I've just started reading a book called Desiring God, a book by John Piper. It's a book that I've been looking forward to reading for a long time, and it's been sitting on my bookshelf for a while. Much of my theology has been shaped by Piper – mostly through his sermons – and a… Continue reading To Desire God
Month: September 2013
Why Church Leaders Should Not Be Called ‘Ministers’
Many churches call their leader the 'minister'. But does this reinforce an unhelpful misconception about what ministry is and who does it? To answer that question, let's have a look at Ephesians 4, a pretty key New Testament passage that talks about what ministry actually is, who does, and the role that church leaders play:… Continue reading Why Church Leaders Should Not Be Called ‘Ministers’
Keep the Faith – Shift Your Thinking on Doubt
Whether or not we'll admit, every Christian wrestles with doubt. We often come across questions that we don't have immediate answers for, and this can cause us to wonder – wait, what if I was wrong about all this? Doubt is one of those things that people often like to keep on the down low,… Continue reading Keep the Faith – Shift Your Thinking on Doubt
Theology and Life – Connecting the Dots
We're currently going through Ephesians at my church, and we have just crossed the halfway mark of the book. This seemed to me like a great place to have a think about the structure of Ephesians, because embedded within it is a great lesson about how the Christian should view the relationship between theology (or… Continue reading Theology and Life – Connecting the Dots
Our True Father
Last Sunday I preached on Ephesians 3:14-21, an eye-opening passage that gives us a window into Paul's prayer for the Ephesians (you can listen to the sermon here). There is one really important phrase in the passage that I didn't have time to look at: "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every… Continue reading Our True Father
Why Christians Don’t Tithe
What does the Bible really say about money and giving? You often hear the words 'tithe' or 'tithing' thrown around when Christians talk about their giving, but this kind of language often betrays a fundamental misunderstanding about what the Bible actually teaches about how we should treat our money. The logic usually goes something like this:… Continue reading Why Christians Don’t Tithe
What will we do in Heaven?
Heaven is a bit of a mysterious thing. We're told Christians will be spending the rest of eternity there – that's a lot of time. So, naturally, people want to know what it's going to be like. How are we going to spend our time for those unending billions of years?You often hear questions like… Continue reading What will we do in Heaven?
God’s Dwelling Place
There are a bunch of times in the New Testament where we are told that as Christians we are together the temple of God, the place where His Spirit lives (1 Cor 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16; Eph 2:22; 1 Peter 2:5). I think that the weight of these statements are sometimes lost on us,… Continue reading God’s Dwelling Place
Here I Stand (Book Review)
I have decided to include a few book reviews every now and again on this blog, and this one is the first. Why book reviews? Two reasons. First, and most obviously, I just want to share what books I have found helpful (or not) and why, so that other people can choose wisely with their… Continue reading Here I Stand (Book Review)