Providence Bible Fellowship

Jesus' Kind Instructions For Those Discouraged in Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:38:00 +0000

¹And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. ² He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. ³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' ⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'" ⁶ And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:1-8)

Several people recently have shared with me that they are enduring a season of discouragement in prayer. They have prayed so long for some good thing—perhaps the salvation of a loved one, a reconciled relationship, or respite from a long illness—but no answer comes. A common temptation during such times is to try to drum up an explanation, or worse, give up. Why pray when it appears that for whatever reason God doesn’t want to help?

There is good evidence that the best course in times of discouragement is to remind ourselves of the character of God and to persist in prayer. Jesus' teaching from Luke 18 is particularly helpful in this regard.

What a blessing when a passage tells us the main point right up front! That’s what Luke does in 18:1. “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” It would take a world-class blunder to misinterpret this parable after reading that verse. We should pray persistently, constantly, and not give up.

Likely, none of us are blown away by such a revelation. We know we should pray persistently. It’s "the why part" that we’re struggling with. What’s the use…if it’s not going to do anything?

Well, the parable does not accept our premise that a long wait means no answer is coming. In fact, the parable would deny the notion, “there is no use…” There is a wonderful "why" behind the instruction to pray persistently.

The parable compares and contrasts a wicked judge with our good God. This bad judge gave justice out of exasperation because of the persistence of the widow. If even a bad judge will answer a persistent request, how much more will God do so, who loves us (18:6-7)? Jesus affirms, “He will give justice to them speedily” (18:8). We can pray always and without losing heart because He is good, desiring to hear our prayers and to take care of us.

Yet, verse 8 may be where some of us check out in our prayers. We see the word “speedily” and conclude that something is wrong with our prayer…or something is wrong with God…or we just stop praying without thinking deeply about any of it. However, consider that what may be “speedily” to you is not “speedily” to God. "He is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient..." (2 Pet 3:8-9).

Consider also that God has an impeccable sense of timing (Rom 5:6; Gal 4:4). He never does things too soon, nor too late. He’s always right on time. Do you believe that? It can be helpful to meditate not only on the goodness and lovingkindness of our Father, but also upon His perfect timing. He is always right on time.

Luke seems to anticipate our tendency to think that God is not answering “speedily” enough. After all, what was the main point? It was that we should always pray and not lose heart. “Not lose heart” implies that there will be times when God does not answer as soon as we would like. Perhaps we should trust Him with the job of interpreting and applying the word “speedily,” while we take it as our responsibility – and joy – to always pray and not lose heart.

What great petition have you been bringing before the Lord recently that has yet to be answered? Are you tempted to give up? Don’t do it! Pray always and don’t lose heart. A delayed answer should not be considered an automatic “no.” For those who belong to Christ, a delayed answer can only mean two things: “not yet” or “I have something better” (Rom 8:28-30). The One who hears us is not deaf or paralyzed. He’s wise, loving, and all-powerful. He’ll act at the right time and in the best way. So be encouraged and persist in prayer!

The Greatest Of Weeks and the Longest of Psalms

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:03:00 +0000

The NT shows repeatedly that the incarnation of Christ and especially His suffering and resurrection were long anticipated by the OT. Therefore, we can meditate on the significance of Holy Week by considering the OT anticipations as well as the NT fulfillments. There are a number of Psalms we may associate with Holy Week. Psalms 16, 22, 89, 110…

Psalm 119 has a special place in our hearts, not only as the longest of the psalms, but as one that catalogues our own sufferings, cries for help, and longing for God in His Word. This is a wonderful psalm to read against the backdrop of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. It seems to me that Jesus Christ is the only true Psalm 119 man. His exemplification of the psalm shows up in numerous ways in the NT:

The psalm extols perfect obedience to God’s law:

“Blessed are those…who walk in the law of Yahweh…who also do no wrong…” (1-3)
“I have chosen the way of faithfulness, I set your rules before me” (20)
“I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments” (60)

Jesus exemplifies this obedience:

“…I always do the things that are pleasing to Him…” John 8:29.
“[He] in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15
“He committed no sin…” 1 Peter 2:22

Psalm 119 describes the life of flawless obedience—the NT declares that Jesus alone actually lived it.

The psalm depicts love for God and His Word:

“Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” (97)
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (103)
“I find my delight in your commandments, which I love… I will meditate on your statutes.” (47-48)

Jesus is the epitome of this love:

“I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.” John 14:31
“I know him and I keep his word.” John 8:55
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4

Psalm 119 presents love for God as expressed through delight in His Word. In Christ, this love is perfect, constant, and visible—He not only treasures God’s Word, He obeys it fully and lives in unbroken love for the Father.

The psalm emphasizes the servant’s obedience in the face of death:

“For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes.” (83)
“They have almost made an end of me on earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts.” (87)
“The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray…” (110)

Christ’s obedience unto death was a hallmark of His incarnation:

“He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death…” Philippians 2:8
“…not my will, but yours, be done.” Luke 22:42
“I lay it down of my own accord.” John 10:18

Psalm 119 anticipates obedience under threat of death. Christ fulfills it by walking righteously all the way to the cross.

The psalm records endurance through suffering:

“My soul clings to the dust…” (25)
“My soul melts away for sorrow…” (28)
“Trouble and anguish have found me out…” (143)

Jesus suffered like no one else, yet finished the course set before Him:

“...who for the joy set before Him endured the cross…” Hebrews 12:2
“When he suffered, he did not threaten…” 1 Peter 2:23
“...being in agony he prayed more earnestly…” Luke 22:44

Psalm 119 gives us the inner language of suffering. The NT shows us Christ as the greatest of sufferers and endurers.

The psalm prays for vindication due to the sufferer’s righteousness:

“Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies.” (22)
“I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors.” (121)
“Look on my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget your law.” (153)
“Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life, O Lord, according to your steadfast love.” (159)

The NT depicts the resurrection as the Father’s vindication of the Son:

“God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” Acts 2:24
“[He] was declared to be the Son of God… by his resurrection.” Romans 1:4
“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” Hebrews 5:7

Psalm 119 assumes the righteous one ultimately will be upheld. The resurrection of Christ is the decisive vindication of that righteousness.

The psalm describes trust in God for the preservation of life:

“…give me life according to your word.” (25)
“My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word.” (81)
“In your steadfast love give me life…” (93).
“I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word.” (107)

Jesus trusted the Father to save Him from death:

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Luke 23:46
“[He] continued entrusting himself to Him who judged justly…” 1 Peter 2:23
“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…” John 17:1
“He offered up prayers… to him who was able to save him from death…” Hebrews 5:7

Psalm 119 models hope in God’s preserving power. Christ lived, died, and lived again in that trust.

Psalm 119 describes a kind of person. The NT reveals that person is Jesus of Nazareth, God’s own Son. As we continue to wait for Sunday, may we meditate on passages like Psalm 119, considering the great righteousness, love, suffering, faith, and triumph of Christ in accomplishing our salvation.

Holy Week: Making the Most of the Most Extraordinary Week of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Life moves quickly. Weeks come and go with little distinction. One blends into the next, and before long, time has passed without much reflection. What a shame for Holy Week to pass in the same fashion.

Holy Week is a week set apart to walk through the final days of Jesus—His arrival in Jerusalem, His teaching, His betrayal, His crucifixion, and His resurrection. These are truly the most significant events in the history of mankind. If we are not intentional, we will arrive at Easter having skipped over the very events that give it appropriate weight in our minds and hearts.

Here are some suggested ways to make the most of Holy Week…

1. Prioritize Gathering with the Church

There are many good things we could do this week. There is likely nothing more important than gathering with the church. Make every effort to be present:

Palm Sunday (both Sunday School and worship service)
Maundy Thursday - 6:30p at PBF
Good Friday - 6:30p at PBF
Resurrection Sunday (both Sunday School and worship service)

The Christian life is not meant to be lived in isolation. During Holy Week especially, we are shaped as we hear the Word, sing together, pray, and come to the Table.

2. Prayerful Contemplation of Scripture

The events of this week are not abstract ideas, but historical events infallibly recorded for us. Rather than reading randomly, or perhaps in addition to our regular reading plans, we could take a few minutes each day to intentionally follow the events and themes of Holy Week. Slow reading, contemplative questions, and praying in response. As we digest what each passage reveals about Christ, we may well prepare our hearts to worship.

Here is a suggested reading plan, including passages that we will be using together in our gatherings over Holy Week.

Palm Sunday – The Coming of the King

Psalm 24
Acts 2:22–36

The King has come. Not merely into Jerusalem—but to the throne through the cross and resurrection.

Who is this King of glory—and do I receive Him as He truly is: the crucified and risen Lord?

Monday – The Love of Christ

John 13:1–20

“He loved them to the end.” The King stoops to serve.

What does it mean that Jesus loves His own “to the end”? Where do I resist the kind of humble, sacrificial love He displays?

Tuesday – Troubled Hearts, Steady Hope

John 14

“Let not your hearts be troubled.” Christ prepares a place for His people and gives His Spirit.

What is presently troubling my heart? Am I trusting Christ, or am I allowing fear to govern my thoughts?

Wednesday – Abiding in the True Vine

John 15

Apart from Him you can do nothing. Abide in Him.

In what ways am I attempting to live apart from Christ? What would it look like, concretely, for me to abide in Him today?

Thursday – The New Covenant Meal

John 13:21–38
1 Corinthians 11:23–26

Betrayal unfolds. Love remains. Christ gives His body and blood for His people.

How am I preparing my heart to remember Christ rightly? Is there anything that calls for repentance before coming to the Table?

Good Friday – The Crucifixion

John 18–19

Slow down here. Read carefully. This is what our sin required.

What does the cross reveal about my sin? What does it reveal about the love and justice of God?

Holy Saturday – Waiting

Psalm 88

The work is finished, but the silence remains.

Am I willing to wait on the Lord—even when I do not yet see what He is doing?

Resurrection Sunday – The Risen Christ

John 20
Psalm 16
Acts 13:26–39

God did not abandon His Holy One to the grave. Christ is risen—and now proclaimed as Savior and King.

Do I live as one who truly believes Christ is risen? How should the resurrection shape my hope, my obedience, and my joy?

3. Remove Distractions

If we are honest, much of our time is filled with noise. Holy Week is an opportunity to be deliberate. Consider setting aside some of the things that draw your attention to less significant things:

entertainment
social media
constant input

Not as an end in itself, but to make room to read, meditate, and pray.

4. Bring Others Along

Engage family or friends in purposeful ways this week.

Read one passage together
Ask: What does this show us about Jesus?
Pray briefly

Again, the weeks pass quickly. This is not just another week, so let’s not let it pass like any other. Let’s give our attention to Christ—His words, His suffering, His death, and His resurrection. And may it be then that when Sunday comes, we rejoice in the risen King—not lightly, but with depth, clarity, and gratitude.

When Your Mind Is Everywhere But On God, Preparing Your Heart for Sunday Worship

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Jones) — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 10:15:00 +0000

Have you ever been in a church service and felt like you were just going through the motions? You sing. You pray. You read scripture. But you’re not really there. Your body is, but your mind is somewhere else. You want to be worshipping, but you're distracted or disengaged, and no matter how hard you try, it feels empty. Most Christians have experienced this. I certainly have. When this happens, it is frustrating. You feel discouraged because you feel so far from the Lord. One of the truths I recently remembered is that worship doesn’t begin when the first song starts. It begins long before that. It begins when the heart is prepared to seek God.

The Bible shows that worship is a response to God. We see this in the life of David. In Psalm 27:4, he writes, “One thing have I asked of the LORD…that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD.” David simply wanted to be near to God and to know him intimately. When David says he wants to dwell in the house of the Lord, he’s expressing his desire to be in God’s presence. Notably, he wants to do this “all the days” of his life. Not just during a worship service. And when he speaks of “gaze[ing] upon the beauty of the LORD,” he’s saying he wants to think deeply about who God is. He wants to know His character. When our attention settles on God, worship follows.

But hearts that respond to God like that don’t just automatically happen. Scripture repeatedly shows that preparing our hearts for God requires two things: putting away what pulls our affections from Him and setting our hearts again on what leads us back. 2 Chronicles 19:3 is helpful, “...some good is found in you, for you destroyed the Asheroth out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God.” Notice the two parts of that statement. The idols were removed, and the heart was set on seeking God. Preparing to worship God works the same way. That is, we get rid of the things that distract us from God, and we purposefully turn our thoughts toward God. Notice their intentionality. They “set” their “heart to seek God.” The idea of setting your heart means deliberately fixing your attention on Him.

Pastor Greg recently wrote about this idea from a different perspective, specifically, how do we guard our hearts in moments of spiritual “duty.” His blog is worth reading alongside this. You can find it here.

So what might this look like in practice?

Start by removing distractions before you even arrive at church. Sometimes, almost as soon as we wake up, our minds are filled with work, stress, or plans for the day. Often, it seems like these things just happen to us. Other times, we do things that pull our minds away from Jesus. Things like doom scrolling, scrambling to get the kids ready, watching the news, etc. Not all of it is bad, in and of itself, yet it provides fertile ground for wandering thoughts later during the service. On Sunday mornings, it may be necessary to eliminate any superfluous activity that doesn’t directly take your mind to the gospel of Christ. That may mean that instead of first reaching for your phone, you reach for your bible. It may be worthwhile to ask yourself a few honest questions like these: What is it that steals my time from getting ready? What is it that pulls my mind to work or worldly things? What can wait until after church? Eliminate those things.

