Is tithing biblical? (video)
Here is a helpful answer to this question from Tom Schreiner.
Rely on God’s Word, not techniques
‘The most significant force in the revitalization of any local church is the ongoing ministry of the Word of God Sunday after Sunday. If you’re a church member in a church that needs revitalization, you should pray that God will raise up a faithful biblical expositor to preach God’s Word from the pulpit. If that’s already happening, pray that God will sustain that man in his difficult work, for there often comes a time in church revitalization when unregenerate church members “will not endure sound teaching” but will seek to gather around themselves teachers to say what their itching ears long to hear (2 Tim. 4:3).’
University Challenge
As many head to university for the first time, and many others go back, David Roberston has some words of wisdom about Scottish university life that equally apply here, South of the border.
Worshipping a golden calf on Sunday morning is deceptively easy
‘On Sundays, our sanctuaries fill with people seeking worship, and not one person comes in set to neutral. We must take great care, then, not to assume that even in our religious environments, where we put the Scriptures under so many noses, that it is Jesus the exalted Christ who is being worshiped’
Six marks of gospel-centred unity
‘God is more concerned about the unity of the church than her programs, size, or parking lot. And healthy churches are known, in part, by what they believe and teach, their holiness vertically to the Lord and horizontally to one another, and their spiritual unity in Christ.’
One lesson blogging has taught me about pastoring
I liked this. A nice simple point but well made and about right.
From the archive: I don’t want to tell stories; I want to tell truths
‘I simply refuse to play that game; one which I never signed up to play. I did not become a minister in the cause of Christ to ingratiate myself to others in some desperate attempt to milk a wealthy, middle class Evangelical cash cow. I am not going to “sell” my town to you. I am not going to carefully craft stories for you to buy into. You don’t need my naff pictures. You don’t need these things because you already have the command of Christ. If the word of God doesn’t compel you to come and help, or support gospel endeavour, what on earth will my flowery tales do to convince you?’