Today the governor prohibited churches from meeting indoors. This is obviously not the direction we hoped for. You can pray for the elders, as we discuss our next steps. But for now, for you who have put so much time and sweat into our new facility: Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding […]
The above command comes at the very end of 1 Corinthians, the letter written by Paul to the church in Corinth. In a short while this practice would be widespread in the church – it came to be known as the osculum pacis, the “kiss of peace”. While some think that the word “holy” in […]
In a series of commandments in Leviticus 19, God’s people are commanded this: 32 “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD. The “fear” of the Lord here is tied directly with how the people treat the elderly […]
We all come to the coronavirus situation with preconceived notions of what is best; ideas and political leanings established in the past, by our upbringing, experiences, jobs and training, etc. And not all of our notions will agree with one another’s. Thus we have sought from the beginning to keep one finger on God’s “preconceived […]
In order to effect the lockdown, many governments have categorized types of works as either “essential” or “non-essential”. This is because most governments, for a variety of reasons, have not quarantined only those who are ill or exposed, but everyone. This differs from the historic and Scriptural versions of quarantine (Lev. 13:45-46; 14:33-53). But my point […]
You can print out a PDF of this page by clicking here: Day of Fasting and Prayer 14 Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. (Joel 1:14) 16 “And when you fast, […]
I have said, since I arrived here, that the “main thing” is threefold: Word, prayer and fellowship. This is because they are means to God’s sovereignly-appointed and happily-given grace, His gifts. They are the way God gives us Himself, in His Son, by His Spirit, until we see Him face to face. And now, one […]
In times like this, the most healthy, sanity-inducing thing we can do is revisit the basic doctrines of our faith. One such doctrine is the sovereignty of God. We love Isaiah 40:29-31: 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and […]
One of Christianity’s requirements, and one of its gifts to the world, is the ability to hold two seemingly irreconcilable truths at the same time. For instance, we hold that God is sovereign, and man is culpable, for his actions. The word for this is antinomy. The greatest antinomy is Jesus, who was both all God and […]
On Tuesday we initiated a flurry of technological stop-gaps to the problem of not being able to gather right now. The role of technology in the church, however, deserves further reflection. First, let me say, I don’t like not meeting together. Nor do I like technological substitutes for face-to-face contact. Not one bit. Because that’s just what […]