But what can we set our hearts on before the service that will lead us to Jesus? Go to the Lord in prayer and seek Him in the Scriptures. Allow yourself enough time to read slowly, to pause, and to consider the things you’ve just read. A devotional may also be helpful. Whatever it is that stood out to you or caused you to marvel, pray to God about those things. Once you’ve read a little, listen to the bible being read. I’ve found this to be tremendously helpful. Use the church directory and pray the scripture you’ve just read over two or three folks. Listen to gospel-saturated worship music. Sing along with it. Play it in the car on the way to the church and let it begin to set the tone for the service. Repeat a verse or two of scripture over and over that you read earlier. Memorize it before you get out of the car.

As you walk into church, set your mind on encouraging and edifying others. Rather than talking about the busyness of your week or making small talk (essentially allowing your mind to move on from the Lord), steer your conversations to eternal matters. Talk about what stood out to you in your reading that morning and how it prepared you for corporate worship. Before service starts, quietly quote the scripture you memorized in the car. Redeem every moment so that your mind and heart are swelled full of love for Jesus.

It is also important to remember that worship is not about an emotional feeling. Feelings are nice, and they may come, but they aren’t necessary or foundational for worship. God cares primarily about the heart. Hebrews 13:15 even calls praise a “sacrifice,” which one commentary says, “indicates that praise is a valuable offering to God, requiring intentionality and sometimes personal cost, especially in difficult circumstances” (italics mine).

Even though you’ve prepared for worship and everything seems to be going well, don’t be surprised if, during the first song, your phone buzzes, or your mind jumps to the email you forgot to respond to, or one of your kids asks if they can go to the restroom. These distractions will happen. When they do, refuse to let them linger. Immediately, redirect your mind to what is happening in the service at that moment. Think about the words you are hearing and may be singing. Let the truths that are being expressed be more pressing to you in that moment than anything else that may be happening.

Worship isn’t always going to come naturally. Often, it will require intentionality. Often, it will require purposefully removing distractions and setting our hearts on seeking God. And it is worth it. In many ways, this intentionality is the basis for more genuine and God-honoring worship because it is a heartfelt response to who He is and what He has done in and through Jesus.

Treasury of the Word: The Buried Words of Charles Wesley

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Odel) — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 16:02:00 +0000

I typically don't spend weeks hovering over the same text in Scripture. But in God's providence, Psalm 119 has held my heart captive. A Christological gaze has only served to magnify in my affections Christ's worth and the potency of His atoning work. Martin Luther wrote of the psalmist, "[he] looks with spiritual eyes at the law of Moses and sees hidden and enclosed in it the law of faith, the Gospel of grace, and the invisible things promised, like the kernel under the shell or the treasure under the ground" (cf. Matt 13:44).1 With spiritual eyes, then, consider these lines from the Psalm:

vv17-18: Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

v35: Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.

vv41-42: Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word. And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules.

v50: This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.

vv57-59: The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep your words. I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies; I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments.

v68: You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.

v73: Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.

v103: How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

v114: You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.

v125: I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!

v151: But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true.

v160: The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

One man who deeply reflected on the beauty and truth of God's Word was Charles Wesley. At Providence, we've enjoyed for years the hymns "And Can It Be," "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus," and "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing." This week, however, I stumbled upon a long-buried hymn. It is absent from many hymnals, and I've yet to find an audio file. So, until Tabitha Odel (Turn up the pressure, people!) composes a rendition for our church to sing, be stirred by these words of antiquity. May the Lord grant you or renew in you a daily hunger for His Word, His ways.

"Treasury of the Word"

Charles Wesley

1. Inspirer of the ancient seers

Who wrote from Thee the sacred page,

The same through all succeeding years;

To us, in our degenerate age,

The spirit of Thy Word impart,

And breathe the life into our heart.

2. While now Thine oracles we read

With earnest prayer and strong desire,

O let Thy Spirit from Thee proceed,

Our souls to waken and inspire,

Our weakness help, our darkness chase,

And guide us by the light of grace.

3. Whene’er in error’s path we rove,

The living God through sin forsake,

Our conscience by Thy Word reprove,

Convince and bring the wanderers back,

Deep wounded by Thy Spirit’s sword,

And then by Gilead’s balm restored.

4. The sacred lessons of Thy grace,

Transmitted through Thy Word, repeat,

And train us up in all Thy ways

To make us in Thy will complete;

Fulfill Thy love’s redeeming plan,

And bring us to a perfect man.

5. Thus furnished from Thy treasury,

O may we always ready stand

To help the souls redeemed by Thee,

In what their various states demand

To teach, convince, correct, reprove,

And build them up in holiest love!

_________________________

Luther, Luther's Works, 11:414.

Exposing Hypocrisy

noreply@blogger.com (John Botkin) — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:07:00 +0000

Growing up in the late 70s and 80s, I’m either at the end of Generation X or part of a supposed micro-generation between X and the Millennials. I’m not sure it really matters. But what does stand out is a lecture I heard in college on reaching Generation X. Among many helpful things, it said that generation craves authenticity. And I can definitely say that’s true for me. Whether it’s exposed politicians, discovering shallow ministry leaders, or experiencing disappointing friends, I hate people who lack authenticity. Or, we could say those that are hypocrites.

During the New Testament times, this was a defining characteristic of the Pharisees. And in his ministry, Jesus went out of his way to warn his disciples of such behavior. He said: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops” (Luke 12:1–3).

So, what about us? Are we living authentically before the world and our God? Or are we tempted toward hypocrisy? Are we trying to impress the world while disappointing God? Do we see the dangers of hypocrisy or are we blinded to its dangers?

The Risk of Hypocrisy

In verse 2, Jesus has gathered his disciples together and he says, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (12:1). It looks like that this happens very soon chapter 11, which means that they have just seen him demolish the religious leaders for this very sin. And he’s looking at the disciples now, saying, ‘This isn’t a problem that’s limited to them.’

What is hypocrisy? Hypocrisy is the disconnect between what I say I believe and how I live. It’s having a veneer of faith and godliness but lacking any real substance beneath. Jesus said it was a like a gleaming, whitewashed building that hid the decaying corpses of a crypt behind its walls.

Notice that he calls hypocrisy the “leaven of the Pharisees.” Leaven is yeast, and if you’ve ever made bread, you know exactly what he’s talking about. If you don’t have yeast—if you have unleavened bread—then the bread doesn’t rise. It stays flat. But if you put yeast in your bread, it works its way all throughout the bread and causes it to rise. And you don’t need much. Today, they sell it in these tiny packets. You just need a sprinkle.

Jesus is saying that if you only need a little hypocrisy before it spread through everyone. Maybe it’s a parent in a family, or worse a pastor in a church, but once you get hypocrisy among the people of God, it spreads; especially if it’s in the leadership. It doesn’t stay in one or two people. This is why it’s so risky. This is why Jesus warns us about it.

The Ruin of Hypocrisy

But worse is the results of hypocrisy—it brings us to ruin. This ruin in seen in two ways. To begin with, it ruins you because it will eventually be found out. Jesus says, “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known” (12:2). If you try to hide your sin, if you try to cover it up with religious camouflage so the real you won’t be seen, be careful. Be careful because eventually you’ll be found out. Eventually, the real you will be revealed; the mask will slip. It might be in this life, or it might be on the last day before God the judge, who see all. But one day, hypocrisy will be the ruin of you.

But more than that, hypocrisy ruins you because it doesn’t work for salvation. Jesus says, “Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops” (12:3). This was the folly of the Pharisees: they trusted more in what people thought of them than what God thought of them. And it failed to produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

Once I heard a pastor talk about a friend he had who was the president of a prominent evangelical institution. And this friend said that one year they announced that because they were committed to absolute purity, they were paying to have sophisticated filtering software put on their internet systems. It would not only work to filter out pornography but track when someone tried to access it. In six months a vice president of the institution was found visiting sites that featured children. Why would he do that? He knew he would get caught! But the desire for sin was so strong, just having the filters wasn’t enough. Likewise, the hypocrisy of living to be well-thought of by others isn’t powerful enough to make us holy. We need something else.

The Removal of Hypocrisy

The solution to removing hypocrisy and the cultivation of authenticity comes in what Thomas Chalmers called a “new affection.” We need a stronger, more powerful desire that pushes out and overcomes our desire for sin. In other words, we need a love for God that runs deeper than our love for sin. And that only comes through the gospel of Christ. There we hear the good news of grace shown to us as God forgives our sin and cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

So, saturate your life with the gospel—in your Bible reading, prayer, and conversations with others. Remember and rejoice in the saving grace of God through Christ! Delight in the gift of his Spirit which empowers us for godliness. Embrace our freedom in Christ, laying aide the need for pretense in our spirituality. This is how we come to live the kind of consistent life that Jesus calls us to live.

Logos Bible Software: A Love Story

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0000

A few years ago, I received a terrible email. The company that had created the Bible software I had used for over 15 years—BibleWorks—was closing its doors. Updates would no longer be provided, which meant that, as my computer operating system continued to update, it was only a matter of time before my favorite study tool was rendered unusable.

“Oh, my software, BibleWorks, O BibleWorks, my software, my software!” I was crushed. BibleWorks wasn't a software; it was a friend. We’d spent thousands of hours together. And my grief was not over the thought of learning a new software; I couldn’t imagine another tool that could rival BibleWorks’ power and utility. I was convinced that life after BibleWorks would be a wasteland of second-bests.

Uncertain if I could ever love again, I had no choice but to turn to another tool. I tried a couple of options, but landed on Logos. “You’ll never be BibleWorks, but I have to have something,” was my attitude.

Why am I telling you this? Believe it or not, I want to commend Logos to you! Simply put, I…love it. I’ll always remember fondly my days with BibleWorks, but Logos has won me over.

I have no financial incentive at all to recommend Logos. As one brother to his brothers and sisters, I tell you this is a phenomenal software that could be a great benefit to you in your pursuit of the Lord through the Word.

For a while, Logos has been listed on our Resources/Bible Study page as a paid bible study tool. It is certainly true there are tiers that provide resources and features that require payment, however, the free version has plenty of features to be very helpful to you:

2 Audio Bibles: Lexham English Bible, English Standard Bible
1 Study Bible: Faithlife Study Bible
2 Bible Commentaries: Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Word Studies in the New Testament
The Lexham Bible Dictionary
Multiple Devotionals, including Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening
Ten Interlinears. (Interlinears show the original text in parallel with a corresponding English translation. This allows one to easily see which Hebrew or Greek word underlies any English word in a translation.)
Various cross-reference tools, including The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and Old Testament Quotations and Allusions in the New Testament
Notes feature. The software allows you to take notes linkable to any Bible or other resource. The sky is the limit regarding how you use these notes and there are a number of ways to organize them.

Two tools that I believe would be extremely helpful to anyone.

Devotional Workflow. This is a tool that walks you through steps for reading and devotionally digesting a passage of the Bible, tailored to whatever section of Scripture you’re reading that day. It provides a guide for praying, reading, reflecting, and praying back through the passage. If you feel like your devotional time lacks focus…this workflow could be a blessing to you.

Basic Bible Study Workflow. Bible study is more involved than Bible reading. This workflow will guide you through the basic process of studying whatever Bible passage you choose. If you’ve got no clue how to study or you could just use some guardrails to keep you on task, this is a great tool.

Because Logos offers desktop, web, and mobile versions—all of which automatically sync—you always have your tools, your notes, your studies available. While some features, like the workflows, are only available on the desktop version, the notes are with you everywhere.

The Support page offers a wealth of tutorials so that you can get the most out of all the tools. Well worth the time.

One other thing to share…whenever we start a new Home Fellowship Group book at PBF, I try to get the electronic version on Logos. I understand a lot of people like the print versions; I’m certainly sympathetic to that. However, Logos allows me to take notes on the book and jump to any Scripture reference in the book with a simple tap of the reference. That book is then also included in any future search I do.

The free version of Logos includes 25+ digital resources, which if paid for, would be worth almost $800. But again, the free version is…free.

There are other great tools out there. And some among us prefer to live the analog life. I just wanted to share something that has been incredibly useful to me. May the Lord bless you in your pursuit of the Bible no matter what your preference!

God In Christ Always Leads Us In Triumphal Procession

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Odel) — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:58:00 +0000

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:14-17, ESV (emphasis added)

______________________________

Paul didn’t pen “thanks be to God” in this passage during a season of ease. He wasn’t riding a church camp high. His bank account wasn’t overflowing. His barns weren’t overstocked warehouses. Quite the opposite, actually. These words were spoken in a season of affliction, when his life and ministry were being questioned. Motives for collecting financial support for the needy in Jerusalem were suspect (8:19-22). His authority was measured by earthly stamina rather than the power of Christ (10–12). His suffering was viewed as an indicator that God was invalidating his gospel labors (11). A beloved co-worker couldn’t be located (2:13), and a thorn—a messenger of Satan—wouldn’t be removed even after intensive pleading with the Lord (12:7-10).

Surely, “thanks be to God” is a typo, right?

Wrong!

The very circumstances intended to shipwreck Paul’s faith were sharpening blocks that made him more effective in the hands of the Lord. The very issues meant to move him to despair, instead, expedited his delight in the Lord and enflamed his passion for heralding the gospel. He had learned the secret to spiritual vibrancy in a fallen world: For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong (12:10).

When it comes to your own labors to make Christ known, do you maintain a “for the sake of Christ” mindset, as Paul did? Especially in seasons of difficulty? When a family member distances himself because you keep Jesus’ kindness in the path of his thoughts? When a coworker charges you with harassment for nothing more than an appropriate display of gospel care? What about the peer who illogically debates and besmirches the character and commands of God across a variety of social media platforms?

When our names are attached to the name of Christ and slandered, what will maintain our thanksgiving to God?

