For some, the idea of being a formal member of a local church body makes good sense right away. After finding a church they believe to be faithful in upholding the Christian faith, they are eager to join. For others, however, past experiences have instilled some hesitation and suspicion about formal membership. Unfortunately, at times church membership has been wrongly used in ways that were more ...  Read More

Whether we realize it or not, many of us end up confused by a distorted 'either/or' view of God's character. We either think that he is a God who merciful or that he is a God who is just. We assume he must be one or the other, or at least mostly one or the other. Yet, the truth is, our God is both perfectly merciful and absolutely just.   Read More

There is a view of God’s grace that essentially says, ‘effort is the enemy’. Such a view usually arises from a desire to oppose the errors of legalism which teach that man must earn or maintain—at least in some measure—his or her standing before God by their own performance. Of course, it is right to oppose such a view and to do so strongly. We have only to read the words of the apostle Paul to he...  Read More

     The Greek word for “one another” is “ἀλλήλων”. Coincidentally, (which is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek word for a Calvinist to employ), this word is pronounced “all-a-lone.” Its phonetic pronunciation provides us with a helpful realization of what the Christian life is like when we try to live out our faith without being a connected member of a local church. Instead of giving and receiving all...  Read More

In Romans 3:19-30 the Apostle Paul delivers one of the greatest expositions of the gospel in all of Scripture. He teaches us that salvation for sinners is a gift of God's grace, received by faith in Christ alone,  and not grounded in any works of our own. But do you know what he goes on to say next? It is a truth almost forgotten (or perhaps willfully neglected?) by modern Christendom. Paul says, ...  Read More

There is a deep hunger in the souls of God’s people to not only know in our minds, but to experience in our hearts the reality of the words captured by the psalmist so many centuries ago: “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. 
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” 
(Psalm 84:10)To know, to experience, and to enjoy a r...  Read More

It is a well known truth that we are significantly shaped by the companions we keep—either for good or for harm. We may like to think of ourselves as influencers, but we are also people who can be easily influenced. The pressures of the relationships we enter into will undoubtedly have a hand in shaping our own thoughts, values, and beliefs. It is for this reason that Proverbs 13:20 warn us to be ...  Read More

Beloved,Together, as one body in Christ, we will be receiving the Lord's Supper during our morning worship service this Lord’s Day. As your Pastor, I want to encourage you to prepare your heart to participate in this sacred meal. “Do this in remembrance of me…” (I Cor. 11:24).Through the Lord’s Supper, the saving work of Jesus Christ is visibly portrayed before our very eyes. Jesus assigned the br...  Read More

While I was in seminary, I was given an assignment to write a commentary on the book of Jonah. This commentary was to be based on a thorough study of the original Hebrew text. To be honest, when I first received this assignment I was not very enthusiastic. I assumed that I already knew the book of Jonah fairly well and that my study would yield only minimal fruit. Thankfully, I was wildly mistaken.  Read More

If you were to open your Facebook feed, or to log onto YouTube there is no shortage of people ready to tell you what the Bible means, what Christianity is all about, how you should live your life, and why everyone else is wrong. To be sure, lots of people do have wrong understandings of Christianity, but how on earth are we supposed to know who is telling the truth?  Read More

The psalms of Holy Scripture serve as an anchor for the singing aspects of our worship as God’s covenant people. And without that anchor, we will inevitably go adrift.  Read More

Throughout history, our forefathers in the faith have called this truth The Regulative Principle of Worship. While there are complexities to this principle, the heart of it is simple: Believers should endeavor to worship God according to the teaching of his Word. That is to say, when we ask the question, “How should God be worshiped?” the one and only source to which we should turn for the answer is the Bible.  Read More