Listening well to the preaching of God's Word is foundational to spiritual growth and discipleship. Indeed, sanctification is not unrelated to how attentive we are to the faithful proclamation of the Scriptures (c.f. II Pet. 1:19-21; Jn. 17:17). The inspired Apostle reminds us that saving faith is created by and nourished upon the Word as it preached: "Faith comes from hea...

Are you familiar with the latin phrase Semper Reformanda? It originated in the seventeenth-century. A man named Jodocus Van Lodenstein, a key figure in the Dutch Second Reformation, coined the phrase in a devotional that he penned in 1674. The phrase simply means "Reformed and always reforming." Rightly understood Semper Reformanda encourages churches and individual Chris...

From Heaven High I Come to You A young sixteenth-century German Monk named Martin Luther was plagued with a deep sense of his own sin. Darkness prevailed over his soul. He felt no peace or joy in God's presence. Why? Because he knew that he did not measure up to God's holy standard. He recognized that his thoughts and ways fell short of God's glory and the righteous requi...

How many times have you wished somebody luck? People do it all the time. For instance, we wish people luck before big exams, athletic competitions, or job interviews. But why? What is luck anyway? Should "luck" even be a part of the Christian's vocabulary? The Oxford English Dictionary defines luck as "good things that happen by chance" and "chance considered as a force th...

We live in an age of misplaced humility. Rather than modestly distrusting our own subjective (inner) feelings on all matters of life and faith - and with steadfast conviction holding tightly to objective, external truth - we do just the opposite. We confidently trust our inner voice while distrusting objective facts and truth which are outside of us. It's the Oprah Winfrey...

Rarely do we hear a Christian man called a "man of God" anymore. Few men in our day live with the kind of sincere humility, biblical conviction, and God-centered passion that would merit such a description. We are more self-centered than Christ-centered. Many years ago, while living in Scotland, I came under an extraordinary level of conviction about my own pride and selfi...

Not only was Peter an apostle (apostolos), called and sent by God to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he was also a bond-servant (doulos), joyfully and willingly serving the One who laid His life down on the cross for the Church (II Peter 1:1; Ephesians 5:25). As an ambassador for Christ, Peter's life-mission was to go forth into all the world heralding the good news t...

The sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation in Scotland was a glorious and dynamic period in church history. The manifold reformers who courageously responded to God's call to reform the Scottish Church included the likes of the fearless George Wishart (1513 1546) who was martyred for preaching the doctrines of the "Swiss Reformers;" the erudite Patrick Hamilton (1504 1...

Dearest Christ Church, Our elders have set Good Friday apart for our church to practice the spiritual disciplines of fasting and prayer. While prayer is familiar to us all, fasting is far less common in Presbyterian churches. Before spending Friday in prayer and fasting we must remind ourselves about the importance of fasting as a spiritual discipline. Fasting and pray...

Dearest Christ Church Family, Warm Friday greetings in the name of our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As the days and weeks of quarantine roll on, it's easy for our hearts sink a bit. It's difficult to be physically separated from those whom we cherish, and to feel the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps, like me, you've found David's words echoing in your he...