Consider what follows in our passage:

1. We are always led in triumphal procession.

v14a – But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession…

In Roman antiquity, a lavish parade would typically follow a great victory in battle. Dressed in expensive robes and showered with shouts of praise, the conquering military commander would offer sacrifices to the gods, broadcast Rome's superiority widely, display the spoils of war, and distribute gifts to those who had played a supporting role in the successful fight. To say it was a public spectacle is an understatement.

God is depicted here as leading His followers in a triumphal procession. He does so in Christ. This is the language of Colossians 2:15: He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. The “public spectacle” here is the failure of the enemy’s schemes to thwart God’s plan of salvation through Christ. The “battle” was won on the cross, and the prisoners for whom Christ came to liberate could no longer be held in the clutches of the powers of darkness. As Victor, then, Christ has marched through the centuries’ marketplaces, displaying his trophies—those captured by the grace of God and those joyfully enslaved to abide in Him (Jn 15; Rom 6:22). As Victor, He has been crowned with glory and honor (Heb 2:9). He is highly exalted and eternally the sole owner of the name above all others (Phil 2:9-10).

2. Through us, God spreads the knowledge of Christ everywhere.

vv14b-16a: …and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

Believers are not just saved from their deadness in trespasses (Eph 2:5). We are saved to a life of maturing in the likeness of Jesus (Eph 4:17-32). We are also saved for an aroma-spreading ministry (2 Cor 2:14b-16). As we live and move and have our being in God (Acts 17:28), we, like Paul, either attract or repel those in the marketplace of life. As God marches us down the streets, some find our commitment to Christ sweet. They are moved from life to life as they see our spiritual worship, defined by sacrificial living (Rom 12:1-2). They are encouraged in the faith as they waft the fragrance of our love for God and others. Others find it pungent, foolish. Some link arms and strengthen Kingdom efforts. As a result of our spreading the knowledge of Christ, they want Him—even more of Him. Others sneer, dislodge themselves from our acquaintance and consider our ambassadorial work (2 Cor 5:20-21) foolish. They move from death to death. Psalm 14:3 is their description: They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

3. We are not sufficient for the work, but God is.

v16b: Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

Who is qualified for such a high calling—to herald the gospel and spread the fragrance of truth abroad? No one, obviously, in themselves. That’s the point. We are the spoils of Christ’s victory! He makes us sincere. He commissions us to go and make disciples (Matt 28:18-20). He holds us accountable for not peddling God’s Word. Standing on the authority of Christ, we implore others to be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:20).

Truly, thanks be to God for these realities!

I don’t know how your name being attached to Christ’s will be treated. Like Paul, many of us have experienced those drawn to the sweetness of our Savior. We’ve likely also praised God through seasons of slander. And I’ll be honest: there are moments when I question why thanksgiving is to be offered to God. In these moments, the Spirit is so kind as to correct my spiritual vision, showing me that:

I belong to the Conqueror of the greatest battle.

He leads me in triumphal procession.

God is not dependent on my earthly skills to spread the aroma of His glory.

He will save whom He will save, and those who delight in death are to be entrusted to Him.

My sufficiency is not me; it is Him.

I have the privilege of speaking the words of Christ, knowing I carry around such a magnificent treasure in such a frail jar of clay.

For the sake of Christ, let us endure hardship that in our death, many might have life (2 Cor 4:12).

Thanks be to God!

The Trinity and What It Shows About How The Bible Teaches

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 19:59:00 +0000

For a long, long time, we’ve had an orthodox doctrine of the Trinity. The Apostles’ Creed is structured in a Trinitarian pattern, each of the three main sections centering on the Father, Son, and Spirit, respectively. The Nicene Creed similarly defended the full deity of Christ and clarified the deity of the Spirit. The Athanasian Creed might be considered the most explicit and technical of the creeds regarding the Trinity. This creed contains such statements as:

“We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity.”

“Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.”

“The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Spirit uncreated… And yet there are not three uncreated, but one uncreated.”

Yet, as we read our Bible straight through, we may wonder, “Where do we find all these terms and phrases used in the creeds— ‘Trinity,’ ‘substance,’ ‘Father uncreated’? Exactly where does the Bible teach the doctrine of the Trinity? I must have missed it.”

Well, there is no passage in the Bible to which we can turn for one-stop shopping on the Trinity. This is a reason church councils spent many years refining our understanding of it. As with other doctrines, understanding what the Bible says about the Trinity requires much wrestling; we must account for all the many things that the Bible says about God.

In this way, the doctrine of the Trinity can serve as a specific example of how the Bible teaches generally. Most of the things the Bible teaches it teaches in pieces over centuries. So, for us to talk about any one doctrine succinctly requires us to use a kind of theological shorthand to describe a host of ideas interconnected across the whole Bible.

While the Scriptures do not contain compact, dedicated, all-inclusive teaching about the Trinity, it does contain features that indicate, assume, require, and inform the reality of the Trinity. When we put them all together, we end up with the truths crystalized in the creeds. This post won’t provide an exhaustive list, but here are a few of the planks the HS provided for us to piece together Trinitarian theology.

Linguistic Indicators. The Hebrew OT uses a plural noun for “God,” Elohim, when referring to YHWH. The singular for “God” is El, which the Bible also uses for YHWH. Perhaps more striking is that when it comes to pronouns, numerous texts refer to Yahweh using plurals “we/us” (Gen 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Isa 6:8); many other texts use singular “I/me”. Interestingly, Isaiah 6:8 uses both in the same sentence.

Certainly such linguistic indicators do not argue directly for a Trinity. However, we might say plurality and singularity in God are whispered in the OT, whispers amplified in the NT.

Narrative Moments. A well-known scene in the NT is the baptism of Jesus, where all three members of the Trinity are present (Matt 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). Jesus of course is there in the Jordan being baptized; the “Spirit of God” descends as a dove and rests on Him; the Father from heaven voices His approval. In conjunction with other NT statements about the Father, Son, and Spirit, this scene requires one God in three Persons. OT parallels exist in Isaiah, where the Messiah/Suffering Servant mentions Himself in relation to both YHWH and the Spirit:

Isaiah 48:16b “… And now the LORD God has sent me, and his Spirit.”

Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me…”

Didactic Nuggets. Here and there, the NT drops truths related to the Father, Son, and Spirit. There are far too many to mention here, but some examples… John (John 1:1-3; 8:58; 10:30; 1Jn 5:20), Paul (Col 2:9; Phil 2:6; Rom 9:5), and the author of Hebrews (1:3, 8) each make numerous statements about the divinity of Christ. Similarly, the divinity of the Spirit is well-attested (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor 2:10-11; 2 Cor 3:17-18; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14). Taken in conglomeration, they contribute well to a robust theology of Trinity.

Redemptive History. One might argue that the big picture storyline of the Bible—not abstract theology—is the Bible’s primary way of teaching. The NT revelation of the Trinity through the Son’s incarnation and the Spirit’s work at the behest of the Father provides an interpretive key; this key opens in the OT what was present all along. In fact, there are mysteries of the OT that cannot be seen rightly without the “Trinitarian eyes” of the NT. The above passages in Isaiah are a great example.

So, one of the greatest, most essential doctrines in the Bible does not have any single passage that outlines all its features, concepts, and connections. Some of the words and phrases we use to describe this doctrine—even the word “Trinity” itself—are not found in the Bible. The way that the Bible tends to convey truth over many books and centuries requires us to know the whole, understand the parts in light of the whole, and the whole in light of the parts. It further requires us to use words and/or phrases that may not be found verbatim in Scripture in order to describe complex ideas that are.

Three things I would leave with you:

Thank God for the doctrine of the Trinity revealed in Scripture.

Thank God for those who came before us and wrestled with the Scriptures that we might understand God more faithfully.

May we strive to know the full counsel of God so that we are able to understand and easily, clearly articulate the deep things of God.

Imitate Me As I Imitate Christ—Helping the Next Generation Mature

noreply@blogger.com (John Botkin) — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Growing up, there were many things my parents taught me. This included basic life skills like reading and driving along with more nuanced things like applying for a job or praying well to God. Other bits of knowledge and life skills almost came by osmosis. Simply by being with them, I saw how to shop for sales, have a strong work ethic, be kind to strangers, grieve losses, prioritize serving in the church, and much more. This is a normal part of parenting and I’m not sure they thought too much about it.

But there were other things that my parents couldn’t teach me. As an only child, my parents didn’t have experience to pass on to for raising multiple children. Computers were something I only encountered at school, not home. Neither of my parents were pastors or preachers and had little to share as I prepared for ministry (other than years of commenting on our pastors’ sermons!). In these instances, I needed someone else to come alongside me and “parent” me. Not in a literal sense, but in the sense of training, guiding, or setting an example for me.

As principles of disciple, all of this is also true in the life of the church. One of the deep desires the elders have is for more mature and experienced members of PBF to help invest in the church’s younger members. This principle of discipling across generations, outside of immediate family, is found throughout the Bible. Moses helped raise up Joshua (Exod 24:13; 32:17–19; 33:11), Jesus discipled the Twelve (John 13:15–16), Paul trained Timothy among any others (Col 4:7–17), older women helped younger women (Tit 2:3–5) and the church at large is exhorted to be examples worth imitating (Phil 3:7).

This kind of discipleship can be an intentional imparting of life or ministry skills as young women learn how to lead Bible studies and young men prepare for the pastorate. It can also involve training for kids ministry for those who don’t have kids or showing someone how to pull weeds or operate a mower around the church grounds. But it can also much less structured and far more meaningful that too. Imagine the person who didn’t grew up in church and whose parents aren’t believers. How will he or she learn to think Christianly about work, marriage, child-raising, ministry, and more without someone farther down the road of faith to come alongside to “parent” them?

Certainly, we can have Sunday School classes for some of these things. But more impactful would simply to be letting that younger person spend time with the more mature believer. Again, Christians are meant to live in a way that can be imitated by others—imitating godly believers as they imitate Christ (1 Cor 11:1). And just like every kids absorbs a way of life from being with their parents, so believers will be influenced toward maturity just be being with other growing believers. This can happen by them just being at their house some evenings and weekends; hanging out together talking about life while someone running errands; going on double-dates and seeing the fruit of years in a loving marriage; tagging along on a hospital visit to see how you encourage the sick; spending time praying together or talking about the Sunday sermon, a personal struggle or, a difficult passage in their Bible reading. These situations represent the kind of casual but intentional life-on-life discipleship we should be seeking in the life of the church.

Immediately, there may be questions in your mind about this, especially if this idea is new to you—or seems challenging. So, let me head off a few possible concerns.

First, remember you’re not adopting someone for life. Meet for however long is helpful. Just be sure to have a conversation as you consider moving in a different direction (maybe to invest in someone else) so th other person doesn’t feel hung out to dry.

What if someone has difficult baggage from the past they can’t deal with and you don’t feel qualified to handle? You might be able to help more than you think, but it’s always okay to ask the elders for help. That doesn’t mean you need to stop being around. Just do what God has equipped you to do and let others serve as they can.

You might also question if you have the time for something like this. We aren’t talking about hours and hours every week. At the same time, that question may also be an opportunity for you to reconsider how you’re spending your time.

Lastly, you may be on the end of wanting someone to invest in you and be unsure how to connect. Again, the elders are happy to help. But a simple way to begin is to look around at people you interact with at church—in HFG, GTG, Reveille, Sunday School, etc. Ask about getting together and see where it leads. You may need to try reaching out to more than one person before the relationship clicks.

Several year ago, I met a man named Henry Dishberger. He was a little older than my parents and had been walking with the Lord for decades. He served as treasurer of our baptist association of churches in mid-Michigan, was a trustee at one of our seminaries, and ministered in his local church. I served with him on committees and got to know him pretty well. He was a great encouragement to many. Then, after what appeared to me mild health problems, doctors told him he was terribly sick and didn't have long to live. Within a few weeks, he was in the hospital and would not return home. Yet Henry remained confident in the Lord up to the end. In his last days, his children and grandchildren were brought in to see him, whereupon he exhorted them to trust Christ and prayed over each one individually. In-between visits, he sung hymns and witnessed to nursing stuff. I had never heard of or seen such faith in the flesh. Just by being around Henry, the Lord bolstered my faith and provided an example for my own final days.

Imagine what the Lord might do in the midst of our congregation if we began reaching across generations for intentional discipleship, moving toward Christian faithfulness in the everyday circumstances of life!

Clinging to the One Constant in a Sea of Uncertainty

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 21:57:00 +0000

Life is filled with uncertainties. Every situation we face has its unpredictable elements, wildcards, variables. For that reason, life can seem like a long voyage on a sea of uncertainties. The unknown becomes the most prominent factor in our minds.

I don’t know if I’m going to get better.

I don’t know if they’re going to trust in Jesus.

I don’t know how we’re going to pay for it.

I don’t know how to fix this relationship.

I don’t know how long this blessed season is going to last.

Each of the above has a host of variations, but the common theme is, “I don’t know what tomorrow holds.”

The enemy, the world, the unsanctified flesh would have us fixate on the unknowns, laying awake at night fretting, waiting for the other shoe to drop, hoping and praying for the best but preparing for the worst. Without conscious effort to direct our thoughts elsewhere, we may find ourselves anxious or depressed.

