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We have been confronted with news of the devastating tragedy of the flooding in Texas along the Guadalupe River. Over 100 people lost their lives in the flash flooding, including dozens of children. Even more people are still missing. With growing global connectivity and the 24/7 news cycle, we have front row seats to tragedies from all over the place almost instantly. We might become enraged about death. We might become numb to death. We might feel guilt or indifference about the death of others. Some death weighs heavy on our hearts. The fact of the matter is that no one can escape death. It is all around us and will someday come to each of us. So how should we think about and respond to death? As followers of Christ, we must, and our hope must, be grounded in Scriptural truth. The time to dig those roots in is during times of relative peace so that when tragedy strikes, we are not searching for something on which to hold. Here are some essential biblical truths about death. Death is our enemy. The Bible does not sugarcoat or downplay death. The apostle Paul says, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26). And the writer of Hebrews says that the devil “has the power of death” and uses the “fear of death” to subject people to “lifelong slavery” (Heb. 2:14-15). It is no Christian virtue to like or love death. Death is evil. It reigns in all humanity due to sinful rebellion against God. Death is the consequence, the wages, of sin. We do not celebrate death. ... Keep Reading

Our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America, held its annual General Assembly last week in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Over 2,200 commissioners were in attendance. Teaching elders (i.e. pastors) and ruling elder representatives from each church can attend this annual meeting that addresses matters that pertain to the whole denomination. One of the distinctives of the Presbyterian form of government is connectionalism. We value the connections we have with fellow ministers and churches for collaborative ministry efforts and accountability. Pastor John, Bret Willoughby, and I were able to attend GA this year. A lot takes place during the two and half days of business; let me draw attention to a few highlights. The Theme for the Week was Lift Up Your Eyes. GA is hosted by local Presbyteries who spend years preparing for the worship services (one each night), the need for hundreds of volunteers, and coordinating children’s activities. The host Presbytery also selects the theme that shapes the focus of the worship services. Tennessee Valley Presbytery selected “Lift Up Your Eyes.” The three sermons called us to lift up our eyes to the glory and majesty of God and to let the worship of God be the primary goal and passion of what we do. ... Keep Reading

An image flashed in my mind when Dale mentioned Election three weeks ago. I was transported to sitting in my living room and Leo, my house guest asked, “What if I am not one of the Elect? What will happen to me?” The question brought sadness to my soul. My people-pleasing-self did not want to hurt his feelings. My theological-self knew... Keep Reading

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” He answers, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and First Commandment…” There is an aspect to this answer, probably attributable to our hearing it so frequently, that seems entirely understandable, even simple in its clarity. At least, I think a lot of the time, we THINK we understand this commandment, but as you might imagine, it’s actually a profound commandment. One of the first things to notice is that, to love anyone, especially the LORD, takes a myriad of forms. Helpfully, the scripture Jesus answers with lists the ‘tools’ of love: our heart, our soul and mind. But that’s the rub, isn’t it? Our hearts are ‘desperately wicked.’ And our soul…well, how do we even start to talk about loving with our soul? And our minds…we THINK we understand how our minds work. But aren’t we all fallen creatures, whose minds are darkened by sin?... Keep Reading

A church that serves together grows together. Nothing stimulates church health and vitality like serving others together. On the night that he was betrayed, before the last supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. After this shocking action, he says, “I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” Jesus sets the standard for his disciples. We should do just as he has done for us. And he served us by laying down his life for us. Jesus also gives the incentive. He says, “Blessed are you if you do them.” We are blessed if we follow in his footsteps in sacrificially serving others. Let me highlight some of those blessings. 1. Serving others trains our hearts in humility. Paul says in Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Paul explains that humility means that we consider others as more important than ourselves. This humility manifests itself when we look out for the interests of others, when we serve others. It works the other way around as well. When we serve others, our hearts begin to value the other person as significant. ... Keep Reading

