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Drifting From Christ: A Letter From Jim
Dear CCW family, Think about this verse: “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1). Some years ago, I spent a day on a Florida beach with my family. Nestled in my inner tube, I paddled out a little from the land to tune out the world and to rest on the soothing undulations of water beneath me. All was perfect for a while. Yet my…
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…
Confession Confusion: A Letter From Jim
Dear CCW family, I’m sitting in a coffee shop writing this with all of you in mind. I have been aware over the years that a lot of confusion arises in people’s minds about confession of sins. I would like for us to think this through. For one thing, a person without Christ might believe that confession of individual sins before God is a necessary part of what it means to come to Christ. If one believes that confession of…
A Biblical Case For Biographies and Autobiographies
The men of my church recently got together for two hours on a Wednesday evening, and then the women did the same the next Wednesday. On both occasions, part of the meeting involved watching a video of someone giving a biographical sketch. I was given the task of introducing the videos for both meetings, and I also included a few thoughts concerning what the Bible says about observing and learning from and even being inspired by other followers of Christ.…
Seven Laws of the Race: A Letter From Jim
Dear CCW family, As believers we are all runners . . . long distance ones. According to the author of Hebrews, we run “the race marked out for us (see 12:1-3)”. This means that the race we run is designed for us and not everyone else. And, it likely will not be easy. Consider the information I gathered below to gain insight into how the Bible writers believed we could run it well. How do you believe you are doing…
To Fly to Safety or Not: What to Do When the Arrows are Aimed at You
If you’ve ever been in a minor car accident, you might have called a loved one and immediately said, “Hey, everything’s okay; I’m not hurt. But I’ve been in a wreck.” David starts off Psalm 11 with “everything’s okay” type of language: “In the LORD I take refuge.” He was living in a society in which “the foundations” had been decimated (v. 3), probably meaning, “The foundations of law and order have collapsed” (New Living Translation). It was chaos all…
A Tale About Choosing a Church
Stu and his family had just moved to a new city. His company transferred him unexpectedly, so he either had to relocate or find another job. He chose to go, but had little time to research good churches before they arrived. Thankfully, he knew a couple of websites that pointed them toward gospel-believing churches in the area. They decided to visit two. The First Church The “new family in town” first attended the larger of the churches. The greeters at…
God’s Power in Kingdom Advance: How This Reality Speaks to Us Today
God’s kingdom advances because he is powerful. When the gospel came to Philippi (Acts 16:11-40), this was true in multiple ways. First, in Lydia’s conversion, “the Lord opened her heart” to believe (16:14). Second, the Lord overcame an onslaught of persecution. For many days, a demon-possessed slave girl interrupted Paul’s preaching, but then he cast the demon out “in the name of Jesus Christ.” And then, once Paul was put in jail, the Lord sent an earthquake leading to the…
Oikos Evangelism: Don’t Forget the Family: A Letter From Jim
Dear CCW family, In the New Testament, we find new believers confronting their own family first with the gospel. One writer calls this “oikos evangelism.” The word “oikos” means “household” in the language of the New Testament. A model for reaching our families is found in the first encounter Andrew had with Jesus. Read what it motivated him to do: “He found first his own brother Simon [Peter], and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which translated means…
What Can I Say in a Small Group?
As small groups meet and provide open possibilities for sharing with each other, do you have something to say? Keep this list with you in your Bible and consider these options along with any others God brings to your mind. Your words are important, even if you feel like you’re not eloquent. God may use you to build up the body of Christ. You may pick any of these you believe God wants you to share in an open session,…
Only God Can Do This!
While pastoring in Athens, Ohio, in the early 2000s, I had a good relationship with several individuals serving with a large campus ministry at Ohio University. One staff member, a young lady, eventually joined our church. We have remained in touch ever since. Several years ago, close to Christmas, she wrote and shared a beautiful story of God’s grace in the life of someone she loves very much — her father. She’s given me permission to share this. Here’s the…
Getting the Truth to the Lost: Inspiration from a 12 Year-old in the 1800s
A 12 year-old named Helen was not famous when she was converted in the 1800s in Birgmingham, England, but her family remains well-known today, especially during Easter, because her last name was Cadbury. Her father was the president of Cadbury chocolates — known today for Cadbury Easter Eggs. Helen was also instrumental in starting a ministry that continues to exist today called The Pocket Testament League. Let’s consider her pleasant story, and then think about how it should inspire us.…
How Teens Can Contribute Right Away
One of the joys of pastoring has been seeing teens come to faith in Christ and desiring to serve in the church. But they often need guidance to know how they might contribute. Here are a few valuable ways teens can participate at church meetings right away: 1. Teens can greet people. It’s understandable to want to group up with friends upon arrival — we all have this tendency — but it’s so important to mix in with all the…
William Thomas of Wales: The Kind of Older Man I Hope to Be
One pastor said of William Thomas of Pyle, Wales, “He was better known as William Thomas the pray-er than as William Thomas the preacher” (all information and quotes about Thomas are from The Calvinistic Methodist Fathers of Wales, Vol. 2, Banner of Truth, 2008, 160-5). In his old age, he became deaf, but he could still pray. Though the image perhaps seems strange to us, in his later years he would “stand at the pulpit steps” and the congregation would…
The Heart of Family Reformation
When our children were younger we began the day with the hymn we are currently memorizing. When Laura was five, she sang for all of us the second verse of “I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord” by the Yale president of the late 1700s, Timothy Dwight. With a determined look, she sang out, I love Thy church, O God. Her walls before Thee stand. Dear as the apple of Thine eye, And gravy on Thy hand. My boys collapsed on the…
The Church That Disciplines
Let me tell you why church discipline is important to me. A number of years ago my minister father left my mother after an adulterous affair with his secretary. I’m telling this story with his permission, though he passed away several years ago. This turn of events jarred us. We’ve not seen divorce often in our extended family. All of us are believers, and most of us are in the ministry, for four generations. While my father was working as…