In addition to numerous exhortations to cast our cares on the Lord (Psa 55:22; Matt 6:25; 1 Pet 5:7), the Scriptures direct our attention to the unchanging nature of God. In every situation, the Lord is the one constant, the non-variable. Malachi 3:6 “For I the Lord do not change…”. James 1:17 “…with [Him] there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

No wonder, the biblical authors model and call for fixation on the Lord and His ways. Psa 16:8a, “I have set the Lord always before me…” Psalm 25:15 “My eyes are ever toward the Lord…” Psalm 119:15 “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.” Psalm 63:5-6, “My soul will be satisfied…when I remember you upon my bed…” Isaiah 26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Hebrews 3:1 “…consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession…”

If we would be grounded during seasons of uncertainty, there are particular aspects of His constancy that would be especially worthy of meditation.

• “He always loves me.” That is, the Lord’s disposition toward His people in only ever one of love. Even in our obstinate lostness, His love stood behind His sending Christ to redeem us (John 3:16; Rom 5:8). This truth moved Paul famously to conclude that nothing could separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:38-39).

• “He is always kind to me.” Consider the wonderful words of Psalm 145:17: “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.” Note the word “all” in that last phrase. This takes on glorious gravity when we consider that He “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Eph 3:11). In all things the Lord is kind to us. Not just in the most predictable circumstances. Not just in the most temporally favorable things. In all things, He is kind to us.

• “He always works for my good.” Bring on the wildcards…in everyone of them His design is to do us good (Rom 8:28-30). Even when we taste the bitter fruit of man’s evil against us, there is the sweet knowledge that God has intended good in and through the same events (Gen 50:20).

• “He always gets His way.” The God who loves us, is ever kind to us, and who is zealous for our good is also the God who has said, “…I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isa 46:10; cf Psa 33:11). Let all men stand against Him to thwart His will; He only laughs and uses them as unwitting servants of His plan (Psa 2:1-12; Isa 10:5-7; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28). His unalterable sovereignty comforts us precisely because of His unchanging love, kindness, and commitment to good.

• “He always gets it right.” The above constants are great…unless God is prone to make mistakes. Benevolent sovereignty provides certainty only if it is directed by wisdom. Hallelujah then that He is “the only wise God” (Rom 16:27). Indeed, wisdom belongs to Him (Dan 2:20) so that if anyone else would be wise, they must get it from Him (Jas 1:5). A precious constant in the rolling sea of uncertainty is that no matter what eventuates, no mistake comes from the mind and hand of God!

Consider then the blessing of those focused on His constancy: they are immovable. The sea may rage around them, tossing unexpected eventualities, but they are firmly anchored in the Unchangeable One.

Psalm 16:8 “I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”

Psalm 46:5 “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved…”

Psalm 62:2 “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”

Psalm 125:1 “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.”

Hebrews 6:19 “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.”

Such passages frame immovability not as invulnerability to suffering, change, and circumstantial uncertainty, but as an unshakable stability rooted in the person and work of God. Surely, as we traverse this life there will be a steady stream of unknowns. Yet, because God is unchanging, we have a firm foundation in all situations. Let’s fix our minds and hearts on Him.

"I'm sharing the gospel, but nothing is happening...": Persisting in Gospel Work

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 18:58:00 +0000

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

What an encouragement to hear so often these days of brothers and sisters at Providence sharing the gospel with neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends. Many seeds have been and are being sown in the soil around us.

As I read Galatians recently, coming across 6:9, I considered different ways that some among us may be in danger of growing weary and/or discouraged. To be sure, Galatians 6 encourages “sowing to the Spirit,” not in the narrow sense of sharing the gospel, but in the broad sense of faithfulness in all areas of life. Still, sharing our faith is one area where we may grow weary in doing good. Perhaps, we have worked hard to build rapport, have shared the good news repeatedly, have prayed unceasingly…yet we have not seen anyone come to faith in Christ. What should we do?

We should do in our evangelistic lives what we should do in every other area: resist growing weary in doing good, knowing that in due season we will reap if we do not give up. With that in mind, here are a handful of ways to keep on keeping on though the harvest seems slow to come in.

Persist in prayer. Jesus taught His disciples that “they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). The admonition itself assumes that the answer to prayer doesn’t always come immediately. What we perceive to be God’s slowness to answer ought not discourage us. Rather, we should continue to implore Him for the rescue of souls.

Certainly we should do this in our times of private prayer. Why not also make this a normal part of our prayer at the monthly prayer gathering? The name of the person you want to see saved…why not submit that name for corporate prayer month after month until we see that person saved and praying alongside us for others?

Persist in thinking biblically. Three truths to repeat to ourselves:

• The gospel is the power of God for salvation (Rom 1:16). The temptation to “get results” has led many a well-meaning evangelist to modify or water-down the message. But faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ (Rom 10:17).

• My role is delivery of the message (Matt 28:20; Rom 10:15). As long as the good news is communicated, clearly, fully, winsomely…I have been faithful. I cannot and do not convert the lost.

• His role is delivery of souls (Eze 37:1-14; Titus 3:4-5; John 3:5-8). He alone can use the message preached to bring the dead to life. By grace, He uses us as instruments of proclamation, but the salvation of souls is His domain and takes place in His time. Just as surely as He saved us, He will save others.

Persist in sharing the good news. Did you hear the gospel only once before trusting in Christ? Perhaps, but that is almost certainly not the norm. I heard it many, many times before I came to faith. What a tragedy if those around me had planted one seed, saw it appearing to lie lifeless, and gave up! We ought to cultivate and plant and water and repeat. While continuing to work on that one, let’s cultivate interactions with others.

And let’s take whatever we can get: rare is the conversation where some gospel-related truth cannot be worked in. On the other hand, more often than we think there is an opening for the whole gospel!

Persist in good works. We may not always think about good works in the context of persisting in evangelism, but Jesus said in Matthew 5:14–16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Our conduct is a vital part of our gospel witness. It is not sufficient in itself (Rom 10:17), but our lives validate our words. So, let us not grow weary in doing good… The lost are not only listening, but watching!

The sowers of a gospel seed aren’t always the ones who see the harvest (John 4:35-38). At least not always in this life. You can rest assured of this: on the last day, we’ll all see all the fruit of all the gospel labor done by all the church as all His people are gathered to Him. So, don’t grow weary in doing good, for in due season—if only in eternity—we will reap if we don’t give up!

How to Deal with A Distracted Heart and Wandering Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Have you ever read your Bible with your heart unengaged in the text? Have you ever prayed and found your mind wandering just a few seconds in? Served the saints without mindful care for them or any satisfaction in the Lord? I’ve heard many such testimonies over the years. Just this week I’ve re-read a portion of Puritan classic that offers help for the distracted heart and wandering mind. I’d like to share with you the high points.

John Flavel’s Keeping the Heart has been recommended on this blog before.1 I won’t go into a lengthy summary other than to note that the bulk of the book features instructions for guarding the heart during particular seasons of life. Flavel identifies one of those seasons as “the season of duty.” While we may attach negative connotations to the word “duty,” the Puritans did not. For them, duty simply referred biblically-prescribed means of serving and engaging with the Lord. In our terms, this could include anything we do in private devotions, corporate worship, or service to the lost and saved alike. In my pastoral experience, the “duty” most commonly plagued by the distracted heart and wandering mind is our personal devotions. However, the following suggestions will help in any service to God.

How can we avoid distractions in our service to God? Here are a few ways suggested by Flavel.

“Separate yourself from all earthly employments, and set apart some time for solemn time to meet God in duty.”2 Flavel notes that it is impossible to come directly from the world into God’s presence without worldly concerns filling our hearts and minds. Wisdom would call us to devote a short time to mentally and emotionally transition from mundane tasks to devotional service. We could think of this as something like the airlock in a spaceship: a transitional space between wildly different worlds allowing for decompression or recompression. Before charging into prayer, bible reading, or service of any other time, take a few moments to meditate on the reality of what you are doing.

“Having composed your heart by previous meditation, immediately set a guard upon your senses.” This is Puritan-speak for the elimination of distractions. That could mean getting electronics out of the room during your devotional time. However, some distractions cannot be eliminated. So, this may mean consecrating one’s senses to the Lord. “My eyes are devoted to serving and enjoying you right now. So also my ears.” Determine a Holy Spirit-dependent devotion of the senses to God.

“Beg God for a subdued imagination.” That is, pray fervently for God’s help in taming your restless thoughts. “Oh God, I so want to mindfully enjoy you and serve you. I confess an distracted mind. Would you please bring my thoughts into focus on you even as I determine the same?”

Contemplate the reality of God’s holy and solemn presence. “‘A man that is praying,’ says Bernard, ‘should behave himself as if he were entering into the court of heaven, where he sees the Lord upon his throne, surrounded with ten thousand of His angels and saints ministering unto him.’”3 Is it not wonderful that such a God would allow us to approach Him? He has! May we do so mindful of His glorious presence.

When your mind wanders, humble yourself before God, repent, and seek assistance. Repentance is an essential key to any kind of change in sanctification. If by our inattentiveness we minimize the greatness of God and the privilege of knowing and serving Him, we should lament our thoughtlessness. Repentance should always be accompanied by faith, therefore, we ought follow such turning with petitions for God’s help in focusing on Him that we may rightly enjoy Him in service.

“Look at the success and the comfort of your duties as if the keeping of your heart close to God depended very much on them.” The God we serve is one who said of Israel, “this people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Isa 29:13; Matt 15:8). Ought we then as regenerate believers be content to pray, read, and serve with dull hearts and unengaged minds? Surely not. Flavel notes that the promise of Jeremiah 29:13 is made to the person with an engaged heart: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Therefore, the engagement of the heart and mind in our service to the Lord is not a peripheral issue, but central. We should ponder this.

These points are a sampling of Flavel's suggestions regarding avoiding distractions in “duty.” Further, they are but a smattering of Flavel’s teaching on keeping the heart more broadly. There is much additional timeless and timely instruction in Keeping the Heart. The whole work would be helpful to you. I certainly pray these points will be.

1 You can read a free pdf version here.

2 Quotation marks indicate direct quotations from the edition linked above.

3 St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermon 12 on Psalm 91.

Navigating the Past

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Odel) — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 02:02:00 +0000

A human brain can hold about 2.5 million gigabytes of data, equivalent to roughly 3 million hours of Netflix. Interestingly, stored information can be retrieved at twice the speed of a blinking eye. The Lord Jesus Christ—the image of the invisible God and beloved Son, who created all things for his glory (Col 1:13-16)—did so in astonishing ways (Ps 139:13-14). This applies especially to the pinnacle of creation: humanity (Gen 1:26-28).

Scripture links the brain to the “outer man” (2 Cor 4:16), the physical organ that governs a host of bodily systems. It ages and deteriorates. Conversely, the Scriptures describe the mind as the “inner man” (4:16), the core of human thought, affections, and commitments. It represents the active soul in relation to God—a heart in or out of harmony with its Creator.

Why this matters…

All Christians are saved from the eternal grip of darkness (Col 1:13), yet many still carry deep shame and guilt from their past. Not only do they carry it, but it tends to get stuck in a loop in their thought life. Even though they are now part of the realm of forgiveness and freedom (1:14; Jn 8:36), it can be hard for some to view the past correctly. Sometimes they feel trapped and find it difficult to enjoy the Lord as others seem to do effortlessly.

It might be that one innocently suffered a traumatic event yet responded sinfully. One may have sinned grievously yet has not internalized the extent of God’s grace to cast their transgressions as far as the east is from the west (Ps 103:12). Circumstances can be complex and confusing, but God’s Word is sufficient to bring clarity, hope, and healing to all who feel stuck in their faith because of “that thing” in the past. In fact, God has an amazing plan for the troubled mind—a plan that leads to rest and reveling in his goodness (Mt 11:28-30; Ps 34:8). Despite any past affliction, the mind can be renewed day by day as the believer beholds the glory of Christ (2 Cor 4:16; 3:18).

If you're interested in learning more, don’t miss PBF’s upcoming biblical counseling intensive, titled “Navigating the Past: Learning and Keeping God’s Perspective,” scheduled for March 20th at 6:30 pm. This workshop will help you implement a biblically based framework for addressing past shame and guilt. Although designed for biblical counselors, everyone is welcome to attend. After all, every member of the local church should grow in the practice of instructing and encouraging one another (Rom 15:14).

Click HERE to sign up today! I guarantee it will be time well spent.

Help From Philemon for the Haggard of Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 16:30:00 +0000

“I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.” (Philemon 4-7)

What’s the longest you’ve ever stayed awake? I’m a bit of a lightweight in this department—I think my record is somewhere around 36 hours. Still, it was eye-opening, pardon the pun. At a certain point, the body decides, “we’re sleeping now whether anyone likes it or not.” Even a few hours of sleep after a time of deprivation can restore the body significantly.

Did you know that our souls need rest and restoration as well? Perhaps you're feeling this acutely even as you read this article! If sleep is the answer for the exhausted body, what is the answer for the exhausted soul? A unique phrase used twice in Philemon recently led me to ponder this. I’d like to share some thoughts with you given our common need for regular soul refreshment.

Believers’ hearts need refreshment. Paul’s letter to Philemon, best known for its occasion*, assumes and directly addresses this reality. Paul uses the phrase “refresh the heart” to convey the concept of bringing rest, comfort, emotional restoration to the believer. The underlying verb draws on the imagery of soldiers or workers finding relief from exertion.

The concept appears initially as Paul prays for the refreshment of other believers’ hearts (Phm 6). He later alludes to his own need for refreshment (Phm 20).

The need for soul rest is nothing of which to be ashamed. Paul certainly doesn’t seem to be ashamed, neither in this context nor in his other writings (1 Cor 16:18; 2 Tim 1:16; Rom 15:32; 1 Thess 3:6-7). In fact, the foregoing references indicate Paul’s regular need for refreshment. Why would we be different? There are tremendous pressures that come upon us in various forms—temptation, heartache, guilt, physical maladies, societal pressure to conform, broken relationships, spiritual disappointments—all of which exhaust the soul. No wonder the psalms so often note the need for rest of the soul (Psa 37:7; 55:22; 62:1-2; 91:1-2; 116:7; 127:2).

