we need the following two reminders from…

Robert Chapman’s Great Aim

I recently spent time with the man who was my pastor my final year in seminary. My wife and I had one of the best year’s of our lives as members of the little church where he was serving as a pastor for the first time. By his own admission, he wasn’t a very good communicator yet — he shook his head reflecting back on his poor public speaking skills — but biblical content was always there, and we all…

From Here to There: How We Obtain the Inheritance

The inheritance for the Christian begins with eternal life, a transformed body, new heavens and a new earth, and extends literally to all there is. We are co-heirs with Christ, meaning all that Christ has received in his ascension and final victory over evil, we will receive. The realization of all that won’t come until later, yet it is ours. We will reign under him over all the universe! Jesus told his disciples to not be afraid of provisional lack…

The Value of Hanging Out

I have just spoken to a lady from Germany about her kids in college while my Lebanese friend was standing by. Both work at the local coffee shop where I am writing this piece. Just prior to that I spoke with other acquaintances from South Korea who own a T-shirt business at the city market downtown. Business is not so good for them right now, but they smile and talk with me most mornings I’m there. I met yet another…

Ten Correctable Mistakes We Make When Preaching and Teaching

I’ve been teaching the Bible regularly and often since 2001, and I’m still surprising myself, sometimes in the worst ways. I went back to listen to a message on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, a story that everyone should find riveting. The first half or so seemed engaging, but about 60% of the way through, my tone and word choices communicated a major reduction of awe and wonder. This led me to reflect on this question: “What…

Responding to Admonitions

I knew I was going to miss my connecting flight. Still, I sprinted through one of the world’s largest airports to get to my departure gate. As predicted, I was too late and put on the stand-by list for a flight three hours later. As I sat at my new gate, tired from a weekend of ministry, I noticed an unfriendly ticket agent who never quite made eye contact with anyone, even people speaking directly to her. The wrinkles on…

What a Man Knows in Hades

It is almost alarming to consider the difference between a man or woman in hell and a man or woman in heaven. In that amazing story from Jesus about Lazarus the poor man who ate the crumbs from the rich man’s table we learn, after the death of both of them, something which we might not know otherwise. The rich man is in Hades, the first dimension of hell. He is in torment, and asks for mercy from Abraham, the…

Say “Goodbye” to Social Media?

I used to utilize social media much more. I still view it, but I can’t remember the last time I posted. I’ve wondered if I should eliminate it entirely. Here are a few reasons why I might just say “goodbye” to social media.  1. Social media is an easy way to waste time. That does not mean all time on social media is wasted, but too much of it in my life has been. What I think will only be…

Single, Yet Pursuing Marriage

There are two places in the New Testament that teach about singleness as a chosen way of life for some (Matthew 19:10-12, plus various verses in First Corinthians 7), but that’s just about it. Have you ever noticed in Paul’s letters, when he lists categories of people, he includes wives, husbands, children, fathers, slaves, and masters (cf. Ephesians 5:22-6:9; Colossians 3:18-4:1), but there is no category of single adults? Why? Paul was writing to the norm, and the shift from…

Appreciating and Correctly Reading the Stories within the Gospels

If you have read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John — the Gospels — you know that not only do they tell the story of Jesus’ life and present Jesus’ teaching, but they are made up of individual stories. I prefer to call these brief accounts “episodes.” So the one story about Jesus is made up of multiple episodes about Jesus. For example, we see the “leper” episode in Mark 1:40-45, followed by the “paralytic down through the roof” episode in…

How to “Get Over it” When You Taught Poorly

If you teach the Bible regularly, you know the experience of wishing you had done better — sometimes much better — immediately after you finished. I have been there. I once spoke at a men’s retreat of a church different than my own. About halfway through my message, I could feel in my soul that things were going poorly. The men seemed unenthused. Two guys were whispering to each other and laughing. I pressed on, but it never improved. Afterwards,…

No Lay-up Shot: A Lesson from the Masters

For some reason unknown to humankind, my older brother got to play golf on the distinguished Augusta National Golf Course, the course where perhaps the best tournament of the year is held—The Masters. It was there that the following life-shaping event took place. He was playing through the course with the required caddy. After he landed in the middle of hole 13 of the notorious 3-hole Amen Corner, he asked the caddy for a certain short iron. Astonished, the veteran…

Are You A Theological Ignoramus Like J.I. Packer Once Was?

J.I. Packer tells a personal story about his freshman year in college (see Bruce Milne, Know the Truth, IVP, 1998, p. 9). The chaplain at his school took some of the students on “pastoral walks.” Packer was on one of those strolls and said of the chaplain, “He was urging me to read theology, the subject which he himself taught, as a sequel to the classics degree on which I embarked.” Packer explains the exchange that happened next. I explained…