Gospel Conversations in Ongoing Relationships This is a multi-part series interacting with Mark J. Farnham’s new book, Every Believer Confident: Apologetics for the Ordinary Christian. Farnham is the founder and director of Apologetics for the Church and professor of apologetics at Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary. He states, “The purpose of this book is to help you to know, appreciate, firmly grasp, proclaim, and defend the Christian faith. My ultimate goal is to strengthen your faith, so you can confidently and effectively persuade unbelievers to believe in Jesus Christ” (p. 16). Let’s dig into the book together and see how our faith might be strengthened. As Mark Farnham wraps up this practical book on apologetics, he concludes by applying the principles to long-term relationships with unbelievers. In the abstract, the apologetic method Farnham has outlined in this book directly applies to spontaneous conversations that we might strike up with unbelievers we just meet. In reality, however, most of us are thinking of unbelievers with whom we have an ongoing relationship: a family member, a neighbor, a friend, or coworker. What does an apologetic conversation look like with someone we know? Farnham gives some practical guidance for these kinds of conversations. First, Farnham reminds us that “salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit” (p. 168). He touched on this in chapter 3 of his book, The Power of Apologetics. While it is the work of the Spirit to move in the hearts of unbelievers to lead them to repentance and faith, God delights to use us in the process. The relationships we have with unbelievers are gospel opportunities. Let’s be praying for these unbelievers that God has placed in our lives. Farnham says, “We should pray! Long-term, fervent, directed prayer for unbelievers is the best way for us to channel our angst into productive activity…I’ve noticed that when I allow weeks to go by without praying for my friends, I begin to lose my sense of urgency over speaking with them about Christ” (p. 172). ... Keep Reading

Logical Mistakes to Avoid This is a multi-part series interacting with Mark J. Farnham’s new book, Every Believer Confident: Apologetics for the Ordinary Christian. Farnham is the founder and director of Apologetics for the Church and professor of apologetics at Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary. He states, “The purpose of this book is to help you to know, appreciate, firmly grasp, proclaim, and defend the Christian faith. My ultimate goal is to strengthen your faith, so you can confidently and effectively persuade unbelievers to believe in Jesus Christ” (p. 16). Let’s dig into the book together and see how our faith might be strengthened. A common objection raised against the Christian faith is that it is not logical. Logic, however, is a gift of God who created this world and everything in it. The truth will be, must be, logical. “While it is true that Christians can be illogical and irrational, the Christian faith is neither of these things. The Christian faith is the only belief system that reflects the nature of the world and of truth as it is” (p. 151). Therefore, we ought to be logical as we defend and commend the Christian faith, while challenging our conversation partners logic, or lack thereof, behind their false beliefs. Farnham uses this chapter to equip us with some logic tools. “Logic is the art and science of reasoning well” (p. 152). Logical fallacies are, therefore, “flaws in reasoning that at first hearing seem to be true but on examination are found to be false” (p. 152). Farnham explains several logical fallacies with examples of how Christians and unbelievers might use each. The aim in this lesson is twofold: help Christians avoid using these logical fallacies and help Christians discern logical fallacies behind false beliefs. Let me briefly highlight several of the logical fallacies Farnham touches on. ... Keep Reading