God uses believers to refresh the hearts of other believers. This conclusion is founded upon a couple of other truths in Philemon.

First, love and faith are individual blessings. Paul relates his thanksgiving to God because of Philemon’s love and faith (Phm 5). That is, there is an exemplary quality of love and faith in Philemon that makes his life notable not only to Paul but to others around Philemon, for news about him has reached Paul in prison.

Second, individual love and faith are community commodities. God has designed the Christian life to take place in a community of saints (Eph 4:1-16). The love and faith experienced by the individual assume objects outside of self. Christian love has objects in the Godhead and the church (Phm 5). Likewise, faith trusts in the person of Christ.

When Paul prays regarding the “sharing” of Philemon’s faith, he likely refers not to evangelism, but to others partaking (koinonia) in the benefits of Philemon’s maturity (Phm 6). Essentially, Paul prays that Philemon’s love and faith would prove contagious among those around him such that their experience of Christ would be fuller than it might be otherwise. The apostle even notes the joy and encouragement he has personally derived from learning that such refreshment has already happened to some extent—other saints’ hearts have been refreshed through Philemon (Phm 7).

Refreshment of the heart/soul comes through gathering and engagement. Refreshment of the body takes place by withdrawing and shutting down. Not so with refreshment of the heart. How else could news of Philemon’s love and faith have reached Paul but that he had been living the Christian life among others who reported it? How else could others have been refreshed by Philemon’s love but by his involvement in their lives?

Consider how Paul’s thanksgiving and petition assume not only that the love and faith of the individual is a community resource, but that resource is only enjoyed by gathering and engaging. Do we think that way? Are we drawn to other believers for the refreshment (spiritual rest and comfort) that can be derived from their love and faith? Similarly, are we moved to live out our own individual love and faith in the community as a source of refreshment for them?

How can we refresh and be refreshed by one another? A few suggestions:

Conspicuous obedience. We may think of our obedience in strictly personal terms, but this letter reframes the issue for us (consider also Matt 5:16). Faithful living of the individual in the context of a community spreads a beautiful aroma, blessing all in numerous ways. Your obedience may remind others of God’s authority, worthiness, and loveliness. It may remind them of the Spirit of power, love, and self-control with which they also have been blessed (2 Tim 1:7). It may say to the whole community, “His commandments are not burdensome” (1Jn 5:3).

In the specific occasion of this letter, Paul exhorted Philemon to obey by extending grace to Onesimus. Paul attached his own refreshment directly to this future act of obedience in Philemon’s life. How might this have refreshed Paul? Anyone who loves Christ and His church will be revived to see others growing in love and faith!

Intentional spiritual conversation. This perhaps is the most obvious avenue of refreshment and one we consider often at PBF. Ironically, it may also be the first activity cut from our schedules when we feel haggard of heart. We think we are too worn out spiritually to gather and engage. Yet, this is like saying, “I’m too sleep deprived to sleep.” Spiritual conversation with believers is precisely what will revive the heart!

Practical encouragement. This could take any number of forms. Text messages just checking in. Pulling another believer aside at church to pray with them regarding a known stressor. Sending a card of encouragement in the mail. Connecting two other believers with one another, knowing they could benefit from each other’s company. A little bit of imagination salted with prayer will lead us to many ways of practically encouraging one another unto the refreshment of hearts. We need only be convinced that this is a primary way God revives us.

Is your heart exhausted? So are ours. Let’s gather and engage that we might all be revived.

*Paul wrote to Philemon to exhort him to deal graciously with his runaway slave, Onesimus.

Heavenly Minded for Earthly Good

noreply@blogger.com (John Botkin) — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

In previous years, many churches and Christians divided strongly over issues related to the end times. How was Christ going to come back? When was he going to come back? Is there a secret rapture of the church? What about a millennial kingdom? The answers became a litmus test for authentic Christian belief and separated brothers. Later Christians turned off by such things led some to overcorrect and neglect doctrines about the last days for fear of division. While we should not too harshly divide on secondary matters, we should celebrate and live in light of the essential things God has promised about our future.

In fact, Paul commands we spend time meditating on these things. In Colossians 3, he says, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (3:1-14).

How might our lives be different if we spent time—maybe just fifteen minutes—each week, reflecting on the future that awaits us as Christians? One passage that is especially helpful for this is Revelation 21:1–8. Thinking on these verses, let’s consider four ways God is making all things new. This means four promises that should shape our lives in the present.

1. God Promises a New Creation (21:1)

After seeing many other things throughout Revelation, John says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Rev 21:1). This is the fulfillment of the vision of God’s workings in the Old Testament (Isa 65:17).

And this comes as a solution to humanity’s ruin of God’s original creation. Because of our sinful rebellion, the creation was cursed. Sin and death entered the world and it never gets better. No matter how close we get to God, no matter how educated and moral a society becomes, we are all still sinners. Creation remains contaminated. Yet intimately connected to God’s plan of redeeming his people is his plan to redeem all of creation as well (Rom 8:21–24). And just as humanity will experience glory, so will the world as God make a whole new creation.

We have visionary language describing this new creation, yet it can be hard to get our minds around. Even John’s description of a world without the sea (Rev 21:1). Does that mean no more vacations at the beach? No. For the ancient peoples the sea represented chaos, confusion, and evil, waters violently turning up mud and mire (cf. Isa 51:9 57:20; Dan 7:2–3). Even in this book, the great satanic beast is pictured rising out of the sea (Rev 13:1). Thus, for John to say there was no more sea doesn’t mean there was no more oceans. It means this a whole new creation that nothing of sincorrupting it! There is no more chaos, no more danger, no more violence. No more sin.

2. God Promises a New Relationship (21:2-3)

John says, “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling placeof God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God’” (21:2-3).

Being apocalyptic literature, Revelation uses mixed metaphors. Here, we see God’s people as a bride and a city. Notice that, in this bride language, we have a people so arrayed in the glorious beauty of purity and righteousness that she is pictured as a bride, adorned on her wedding day, ready to commit herself fully to her husband. No longer is there a hint of spiritual adultery (cf. Hos 2:16–17). From a human perspective, there is nothing more joyfully intimate than the consummation of a loving marriage. Yet, it’s a mere taste of the pleasure and perfection of the life between God and his people for all eternity!

What about the city imagery? God wants us to see our hope of redemption as being profoundly social. Today, people often avoid the city in favor of owning land because more people concentrated in an area means more opportunities for sin. Yet, God’s solution is not spread the people out, but to make a new kind of city. Here is a city filled with new people who love their God and love each other. No locks, no loneliness, no lack of love for our neighbor. That’s the future God has in store for us.

3. God Promises a New Existence (21:4)

Just as God is going to make creation new, so also is he going to make his people new. Not just spiritually, either, but physically. John says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4).

The Bible says that Christ died for sinners, but he didn’t stay dead. And it’s clear that he didn’t just appear to be alive. His disciples touched him, saw him eat, even walked close enough to feel his breath on a long journey (Luke 24:36-40). It’s this same risen Christ who will return for his people and “will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (Phil 3:20-21).

As Christians, one day our bodies will become like the risen Christ. The Christian hope is not about floating around like ghosts in robes with halos and wings. It’s about God taking the rotting corpse in a coffin, or the smallest dust of long faded remains, and recreating them into a radiant, everlasting body fit the glories of God’s presence. Then God and his people can enjoy face-to-face fellowship for all eternity. That’s the Christian hope; the hope of the resurrection.

4. God Promises a New Experience of Salvation (12:6b-8)

God’s people have salvation—we have passed from old to new, from death to life, from darkness to light (2 Cor 5:17; Col 1:12–13). But we do not experience all of what God has for us in salvation. What lies ahead is the final culmination of redemption in Christ. John records him promising us: “To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son” (Rev 21:7). What will we have? Fullness of life for all eternity! God himself in all his glory and the beauty of the new creation will be the inheritance of his people. People, who themselves will be so transformed as to resemble God himself.

At the same time, “for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (Rev 21:8).Part of the glory of the new heavens and the new earth is that there will be no sin—ever. But that also means that before these things, there will be a final judgment that separates God’s people from everyone else. Christ will return the same way he ascended to heaven after his resurrection, and there will be a winnowing of wheat and chaff, a division of sheep and goats, a declaration of the just from the unjust. And while those who have trusted God and find their life in Christ will experience his salvation, those that have persisted in their rebellion will be consigned to an eternity of conscience torment in hell (Matt 25:31–46). So perfect is the dwelling of God with his people that no sin or evil or the results of sin and evil can possibly tarnish it.

Live New Lives in the Present

I have often heard people say that it’s possible to be so heavenly-minded that you’re no earthly good. But New Testament shows the very opposite to be true. The more one thinks about the future and what is to come, the more useful they are now. We can be so heavenly minded that we become of immense earthly good.

These truths have massive implications for how we live in the here and now. If we really believe the amazing salvation promised to us will one day be reality in its fullness, then we must also believe the reality that not everyone knows Christ. The reality of hell should motivate to see people escape hell and for Christ to enjoy more worshipers. Moreover, the reality of the church’s destiny should motivation to see and serve believers now in light of what we will become. It’s the assurance of the hope of heaven that releases radical, risk-taking love now. It’s the hope of new creation that allows us to shed earthly dreams and priorities to invest in eternity. Therefore, let us remember the future we have in Christ and live today because of what is to come.

Biblical Thoughts and Response to the Violation of Worship in MN

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 20:53:00 +0000

Many of us are aware of the ICE Protestors who invaded an evangelical church last Sunday and interrupted the public worship of the Lord Jesus. Many of us may yet benefit from clear biblical insight on this event, the current political and religious climate that allowed it, and above all, how we should respond.

I commend to you Albert Mohler’s podcast episode from Monday. Mohler delivers a wealth of insight on a range of relevant issues here. Well worth your time…

The Cycle of Self-Harm and the Nearness of God

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Odel) — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:41:00 +0000

Mental health has become a major topic of conversation lately. It’s hard to watch any show or sports event without catching a commercial about mental health services. In fact, from 1997 to 2017, mental health and addiction ads saw the biggest jump among all direct-to-consumer health service ads. The spending went from $2 million to an incredible $162 million.1 Even nearly ten years later, this upward trend continues. According to Fortune Business Insights, the U.S. behavioral health market was valued at $87.82 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow even more, reaching $132.46 billion by 2032.2

So, why such a big investment? The reasons vary depending on different worldviews, but one thing is clear: we live in a real world where real people face real challenges. Thankfully, as believers in Christ wielding the Word of God, we have real answers and applications to help others navigate them (see Rom 15:14; 1 Thess 5:14).

One common challenge is non-suicidal self-injury, or self-harm. This can take many forms: cutting, hitting, excessive picking or scratching at the skin, pulling out hair, breaking bones, biting nails until they bleed, burning skin, substance abuse, extreme eating habits, and similar behaviors. Usually, those who engage in these actions feel alone (more on this later) and try to turn their emotional pain into something physical, which they believe is easier to manage. While it’s true that pain triggers the body’s natural painkillers, this relief doesn’t last long and can lead to serious consequences.

A self-injurer is likely all too familiar with this cycle:3

This diagram presents an upside-down understanding of Psalm 46:1-3: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Instead, during those painful moments, a self-injurer might feel: “I am my own refuge and strength in this time of trouble. My life is crumbling around me. I’m alone. I don’t want to feel this mental pain anymore. I must take control. I must do something to feel in control. I must do it now. I need relief now.” Regardless of how complicated the situation might seem, “all self-injury is an attempt to make life work without turning to God and trusting Him.”4

This is ultimately an issue of the heart. When thoughts and desires turn bitter, we may find ourselves drifting away from God's presence, chasing after false hopes of peace (see Jer 2:12-13). But remember, the cycle can be broken—God has all the power to bring change. His light continues to shine and overcome darkness (Jn 1:5). Instead of feeling stuck in a never-ending loop of guilt and unchanged situations, there is hope and a way forward.

Let’s not be naïve. When it comes to self-injury, there is a lot to untangle. But that’s no excuse for avoidance or procrastination. For some, the starting block is John 3. Some self-injurers feel alone because they are without a relationship with the source of life: Jesus Christ. This isn't a Christian cliché: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him (vv16-17). Come to the light, dear friend, if you remain in darkness (v21). Jesus stands ready to save you from every sin. He is the cycle breaker. He came to seek and save the lost (Lk 19:10). Repentance is the doorway to true freedom.

Many believers, however, have succumbed to the tactics of the world, the flesh, and the devil (see 1 Jn 2:15-17). You might find yourself in a similar situation. Remember, you are truly dead to sin and alive in Christ (Rom 6:11), but there is an ongoing struggle between the flesh and the Spirit (see Gal 5:16-17). The good news is, there's always a way out: No temptation is not common to man. God is faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure (1 Cor 10:13). If you're caught in a cycle of self-injury or caring for someone who is, let me offer a handful of applications that can help break the cycle. Again, there's a lot to untangle, but these steps forward will help you move from controlling stress to cultivating trust and delight in God.

Application #1: Understand that nothing is hidden from God.

Proverbs 15:3: The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

Psalm 139:7-12: Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

God’s omnipresence is liberating. The self-injurer makes limitless failed attempts to hide, but there is nowhere to go. Confess your failed attempts to control, your refusal to trust God, and bring this sin struggle to Him. You’ll be surprised that He is not waiting for your arrival with unencumbered wrath. Quite the opposite, actually: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matt 11:28-30). If you can’t escape God’s gracious presence, embrace it.

