The preaching of God’s Word is essential for life transformation but preaching alone is not enough to change lives and families. A transformational church is both a preaching center and a discipleship community. A preaching center and discipleship community work in tandem from the pulpit… Continue Reading …
When you think about the characteristics of a good leader, what comes to your mind? I suspect many of us would think about a pastor of a church or a boss in the workplace or perhaps a husband or father. Those roles would be worth… Continue Reading …
Bible knowledge is incredible and a non-negotiable for any serious believer. But knowledge without application is futile, practically speaking. For the Bible to master any of us, we have to do more than read it. Think of it like two silos side by side. One… Continue Reading …
One of the unintended consequences of the biblical counseling movement is that counseling is for a select number of Christians. Though God has blessed the biblical counseling movement over several decades, one of the problems with the unprecedented growth is that we forgot to tell… Continue Reading …
A couple of decades ago, it was a popular trend to see people wearing wrist bands inscribed with “WWJD” Most of us recognize this popular acronym, which asked the question “what would Jesus do.” Sometimes, it seemed as though people treated this question as if… Continue Reading …
You have no choice about being dysfunctional. We’re all broken in different ways. Even on our best days, imperfections show through like a stain under the white paint. Our collective fallenness is why the local church is so fabulous. It’s the place where you can… Continue Reading …
One-to-one interaction is the most efficient way to help another person change. For too many believers, discipleship in a community, in the context of a local church, is not the norm. Favorite books and preachers become our disciplers, which is not God’s best no matter… Continue Reading …
Spiritual dullness in a community of Christlike disciple-makers is hard to imagine, but it happens all the time. We can lull ourselves to sleep, lose our gospel edge, and before long, we are ticking the Christian boxes without thinking. If the practice continues, we will… Continue Reading …
One of the most important questions you’ll ask when looking for a new church is whether the pastor is leading the local church. What best describes your pastor? How does he affect others? Can he care for your soul? Finding a pastor is a tedious… Continue Reading …
I wrote this piece in 2012 originally. I’m republishing it with a few edits since the sad saga continues to unfold. I was part of Sovereign Grace Ministries from 2003 to 2008, and for four of those years, I served as a pastor. It was… Continue Reading …