Posts with the category “church”

Bereans:During the recent controversy generated by Alistair Begg's pastoral advice to attend a transgender "wedding" and take a gift, he addressed his congregation to explain and defend his actions. In his response, he made the statement that he is "not a product of American fundamentalism," but that he comes from a background rooted in "British evangelicalism."  Many people have asked what the di...  Read More

Bereans:Remember the Asbury Revival?  It’s been a year since the beginning of the Asbury “revival” in Wilmore, Kentucky.  Last year, from February 8th to February 24th, up to 70,000 people visited Asbury University’s chapel to experience what they called an “outpouring,” an “awakening,” or a “revival.”  This supposed outpouring of the Holy Spirit had everyone talking for awhile. Many of you asked ...  Read More

Bereans:My time this weekend has been completely devoted to hosting our second round of Fundamentals of Biblical Counseling training.  It's been a wonderful privilege to provide training to equip believers minister the Word in soul care to one another.  Since this has consumed my time this weekend, I have not had the bandwidth to research and properly prepare a Being A Berean.  So...I'm going to "...  Read More

Bereans,For this Christmas Eve post, I'd like to share the following excerpt from John MacArthur's Christmas message to The Master's University alumni.Who was born in the manger that night?The answers to that question are myriad. Some say Jesus was just a good teacher. Some say He was only a good example. Others say He was a religious madman or a fake, perpetrating a hoax like every other would-be...  Read More

Bereans:Our congregation has had a lot of sickness lately, from short-term to long-term illnesses, and from ER visits to planned surgeries.  We know the Lord is our Great Physician and that one day all sickness will forever be a thing of the past! (Revelation 21:4).  Even though we know sickness and suffering will be gone one day, we still have to deal with it in the present.  One of the best ways...  Read More

Bereans:This week I'm sharing some good news of Christians who have taken a stand against the spirit of antichrist and won (1 John 2:18)! We should take courage and be emboldened by their witness, just as the account of Stephen, the first martyr should encourage us.  In both examples, the opposition was fierce, and the opponents were determined to intimidate them into silence because of their stan...  Read More

Bereans,It's fascinating how the most often asked questions I get change over the years.  Of course, there are theological questions that are staples, such as, "Why did God allow sin?" and "Why didn't God just start over after Adam and Eve sinned?" and "Who do you think the Nephilim are?" Some of the questions I get asked are very short-lived, related to a particular "hot topic" in the news. Still...  Read More

Bereans,So often we begin to believe that all it takes for people to believe the gospel (or even basic truths) is for them to hear the facts.  We think that the problem is that the truth hasn't been presented in a convincing way.  Therefore, we begin to believe that it is up to us to find the best data and deliver it in the most persuasive manner, and voila, the person will embrace the truth!Well,...  Read More

Bereans,A couple of weeks ago in a sermon I referenced the 2022 Ligonier Ministries "State of Theology" survey (see link below).  Ligonier conducts this survey every two years (since 2016) using a nationally recognized polling firm to gather and report the data. The purpose is to understand the state of biblical knowledge and faith in America.  The report groups the responses according to both the...  Read More

Bereans,One of the most gracious gifts that the Lord gives to His people is the gift of one another. He has knit each local church into one body in which no one possesses all the gifts, talents, roles, or responsibilities. All the parts of the body depend upon one another and cannot properly function apart from this interdependence. (See 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4:1-16.) A healthy church bod...  Read More

Bereans,This week I was looking for a particular podcast and among the videos YouTube suggested for me was a clip from a Q&A session at a Ligonier National Conference several years ago. I am very surprised that I have not seen this one before, as I have been fairly diligent about watching the Q&A's in the past. The main question featured in this clip is, "Why are so many people opposed to Reformed...  Read More

Bereans,It is very important that believers be able to discern truth from falsehood. Our enemy, the devil, is the father of lies and his children are in the business of manufacturing and believing lies (John 8:44). The only way a child of Christ can discern truth from lies is to know the Word of God. It is the standard of truth, it is 100% true, and it is the ultimate judge of what is true and wha...  Read More

Bereans,You may have heard news reports that a "revival" is occurring at Asbury University in Kentucky. According to reports, at the end of the student chapel service last Wednesday, students stayed in the chapel and spontaneously began singing and praying, then various people began speaking. This has continued nonstop for nine days, with people coming in from across the country, and even internat...  Read More

Bereans,In Ecclesiastes 3:4 we read that there is "a time to laugh," along with a time for all other expressions of human emotion.  One of the problems with unbelievers is that they take themselves too seriously.  Apart from God, men see themselves as altogether more important than they should.  We speak often of how the sinful mind sees man as too big and God as too small.  Yes, there are a host ...  Read More

Bereans:I want to start the new year with a reminder of God's sovereignty and little bit of good news.  One of the most effective ways to dispel such things as fear, anxiety, depression, and other battles of the mind is to focus our thoughts on the attributes of God. When we turn our thoughts away from ourselves and onto the greatness of God, our problems and concerns diminish in comparison to Him...  Read More

Bereans,2022 is another year that Christmas falls on a Sunday.  The first time Christmas fell on a Sunday after Berean Covenant Church was formed (December 30, 2000), the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer ran a front page story on how the largest church in Columbus (at that time) was canceling services on Christmas day.  It was a big deal at the time, not just because the L-E actually had tens of thousands...  Read More

Bereans:I have many thoughts to share about the election and the state of affairs in our nation.  Particularly saddening are the four state-level abortion measures that passed (promoting abortion) or failed (attempting to limit abortion), including a measure that failed in Montana that would have required doctors to keep alive a child born after a botched abortion.  However, I still need time to p...  Read More

Bereans, This week I'll share some truths about the state of "Christianity" in America. The speed at which Americans--particularly the young--are abandoning the church and embracing a life devoid of God is alarming. The rise in percentage of the population that claims "No Religion" has skyrocketed in just a few short years at a pace never before seen in history. Soon, even those who label themselv...  Read More