Application #2: Embrace God’s character.

Exodus 34:6b-7a: The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

Psalm 145:17: The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.

Think about your situation, the pressure that motivates you to choose self-injury. Where is there a deficiency in viewing God rightly? Where have you been “tricked” into thinking that God is anything other than poised to pour out mercy and grace (Heb 4:16)? Refuse the enemy’s lies. They’ll only turn you toward impostors of relief.

Application #3: Call on God.

If you’re trapped in the self-injury cycle, you likely feel as though you don’t have the right words with which to address God. Let His words give expression to your pain. One of His kind works is to give us language to speak in relationship to Him. Psalm 6 is a fantastic place to start:

O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—how long? Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give your praise? I am weary with moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

The Lord is near to everyone who truthfully calls on Him (Ps 145:18). Don’t believe that? Consider a few of those who did:

Matthew 14:34-36 – ALL the sick in Gennesaret

Matthew 20:29-34 – Two blind men sitting by a roadside in Jericho

Luke 8:40-56 – A woman with an issue of blood and Jairus’s daughter

Luke 17:11-19 – Ten lepers near Jerusalem

Application #4: Push Against Isolation and Receive Help.

Remember the guilt and unchanged circumstances box from the self-injury diagram? There’s a lot to unpack with these two components, but God has provided others to help bear your burdens (Gal 6:2). In reading this entry, you have THIS link to sign up for Coffee with a Counselor, an informal space to share what’s going on in your life and think through a Christ-centered remedy. A wayward spirit will find loving admonishment, weakness will be met with true help, faintheartedness will run into encouragement, and patience will flood everything (see 1 Thess 5:14). One of the boldest steps you can take in dealing with self-injury is inviting a wise Christian into the chaos of your heart. It is God’s plan to offer help and hope through His people. Trust His character; trust His plan for change.

Back to advertising. Many celebrities—voices that sinners and sufferers follow—are open about their struggles with self-injury. Those who follow Christ will point to the resources available in Christ (see 2 Pt 1:3-4). Those who don’t stand for Christ can only offer worldly wisdom—shifts in behavior. There may be some help—some temporary relief—but guilt and circumstances won’t change without drawing near to Christ. Friend, God's ways are better (Ps 18:30). He's after your heart, and you need Him to be. Isn’t it time to break the cycle—for good?

James 4:7-8a: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Drawn near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Psalm 18:30: This God--his way is perfect, the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

_____________________________

1. Lea Winerman, "By the Numbers: Marketing Health," American Psychological Association, May 2019, https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/05/numbers-marketing.
2. "U.S. Behavioral Health Market Size, Share and Industry," Fortune Business Insights, December 29, 2025, https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/u-s-behavioral-health-market-105298.
3. Edward T. Welch, "Self-Injury: When Pain Feels Good," The Journal of Biblical Counseling (Winter 2004): 33.
4. Welch, "Self-Injury: When Pain Feels Good," 33.

Parenting with Purpose: Drilling Down into Ephesians 6:4

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 21:13:00 +0000

Though the New Testament does not contain a ton of explicit instruction on childrearing, one verse known by almost everyone interested in the topic is Ephesians 6:4:

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

It’s possible to be well familiar with a verse, but not so clear on exactly what it entails. What would it look like to follow Paul’s prescription?

Don’t Provoke Them to Anger

“Don’t provoke them to anger” may seem quite vague. Yet, as elsewhere in the Bible, the apostle has coupled a prohibition with a command – “don’t do this, but rather do this.” “Don’t provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Typically, the prohibition and the command are mutually explanatory. That is, one helps us understand the other.

If the positive command is to raise children in the LORD’s discipline and instruction, what may be the kind of parenting that provokes children to anger? It may be either some kind of parenting with no clear discipline or instruction OR discipline and instruction that does not come from the Lord. Here are several examples:

Using my authority to get my way. Here, the issue isn’t so much the standard but the end to which it is used. Certainly, we have authority over our children and should train them to live godly lives. Further, there is nothing wrong with building structure into our homes. But are the rules in my house nothing more than my preferences made into law? Is there room in my home for my children to have and enjoy their own interests? Or is every square inch of their lives shaped and controlled by me? If so, the older they get the more exasperated they will be.

Failing to practice what I preach. Here, the discipline and instruction may be from the Lord, but only the children are held to it, not the parents. Perhaps I’m teaching my kids the Word of God, consistently calling them to walk in faithfulness to the Lord. But what if I’m just pointing rather than leading? When my kids see a drastic incongruity between what I preach and how I live, they will be provoked to anger.

It’s not necessary for us to be sinless in order to avoid provoking our children. We all sin. Our kids will know that as well as anyone. But do our kids see us striving for holiness, AND when we sin, do we confess, repent, and seek forgiveness?

Applying absolute standards other than Scripture. It is confusing for a child to be taught one standard (Scripture) while being measured by another. Not only does it leave a child uncertain about what really matters, but it may also lead them to ignore the Scriptures and model themselves after a lesser standard.

For example, some parents may use themselves as the standard: “this is what I would have done; here is how I would do it.” As mentioned above, it is crucial to set a good example and walk in a way that commends what we’re teaching. That is not the same thing as holding ourselves out as the standard. Other parents may use other children—even their own children—as the absolute standard. “Why can’t you be more like…?” Better and clearer to just hold them to the Scriptures in general and the person of Christ in particular.

What other ways can you think of that we may provoke our children to anger? Given the juxtaposition of this prohibition with the positive command to raise children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, the most common ways we provoke our children will involve raising them with something other than the LORD’s way.

Bring Them Up

To bring up a child simply means to nurture them. Maturity is the goal. And that maturity has to be colored by the last phrase of the verse: in the Lord. This is spiritual maturity or sanctification. Bringing them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord has heart transformation as its goal. In other words, we’re not looking to simply raise responsible citizens, but believers growing in Christlikeness who love God.

Nurturing precludes the concept of parenting on the side. Parenting cannot be something that we do in addition to the main things in our lives. A father, for example, should see his career as his vocation, but his occupation – what occupies his affections and greatest attention – is his role as the shepherd of His family.

Have you been guilty of parenting on the side as opposed to being a nurturer, one bringing others up to spiritual maturity? In what ways has this been manifested in your life and home?

Paul tells us how to nurture them, how to bring them up…

In the Discipline and Instruction of the Lord

Discipline is training. 2 Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. “Training” in 2 Timothy 3:16 is the same Greek word as “discipline” in Ephesians 6:4. Discipline is not merely punishment, but also training in righteousness. So not just a negative consequence for disobedience, but also positive training toward obedience. Further, 2 Timothy 3:16 holds out the Bible as the manual for training in righteousness. Here, Paul advocates a kind of parenting that trains a child in overcoming sin and cultivating righteousness.

Instruction is teaching and warning. In the beginning of 1 Corinthians 10, Paul reminds the readers of the OT fathers: they were under the cloud, they passed through the Red Sea, they were baptized into Moses, and they enjoyed tremendous spiritual benefits as God’s people. In spite of all this, they sinned against God.

Then the apostle writes, “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor 10:11-12). Paul notes that these things were written down for our “instruction,” the same word and concept found in Ephesians 6:4. It is intended to teach us and to warn us. Now the verb form of this word is used more often and we see it used in the sense of warning as well, in places like Acts 20:31, Rom 15:14, and Col 1:28.

Essentially, instruction shows us both the way we should go and warns about the way we should not go. Parents who employ the instruction of the Lord teach the Word of God and its application to life, while also warning them about the dangers of going astray.

Have you been intentionally employing the Lord’s discipline and instruction in your home? Or have you been going with the flow, just passing the days, surviving?

What would it look like to intentionally employ the Lord’s discipline and instruction?

One suggestion: If you find that your children are becoming engrossed in negative influences from social media, take a proactive approach by scheduling a weekly 'media review' night. Sit down together and review the content they've consumed, discussing how it aligns with biblical teaching. Use this opportunity to instruct them on discernment, guiding them to think critically about what they watch and listen to, ensuring they understand the principles of Philippians 4:8 in choosing their media.

What other ways can you think of to intentionally bring the Lord’s discipline and instruction to bear on your children’s lives?

Songs of Hope through the Centuries

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Odel) — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 02:52:00 +0000

"Hope is ____________ confidence of God's _____________ glory based on Christ's _____________ work."

We've heard this a lot lately. Did you get the blanks correct? If not, do good to your soul and relisten to THIS sermon, followed by THIS one.

The past two Sundays have simply not allowed enough time to sing all the songs that might help build assurance of hope. In God's providence, though, this was my week to post a blog. Let these songs and hymns--from the 1600s to the present--mature your perspective on suffering and bring to mind how meticulously you've been loved. Slow down to consider how these messages have been and are true of your every joy and sorrow.

All My Hope on God Is Founded

1679, Joachim Neander

All my hope on God is founded;

He doth still my trust renew,

Me through change and chance he guideth,

Only good and only true.

God unknown, he alone

Calls my heart to be his own.

Pride of man and earthly glory,

Sword and crown betray his trust;

What with care and toil he buildeth,

Tow'r and temple fall to dust.

But God's pow'r, hour by hour,

Is my temple and my tow'r.

God's great goodness aye endureth,

Deep his wisdom, passing thought:

Splendor, light, and life attend him,

Beauty springeth out of naught.

Evermore from his store

Newborn worlds rise and adore.

Daily doth th'almighty Giver

Bounteous gifts on us bestow;

His desire our souls delighteth,

Pleasure leads us where we go.

Love doth stand at his hand;

Joy doth wait on his command.

Still from man to God eternal

Sacrifice of praise be done,

High above all praises praising

For the gift of Christ, his Son.

Christ doth call one and all:

Ye who follow shall not fall.

Be Still, My Soul

1752, Katharina von Schlegel

Be still, my soul:

The Lord is on your side;

Bear patiently

The cross of grief or pain;

Leave to your God

To order and provide;

In every change

He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul:

Your best, Your heavenly Friend

Through thorny ways

Leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul:

Your God will undertake

To guide the future

As he has the past.

Your hope, your confidence

Let nothing shake;

All now mysterious

Shall be bright at last.

Be still, my soul:

The waves and winds still know

His voice who ruled them

While he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul:

When dearest friends depart,

And all is darkened

In the vale of tears,

Then shall you better

Know his love, his heart,

Who comes to soothe

Your sorrow and your fears.

Be still, my soul:

Your Jesus can repay

From his own fullness

All he takes away.

Be still, my soul:

The hour is hastening on

When we shall be

Forever with the Lord,

When disappointment,

Grief, and fear are gone,

Sorrow forgot,

Loves purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul:

When change and tears are past,

All safe and blessed

We shall meet at last.

Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting

1876, Jean Sophia Pigott

Jesus, I am resting, resting

In the joy of what thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

Of thy loving heart.

Thou hast bid me gaze upon thee,

As thy beauty fills my soul,

For by the transforming power,

Thou hast made me whole.

Oh, how great thy loving-kindness,

Vaster, broader than the sea!

Oh, how marvelous thy goodness

Lavished on me!

Yes, I rest in thee, Beloved,

Know what wealth of grace is thine,

Know thy certainty of promise

And have made it mine.

Simply trusting thee, Lord Jesus,

I behold thee as thou art,

And thy love, so pure,

So changeless,

Satisfies my heart;

Satisfies its deepest longings,

Meets, supplies its every need,

Compasseth me round with blessings:

Thine is love indeed.

Ever lift thy face upon me

As I work and wait for thee;

Resting 'neath thy smile,

Lord Jesus,

Earth's dark shadows flee.

Brightness of my Father's glory,

Sunshine of my Father's face,

Keep me ever trusting, resting,

Fill me with thy grace.

God Leads Us Along

1903, George A. Young

In shady, green pastures,

So rich and so sweet,

God leads his dear children along;

Where the water's cool flow

Bathes the weary one's feet,

God leads his dear children along.

Some through the waters,

Some through the flood,

Some through the fire,

But all through the blood;

Some through great sorrow,

But God gives a song,

In the night season

And all the day long.

Sometimes on the mount

Where the sun shines so bright,

God leads his dear children along;

Sometimes in the valley,

In the darkest of night,

God leads his dear children along.

Though sorrows befall us

And Satan oppose,

God leads his dear children along;

Through grace we can conquer,

Defeat all our foes;

God leads his dear children along.

Come to Jesus (Rest in Him)

2021, Jordan Kauflin and Matt Merker

Are you weary, heavy-laden?

Come and lay your burdens down;

Jesus calls you, Jesus draws you;

Rest in him.

He is gentle, He is lowly,

He delights to bring us peace;

Tender Shepherd, mighty Savior:

Rest in him.

How sure his compassion for us!

Oh, how deep is his love;

So, come, come to Jesus

And rest in him.

Are you hopeless, are you guilty?

Caught in shame for all your sin?

He pursues you to forgive you;

Rest in him.

He has paid for every failure,

Mercy flows in endless streams;

Come and follow, freedom calls you:

Rest in him.

Are you waiting in your sorrows

For the broken world to heal?

He is coming, soon returning;

Rest in him.

We will see him, we will know him,

Oh, what heights of grace revealed;

Trust in Jesus, he will keep us

To the end.

I Set My Hope on Jesus

2023, Matt Boswell, Keith Getty, Matt Papa

When this life of trials tests my faith,

I set my hope on Jesus.

When the questions come and doubts remain,

I set my hope on Jesus.

For the deepest wounds that time won't heal,

There's a joy that runs still deeper.

There's a truth that's more than all I feel;

I set my hope on Jesus.