Strategies for Effective Gospel Encounters This is a multi-part series interacting with Mark J. Farnham’s new book, Every Believer Confident: Apologetics for the Ordinary Christian. Farnham is the founder and director of Apologetics for the Church and professor of apologetics at Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary. He states, “The purpose of this book is to help you to know, appreciate, firmly grasp, proclaim, and defend the Christian faith. My ultimate goal is to strengthen your faith, so you can confidently and effectively persuade unbelievers to believe in Jesus Christ” (p. 16). Let’s dig into the book together and see how our faith might be strengthened. Mark Farnham has covered the core of his apologetic method already. He laid the foundation for apologetics. He provided a biblical view of unbelievers. He gave an overview of addressing the false beliefs of unbelievers. And he outlined the core components of the gospel to be sharing. In the last few chapters of his book, he provides some practical tips for navigating apologetic conversations with unbelievers. He wants to help equip his readers with some further tools. In this chapter, Farnham wants “to talk about specific tactics that Christians can use to expose unbelievers’ presuppositions and worldviews” (p. 138). Without confronting these false beliefs, one will not look for answers in the gospel. The first tactic is Listen for Mistaken Beliefs. Unbelievers often resist the gospel because they hold “facts” that actually prove to be unfounded. Farnham states, “You must automatically challenge any ‘fact’ that supposedly discredits the truth of the gospel…You must begin with the basic presupposition that this is God’s world and that everything in it declares his glory” (p. 139). We can do this by asking for sources of information or an explanation for how the “fact” discredits the Christian faith. “We dare not let mistaken or erroneous ideas go unchallenged during a discussion, lest we undermine the conversation later on” (p. 140). ... Keep Reading

Sharing the Gospel Effectively This is a multi-part series interacting with Mark J. Farnham’s new book, Every Believer Confident: Apologetics for the Ordinary Christian. Farnham is the founder and director of Apologetics for the Church and professor of apologetics at Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary. He states, “The purpose of this book is to help you to know, appreciate, firmly grasp, proclaim, and defend the Christian faith. My ultimate goal is to strengthen your faith, so you can confidently and effectively persuade unbelievers to believe in Jesus Christ” (p. 16). Let’s dig into the book together and see how our faith might be strengthened. I served in youth ministry for 14 years before receiving the call as pastor at Oak Hills. Early in those years I served on a team of local youth ministers who invited a well-known speaker to come in to the local high schools for student assemblies. During those school-day assemblies, the speaker gave a talk about positive self-image and self-esteem. Then there was an invitation to come back in the evening for another talk. Outside of the school context, the speaker could then present the gospel. There were a lot of funny stories. There were a lot of emotionally charged stories. Then the speaker spoke about how Jesus had made a difference in his life. No mention of sin. No mention of the cross. No explicit Scripture. Just a vague sense of Jesus’ love and how he makes life better. The speaker closed that message with the invitation, “Give Jesus a chance!” Was the gospel presented? Sadly, I do not believe the gospel was presented to that gathering. It is crucial to be clear on what the gospel is. The Good News is that sinful rebels can be forgiven and reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our sin is our greatest problem. And the work of Christ on the cross is our only hope of rescue. In the previous chapter, Farnham said, “The end goal of apologetics is evangelism—leading other people to repent and place their trust in Jesus Christ for salvation” (p. 107). Now he wants to help us share the gospel effectively. “It is critical for us to share the gospel accurately, specifically, and effectively” (p. 126). He has four tactics to effectively share the gospel. ... Keep Reading

Getting Them to Jesus This is a multi-part series interacting with Mark J. Farnham’s new book, Every Believer Confident: Apologetics for the Ordinary Christian. Farnham is the founder and director of Apologetics for the Church and professor of apologetics at Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary. He states, “The purpose of this book is to help you to know, appreciate, firmly grasp, proclaim, and defend the Christian faith. My ultimate goal is to strengthen your faith, so you can confidently and effectively persuade unbelievers to believe in Jesus Christ” (p. 16). Let’s dig into the book together and see how our faith might be strengthened. What is the purpose of apologetics? Win an argument with an unbeliever? Expose false beliefs as foolish? Bolster your confidence and intelligence in the Christian faith? Protect the church from false teaching? Some of these might be good reasons to engage in apologetics, but they all fall short of the primary goal. Farnham warns, “Unless we are clear about where we are trying to lead our unbelieving conversation partners, we may find ourselves defending a general belief in God, or promoting a vague life change, instead of faithfully proclaiming the heart of Christianity itself” (p. 107). ... Keep Reading