As Pastors, we often feel incredibly misunderstood. We are called to preach an exclusive Gospel for which we ourselves are entirely unworthy, and to counsel sinners among whom we are often foremost. But for the grace of God and His gift of righteousness, preachers deserve the same hell about which we warn the reprobate. The scoffs of our mockers will never wound us as much as we feel we deserve, a...  Read More

Oprah Winfrey once declared at the Golden Globe awards, “I know this, that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.” Applause erupted as Merle Streep, and others nodded in agreement. Then Oprah declared her admiration for those women who have had the mettle to stand up and tell their story. Her second affirmation is praiseworthy and encouraging ... but her first statement is irra...  Read More

In Sunday School the answer is always yes... but in real life it may seem that I need more than God. God’s grace was sufficient for Paul, because after refusing to remove his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor 12:9), in the very next verse he declares, ... “I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I a...  Read More

Luke 1941 When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it,42 saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.“The things which make for peace”... had eluded them and Jesus weeps openly because it could have been so different. God was their source of peace and He had come to them but they did not recognize...  Read More

Jesus’ command that we “Judge not...” (Matthew 7:1) ... is likely the most misused and abused, verse in all of scripture. Neither scripture nor logic support the distorted notion that we are to respond to sin with meaningless neutrality... if such were the case then one could condemn nothing – including “judging.”In this very same chapter Jesus teaches that we must judge “good fruit verses bad”, “...  Read More

Jesus said blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matt 5:8). This is the promise of salvation and the sole point of heaven; one can enjoy the presence of God eternally and uninterrupted. This is a far cry from longing for an all-you-eat heaven that’s like a day at Carowinds with no lines – or simply the desire for anyplace but hell.Preachers were often criticized for using hell-fir...  Read More