I set my hope on Jesus,

My rock, my only trust,

Who set his heart upon me first;

I set my hope on Jesus.

Though I falter in this war with sin,

I set my hope on Jesus.

When I fail the fight and sink within,

I set my hope on Jesus.

Though the shame would drown me in its sea,

And I dread the waves of justice,

I will cast my life on Calvary;

I set my hope on Jesus.

Though the world call me to leave my Lord,

I set my hope on Jesus.

Though it offer all its vain rewards,

I set my hope on Jesus.

Though this heart of mine be prone to stray,

Give me grace enough to finish.

Till I worship on that final day,

I set my hope on Jesus.

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

REPOST: Worshiping the King -- Bethlehem's Line in the Sand

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 18:27:00 +0000

Originally posted December 22, 2009:

Some 2,000 years after His birth, Jesus Christ still remains the most divisive figure in human history. The testimony of the Gospel writers clearly shows this.

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)

When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This really is the Prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" So there was a division among the people over him. (John 7:40-43)

Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them. (John 9:16)

Those who are confronted with the truth of Jesus Christ are forced to make a choice. There are only two options – believe or reject, love or hate, worship or ignore. Everyday all over the world people are making that choice. And interestingly, Christmas, a time when Christ seemingly gets more attention than at any other time of the year, is a time when we can see most clearly this choice being made. There are those who want nothing to do with Christmas, who are offended by the greeting, “Merry Christmas.” Then there are those who embrace the holiday, enjoying the festive season of the year…while silently denying the reason for Christmas and refusing to worship the baby. Then there are those who celebrate Christmas as an act of worship. And while outwardly those appear to be three different groups, the Bible would present them as two – those who believe, love, and worship Him and those who don’t.

Matthew’s account of the wise men coming to visit the Messiah shows just this kind of division in humanity. There appear to be three distinct groups, but closer inspection reveals only two.

Herod is the central character in Matthew 2:1-18. For this reason, his choice about how to respond to the birth of Jesus is portrayed in the most detail. Herod was appointed king of the Jews by Rome. In v2, he received word of a baby born king of the Jews. V3, When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled.

Herod the Great could go down as one of the most paranoid rulers in human history. He suspected conspiracies under every rock in Jerusalem, and was so zealous to retain his power that over the years he executed his wife, several sons, and a number of relatives. So it is no surprise that Herod would do what he did, which was to seek to kill the baby born the King of the Jews.

The first couple of steps in his plan are very telling. First, he gathered all the chief priests and scribes and asked them where the Christ was to be born (v4). What is so significant about this? Herod believed that the baby of whom the wise men spoke was the Christ. That was why he asked for the chief priests and scribes – they were experts in the Hebrew Scriptures and he knew that they would know the details of the prophecies of the Messiah. And he was right. They did know. They told that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem of Judea.

Next, Herod summoned the wise men and sent them to Bethlehem to find the baby (vv7-8). Why is that significant? It shows that Herod believed the Scriptures. The Scriptures foretold that the baby would be born in Bethlehem, and that is where he sent the wise men. He sent no one to Bethany. He sent no one to En-karim or Emmaus or Bethphage. Herod was so ruthless and paranoid that if he had any doubts about the truth of the Scriptures he would have sent out people to search all over. But so sure was he that the biblical prophecy was right that he them only to Bethlehem.

Later in the chapter, we find even more disturbing evidence of Herod’s belief in the trustworthiness of the Scriptures. When it became clear to him that the wise men had tricked him and were not coming to tell him the exact location of the child in Bethlehem, he ordered all the male children in Bethlehem two years old and younger to be murdered. He was so convinced of the veracity of the Word that he was certain if he killed all the young boys there, he could know that the Christ was dead and the threat to his own power was eliminated.

Think about the implications there. Herod believed that Jesus was the Christ and he believed what God’s Word said about Him. In the eyes of many in the evangelical church today, those two truths mean that Herod was a Christian, saved from his sins. But the teaching of this story and the teaching of the Bible as a whole is that an intellectual agreement with certain facts about God is not tantamount to saving faith. There is another component needed.

What instructions did Herod give the wise men? Treacherous ones: "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him" (v8). This was nothing more than a self-serving charade intended to preserve his own power. Clearly, Herod did not intend to worship the baby, but to kill Him. He desired to refuse the baby king’s rightful authority over him.

The counterpoint to Herod’s treachery in this chapter is the earnestness of the wise men. They came from the east. Some scholars estimate this trip could have taken months, requiring the wise men to cross some of the most inhospitable territory in the world. Knowing nothing more than that a king had been born, they came to Jerusalem hoping to find help in locating Him.

V2 tells us that they came for one reason only, “For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." This is the necessary component. This is what Herod lacked. Like him, the wise men also believed that the baby was the Christ (v2) and that the Scriptures were true in there prediction about Bethlehem as His birthplace (v8). But unlike Herod, they left everything and worshiped Him. They bowed to His authority: They rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh (vv10b-11).

Many people will celebrate Christmas this week, believing in the historicity of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and even believing that He was the Christ, and yet they will be no more saved than was Herod. They will refuse the rightful authority that the baby holds over their lives. They may claim to be His followers, but they deny Him in that they refuse to recognize the line that He draws in the sand. They will not forsake all and follow Him.

We have a Savior who divides the world into two groups – those who love and worship Him and those who don’t. May our actions this week reveal hearts of worship for the Christ. When He looks down on us this Christmas, may He see a familiar sight – those who have left all and traveled far to worship a baby King.

Rejecting the Sin of Antisemitism

noreply@blogger.com (John Botkin) — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

This weekend was one of violence. Two parents were apparently murdered by their son. Two students were killed by a still unknown assailant. And a father and son took attacked a Jewish community celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. All three of these incidents give us pause for our culture and should move us to pray for the families of the victims as well as for justice to be served. Yet, at this time of year the shooting at Bondi Beach seems especially grievous.

The alleged shooters were Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed. Both were Muslim with the father having previously been looked at for ties to an Islamic terrorist cell. And their crime wasn't random. Both men set their sights on a Jewish community, leaving sixteen dead and more injured. Many are using this call for gun control or police reform. But they are missing the real problem—a sinful hatred of Jewish people.

Even worse, consider the relationship of these shooters. There were not two random strangers or two men committed to the same cause. These men were father and son. In a distorted from of discipleship, one man raised his son to hate Jews. And that hatred came to fruition as they planned and carried out a deadly attack against them. Much like any other form of racism, antisemitism never seems to go away.

This is, frankly, shocking given our recent cultural history. A central component of Germany's domestic policy during World War 2 was their "final solution" of the so-called "Jewish Question." The antisemitism of the Nazis left them unsatisfied with trying to push them out of the country or experiment on them in inhumane ways. They sought to exterminate them. The liberation of their concentration camps revealed this wicked plan and the world was staggered. The historic land of Israel was given back to the Jewish people as a safe haven that such a thing would never again happen.

Yet, antisemitism will not die. Beyond the constant attacks of Israel's political neighbors and terrorists attacks, we have a growing number of voices in social media that point to the Jews as a problem for Western society. Sometimes this is pitched as merely "anti-Zionist" but the nuance is pretty thin. This is a prejudice against, if not a hatred for, the Jewish people. Such an attitude is essentially the spirit of antichrist.

How so, you may wonder? Consider the reality that while this father and son conspired to murder Jews in recent week, another Father and Son joyfully planned their salvation in eternity past (Eph 1:3–10). In fact, just as a one man bravely took fire trying to stop the assault on people who were completely strangers to him, another Jew embraced death for his Jewish countrymen and other he would call out from the world to be his people—many enemies who rebelled against him (Rom 3:8–31). Are we, as Christians, to hate the Jewish flesh of our dear Savior? God forbid!

To hate the Jews is to hate Jesus himself. Some have tried to use the rebellion of Israel against God in the Old Testament or the role of the Jewish leaders in crucifying Jesus to justify a spirit of antisemitism. This says more about them than what the Bible teaches. For in the course of redemptive history, the Gentiles owe a tremendous debt to the Jewish people for salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22)! Though we Gentiles make up the majority of God's people now, we were actually grafted into the people of believing Israel like a branch onto a tree (Rom 11:11–24). Through faith in Christ, we are children of Abraham—Jews (Gal 3:29)!

The apostle Paul didn't despise "the Jews" for killing Jesus. Just the opposite! He longed to see more be saved: He even lamented that more were not believing: "I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh" (Rom 9:1–3). How can we not long for the same thing at Christmastime when we celebrate the birth of the "consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25)?

Thinking about these issues leads to two clear, biblical responses.

First, we should reject any form of antisemitism. This is first a form of racism, which the Scriptures won't allow. All people are created in God's image (Gen 1:26) and are worthy of our love, even if they are our enemies (Matt 5:44). Worse, it's an attack on God's plans and purposes in Christ. Some celebrities, social media personalities, and political pundits all promote shades of antisemitism today. Reject them. Do not walk in their counsel or stand in their way (Ps 1:1–2). Despite overlapping interests or agreement on other things, do not associate with their sinfulness in this regard. If needed, repent and seek God's forgiveness for your own heart in this matter.

Second, pray for the salvation of the Jewish people. Paul seems to suggest that there is a future for the salvation of ethnic Israel (Rom 11:25–32). It was certainly his practice, though the apostle to the Gentiles, to begin his gospel mission with the Jews, preaching Christ at the synagogues. At the very least, they are like anyone else in need for forgiveness in Christ (Eph 2:1–3). Seeking the salvation of Jewish people doesn't mean we need to agreed with everything related the political nation-state of Israel. Nevertheless, the salvation of Jews should never be far from our minds (Rom 1:16). We should pray weep for the violence against them and pray that the Lord would use such times to lift their eyes to him and see Jesus as their long-promised Messiah.

Kings, Copies, Fear, and Faithfulness: Moving Beyond Mere Proximity to the Word

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 21:22:00 +0000

As I write this, I count two Bibles in the same room with me. Within 90 seconds I could lay my hands on half a dozen more. Not to mention the electronic copies—on my phone and iPad—that go with me virtually everywhere. God’s Word is always with me. My being in God’s Word…that may be another story.

The law of Moses anticipated the installation of a king in Israel by giving instructions to that end. Deuteronomy 17:14-17 gave guidelines for who could serve that role and rules specific to his reign. The passage concludes with this:

18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests.

19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them,

20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.” (Deuteronomy 17:18–20)

The passage strikes me as instructive not only for kings, but for all God’s people, perhaps particularly those satisfied with proximity to God’s Word. I’ll make an argument for that toward the end. First, consider the passage…

…he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priest… First, imagine how long this would have taken. If “this law” refers just to the book of Deuteronomy, copying it would have been quite a task. But what if the intent was for the king to handcopy all the Pentateuch? “…approved by the Levitical priests” is more literally, “before the Levitical priests” and could indicate that the king was to copy the law literally in their presence. This makes perfect sense as the original would have been at the Tabernacle. “Copy” is the word for “second.” The king was making a “second law,” indicating he was copying the original. To make his copy, the king would have to go to the tabernacle (Deut 31:24-26). The priests would have to bring it out to him. A relatively inconvenient, laborous, time-intensive process.

Why go to all that trouble?

“And it shall be with him…” He needed to have God’s Word available to him all the time. He needed it with him. The great labor of making his own copy must indicate that ready access to God’s Word was essential for his serving faithfully.

But was this task merely intended to make the law available to him? I have many Bibles all around me, yet how many hours and days have I spent…the Bible with me, but me not in it?

“…and he shall read in it all the days of his life…” He was not merely to have the Bible present as something of a talisman, but he was to have his own copy of the law of God in order to read it daily.

At the time, the Word was much shorter than it is now. Reading daily, the king might read the whole many times a year, countless times in a lifetime. It must have been the case that many readings, countless readings was not sufficient. He was to read and read and read…all the days of his life. Why?

“…that he may learn to fear the Lord his God…” The ultimate purpose of repetitive reading is to learn a disposition toward God, to fear God, to develop a heart of loving awe and reverence. Note that this is a disposition that must be learned. Godly fear is not natural to the fallen man. It must be cultivated even in the regenerate (2 Cor 7:1)…cultivated through time in the Word.

How long will it take to arrive? It is not as if one can never arrive at a fear of the Lord; the Bible describes multiple people as having that very quality (Gen 22:12; Exo 1:17; 1 Kings 18:3; Neh 7:2). However, that the king was called to read the law all the days of his life indicates that one can unlearn the fear of the Lord. Psalm 119 seems to confirm that fear of the Lord is fed by constancy in His Word (119:38, 63, 79, 161).

Therefore, consider the king who had the law with him, but did not read it all the days of his life. What did he learn? He learned whatever the enemies of his soul put in front of him. His own flesh would have been a sufficient enemy to keep him mired in a lack of godly fear. How much worse would be his disposition when his flesh acted in concert with the devil and the world?

So..shouldn’t one do everything necessary to resist mere proximity to the Bible? Days, years wasted near the Bible and not in it? How many kings of Israel lived entire lives in proximity to the law, perhaps a stone’s throw from the original? Or even closer to David’s copy? (I suggest David actually fulfilled this command to make his own copy, which explains his love of and meditation on the Scriptures, not to mention his phraseology when instructing Solomon [Prov 4:3-9 cf 1 Kings 2:1-4). Yet by the time of Josiah’s reign the very existence of the original had been forgotten (2 Kings 22:8-11). No wonder there was no fear of God before their eyes (Rom 3:18, Psa 36:1).

“…in order that he may keep all the words of this law and these statutes, doing them…” The fear of the Lord leads to obeying all that He says.

