From the Pastor's Study

From the Pastor's Study

The Moral, Civil and Ceremonial Laws

Books of the Torah like Leviticus and Deuteronomy are filled with laws, which while they have a link to one of the Moral Laws of the Ten Commandments, and practical applications to our lives today, are no longer binding on believers. We are no longer, for instance, forbidden to plant different kinds of seed in our vineyard, to wear garments of mixed materials (which is a…

On Repentance

There is a difference between repentance and remorse. I point that out because many people confuse the two and the difference between them is critical. For instance, the difference between repentance and remorse, is the difference between Peter and Judas. They both sinned in betraying Christ. Judas betrayed Him to the Sanhedrin, selling him for a miserable 30 pieces of…

Every Part is Needed

One evening long ago I tripped over a toy in the darkness (those of you who are parents are probably familiar with that experience) and managed to bend my toes forward and come down on them with a crunch. I was sure that I had broken one toe in particular and sure enough in the morning it was black and blue and made walking around a painful experience. I taped it up to…

Headcoverings?

4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.  5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved.  6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.  7 For a man…

Remembering the Most Important Moments in Your Life…

Our lives are made up of thousands upon thousands of moments, the majority of which I fear are not particularly memorable and are thus quickly forgotten and never recalled again. Even the memorable moments are sometimes lost until something brings them back, perhaps a picture, or a smell, or a…

Reflections on the Decline of the Sabbath Day

You Say You Want Everyone to Worship Jesus But… Today I had lunch with a member of our congregation. who shared the bad news that he had been turned down for a job because he said he couldn’t work on Sundays. He’d even offered to work 6 days a week and work all the holidays everyone else tries to take off. It still wasn’t enough, he had to be…

“The Church Doesn’t Work”…

I often hear from people some variation of a general theme: namely “the church doesn’t work” or “government doesn’t work” or “marriage doesn’t work.” I’m sorry but I don’t agree. These institutions were created by God, and as His gifts, they are all good. The problem then is not the church, government, or…

On the Difference Between Personality and Character

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. David Wells, the author of several excellent books like “God in the Wasteland” and “No Place for Truth”, at the Twin Lakes Church Planting Conference. Dr. Wells was speaking on the subject of reaching the unbelieving with…