Reading the Word daily then serves multiple purposes. Again, it cultivates fear of the Lord. It also provides understanding of what the Lord desires from His people. Numerous occasions in Judges, particularly chs 17-21, it appeared that the people failed to obey because they were ignorant of what God required. That was certainly no excuse, but it underscored their need for a Deuteronomy 17 kind of king (Jdg 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25) to lead them in fear of God and faithfulness to His law. To keep the Word requires knowing it…knowing it very well. Doing the Word is a separate thing which requires the fuel of godly fear.

Deuteronomy 17:20 suggests that leaving off this daily reading of the Word would lead a king’s heart to be lifted up above his brothers and to turn aside from the commandments. This is exactly what the kings of Israel demonstrated, beginning even with David.

As the book of Judges, Samuel, and Kings show, finding a king who would exemplify the ideal of Deuteronomy 17 would not be easy, but not impossible. It would however require God the Son Himself to take that role. Jesus Christ is identified as a king in the very first verse of the NT (Matt 1:1). There is no evidence that He had His own copy of the law, but His command of God’s Word indicates He knew it better than any previous king. Further, the Word in the hands of the Spirit had its intended effect—Jesus lived with a loving reverence for the Father evidenced by perfect obedience in all things (Isa 11:2-3; Heb 5:7; John 4:34; 8:29; Phil 2:8).

Because of His work on our behalf—dying on the cross and rising from the dead—we have new covenant advantages unavailable to OT kings. We have the indwelling Spirit to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). We have the fullness of God’s revelation, one part helping to illuminate another part in the context of the whole. We have other saints—present and historical—to help us understand what we find in God’s Word. So why wouldn’t we read it all the days of our lives?

Perhaps an obvious objection is that Deuteronomy 17:18-20 is instruction for kings. Is it really appropriate to apply it to our own sanctification?

Is there good reason to believe that any of the above principles pertain only to kings? For example, is the fear of the Lord a need unique to kings? If not…time in the Word as a means of growth in that fear…is that unique to kings? Surely not.

Isn’t Psalm 119 written to all God’s people? By it doesn’t the author commend a Bible-meditation-induced fear of the Lord to all people? It seems that the Lord’s instruction for kings was intended to equip them to lead the people to the same results—godly fear and faithfulness.

Deuteronomy 17:18-20 is similar to the passages on elder qualifications in the NT (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). It would be truly odd for one to reason, “I’m not an elder and don’t aspire to be one, so there is no need for me to exemplify those qualifications.” Similarly, how unreasonable to conclude that because I am not a king there is no need for daily intake of the Word unto a growing fear of the Lord that I might honor him with my life.

Unlike the kings of old, we don’t have to make our own copy. Bibles abound in our day and culture. So, in light of the new covenant blessings afforded by King Jesus, shouldn’t we move beyond mere proximity to the Word toward time in the Word all the days of our lives?

How to Enjoy Christmas without Losing Your Mind

noreply@blogger.com (John Botkin) — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

It’s almost a cliché now. We talk about the busyness of the holidays so much that “normal life” is put on hold until after it’s over. ‘Can we get together?’ ‘Sure, but let’s wait until after the holidays.’ Hopefully, we remember about it four or five weeks later!

Somehow the point of the holidays has been lost. This is true for everyone. What used to be seen as a time to take a break and enjoy family has now become a time filled with generic holiday activities that put us on edge and, sometimes, cause family time to be less than stellar. Even more so for the Christian, we now have to encourage one another to “keep Christ in Christmas.”

Interestingly enough, this is a very modern problem.* The early centuries of the church didn’t have anything like a modern Christmas service. In fact, there was no service! The birth of Jesus was like any other event of his life. The emphasis was on his death, and even more significantly, his resurrection. In fact, celebrating Easter was so important that it caused a controversy in 155 AD. There was disagreement on when and how the event should be celebrated!

With the rise of Christian persecution, the church actually began celebrating the death of the apostles and later martyrs. The church father, Origen, even said celebrating someone’s birth was a pagan idea, coming from prideful hearts seen in the likes of Pharaoh and Herd. (So much for those extravagant birthday dinners!)

Yet, the birth of Jesus took on more significance when the heretic Arius had the bright idea that the way to defend God against the error of Sabellianism was to deny the full deity of the Son and Spirit. Jesus only became the son of God during the Incarnation. Thus, the Word was created by God and the phrase “there once was a time when the son was not” was used a trendy worship song. Athanasius famously, and successfully, argued for the Scriptural (and widely-held) belief that the Son was co-equal and co-eternal to the Father and the Spirit as part of the Trinue Godhead. At the Council of Nicea (AD 325), the Arian teaching was affirmed to be the heresy it always had been. After this, celebrating the birth of Jesus took on a greater significance in the church.

Yet, as the “mass of Christ” (= Christmas) grew in importance over time, it also dragged along other cultural celebrations. In the more Catholic and Orthodox settings, the celebration remained relatively unfazed. But in Reformation churches, it was so associated with "popish tradition," that it fell out of favor. The Puritans even wanted Christmas celebrations banned for a while! Not because they hated Christ, but because they loved him. The Catholic celebrations had become an excuse for unbelievers to party hard, leading to drunkenness and lewd behavior. Hardly a time befitting the birth of our Savior! It was even a problem generations later, causing Spurgeon to be hopefully cautious about it.

Eventually, Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol reenergized the holiday for the wider culture and Christian churches. Though claiming to be a Christian writer, his Carol isn’t explicitly Christian but oozes Christian themes of sin, repentance, and redemption. The central figure which ultimately turns Scrooge’s heart is Tiny Tim—one who piously attends church and seems to live out sincere faith in Jesus. He famously brings the story to a close with the words, “God bless us, every one.” And while Dicken’s aim was a practical application of religion rather than an evangelistic one, emphasizing love, generosity, and care for others, it left a mark we still feel today. It moved people to think in more family-centric ways about Christmas. Suddenly, traditions like caroling, large dinners, sending cards, and more became increasingly important to many.

all of this leads us to the present day. Christmas has become a blend of cultural sentimentality rooted in charitable giving and time with family, Christian belief about the birth of Jesus, and an oppressive weight of commercialism. The result is that we feel the need to enjoy the season, remember it’s reason, and keep up with spending what is necessary for it all!

So, how should we think about these things? How can we, as Christians, navigate the season in a way that it's good for us and honoring to God? Let me suggest three things.

First, Enjoy your freedom in Christ

Let’s be clear: nothing in Scripture mandates you celebrate Jesus’ birth in any specific, organized way. Does this mean it’s unbiblical to celebrate Christmas? Not at all! It can safely be put in the category of “helpful but unnecessary.” So, don’t let the traditions of one culture bind your conscience and drive you crazy. Paul is clear that every day is the same in Christ (Rom 14:5; Col 2:8–23). Feel free to go simple this year with your celebrations. Be free from guilt that you aren’t “making the most of the season.” It can be gift to do that! but it should never be a burden because Scripture doesn’t require it.

Second, Enjoy Christ Himself

If you’re going to celebrate Christmas, make it about Christ. This is the larger point Paul makes in Romans 14. The original issue was about the Sabbath. But a broader application can apply to Christmas as well. If you think it’s a significant day, then you must honor the Lord in celebrating (Rom 14:6). Celebrate Christ himself during the season. How can do we do this? There are many ways. In addition to listening to excellent Christmas hymns, the easiest way to do this is by reading and meditating over key passages related to Jesus’ birth—Matt 1:1–17; Luke 1:1–56; Matt 1:18–25; Luke 2:1–39; Matt 2:1–23; John 1:1–18. (A suggested order, following the chronology of events with commentary on all of it at the end.)

As you read and meditate, consider questions like: What stands out to me in a fresh way? Why did God order the events like this? How do I see God’s goodness at work? How do I see God’s fulfillment of his promises? How can I better appreciate Christ’s person and work?

And while we normally pray to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit, considering praying directly to Jesus, praising his glory and humility, thanking him for his willingly to save, asking for hearts that love him more and lips that speak of him more boldly.

Finally, Don’t Be Afraid to Enjoy Culture under Christ

While certain practices associated with holidays are sinful (e.g. 1 Pet 4:3), there are many cultural traditions bound up with Christmas that are not sinful. In fact, despite years of myth-making, they aren’t pagan in origin. Feel free to hang lights, decorate trees, give gifts, and show charity to the poor. We honor Christ when we enjoy all good gifts by faith in him (1 Cor 3:21; 1 Tim 4:4–5).

Often these traditions take on a greater meaning for us as Christians as they help points us to Jesus. They can even be bridges to neighbors and family, allowing for gospel conversations. Jesus as the light of the world (John 8:12), the one who offers fruit from the tree of life (Rev 22:14), the ultimate gift from God (John 3:16), and more. Even Santa Claus can get you to conversations about the deity of Christ!

Always Devoted to Christ

Cards on the table—I love Christmas. Part of it is the nostalgia of the music, weather, and traditions with family. A much larger part is the deeply theological issues surrounding the Incarnation which cause my mind to wonder and heart to sing! But I’ve had to learn the hard way not to be bullied by the holiday or other’s ideas about how important it is or how to celebrate it. How I celebrate and the amount of time I give it varies from year to year because life always varies. The one constant is my devotion to Christ.

*A helpful article on these early centuries can be found in Oscar Cullman, “The Origin of Christmas” in The Early Church: Studies in Early Christian History and Theology (Westminster, 1956).

The United Methodist Church, A Transgender Pastor, and the Theological Crack Predicting It All

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Birdwell) — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 20:38:00 +0000

If you can spot the cracks in a foundation, you can predict the demise of the house. A recent story regarding a mainline church underscores how cracks in our doctrine of Scripture can forecast our unfaithfulness elsewhere.

News outlets reported this week that on Sunday, November 23 a United Methodist pastor in Rochester, NY announced from the pulpit his plans to transition into a woman. Notable details included that: his announcement was greeted with support from his congregation; his announcement was made with the support of the UMC, the bishop, and church theology; and, that his own parents requested that he express their disapproval to the congregation.

One pertinent fact is the UMC’s 2024 vote to remove bans on LGBTQ+ clergy and same-sex weddings. The removal of those bans became effective in January 2025. With such broad support on these issues, it is easy to see why this pastor in NY would be met with support both from his superiors and his congregation. Does that 2024 vote represent the crack in the foundation that now leads to sanctioned ungodliness in the pulpit? The vote certainly paved the way, but the crack in the foundation can be found in the denomination's confession of faith. Here is what it has to say about the Holy Bible:

“We believe the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, reveals the Word of God so far as it is necessary for our salvation. It is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice. Whatever is not revealed in or established by the Holy Scriptures is not to be made an article of faith nor is it to be taught as essential to salvation.”

This likely sounds sound to many of us, but there are problems, both in terms of what is said here and in terms of what isn’t. The bottomline is that the UMC does not subscribe to a robust doctrine of inerrancy. (We've taught on inerrancy in recent months, so I won't reproduce that material here. A link to the Chicago Statement on Inerrancy may refresh your memory.) Not only is there no mention of inerrancy, but the statement reads, “We believe the Holy Bible…reveals the Word of God…” For decades this kind of language has been used to espouse belief in the Bible without holding that the Bible actually is the Word of God.

What is the difference between the Bible revealing God’s word and the Bible being God’s word? One key difference is that if the Bible merely reveals God’s word there could be parts of it that are in error. A cup may contain water while also containing other substances at the same time. If it is poured, water will come out, but so will other things. You as the pourer must have some mechanism for separating the water from the pollutants. To be fair, that’s my analogy, not the UMC’s, but it demonstrates the problem with the language of their statement of faith. Their statement holds that the Bible contains truth; it does not assert that the Bible is in its totality truth.

On the other hand, if the Bible is God’s word, every part of it is true and authoritative. One doesn’t need to determine what is true and what is in error; one only needs sound principles of interpretation.

The second half of the UMC statement on Scripture also contributes to the crack: “Whatever is not revealed in or established by the Holy Scriptures is not to be made an article of faith nor it is to be taught as essential to salvation.” Sounds great, right? Shouldn’t we only base our beliefs on the Bible? Surely. The statement just doesn’t go far enough. They have essentially held that everything that anyone believes as doctrinal must be supported by the Bible. They have not gone further and said everything in the Bible must be believed and obeyed. To return to the cup of water analogy, they’ve said, “if you’re going to drink, only get it from this cup.” They’ve not said, “This cup is all essential water; drink the whole thing.”

Here’s where the crack leads to a collapse: If the Bible can contain error, who determines what is true? Who decides what books, passages, verses, or commands are true and therefore authoritative for the believer? Clearly the readers or professing church.

And on the basis of what standard will they make that decision? By what plumbline will the church measure the Scriptures to determine its truthfulness in any particular part? I suggest—and liberal, mainline denominations continue to demonstrate—that when push comes to shove, the plumbline will be nothing more or less than societal norms. Why would I say that? When was the last time a mainline denomination (UMC, PCUSA, UCC, ELCA, etc) did something that brought it into greater conflict with the culture rather than greater harmony?

When the whole bible isn’t true, the whole bible isn’t authoritative. When the whole bible isn’t authoritative, by default, the reader is. And when the reader or readers—whether in isolation or in community—have authority to decide what in the Bible is true and what isn’t, you actually no longer need a Bible. You’re already being driven by the sensibilities of men.

What may seem like small gaps in a statement of faith can lead to congregations not only embracing a woman pastor, but embracing a man rejecting his God-given manhood in the belief that he is a woman pastor.

What we believe matters. What we believe about the Bible is absolutely crucial.

Proverbs 30:5: Every word of God proves true…