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What does it mean to live as people of truth in a culture that's so often less than truthful? As we continue in our series on the Sermon on the Mount, this last Sunday we looked at Matthew 5:33-37, where Jesus teaches about oaths, vows, yeses and nos. As disciples of Jesus, we must understand what it means for us that every word we say is captive to God's truth. Listen ...

Yesterday, I wrote on the importance of feeding on the Word. Today, let me add another reflection on that themenamely, what it looks like to actually feed on the Word of God. Certainly, if God calls us to live upon every Word that proceeds from his mouth (Matthew 4:4), it should not surprise us that he is not silent on what it looks like to feed on his word. Just as the h...

Sexual sin. It is a destructive issue we face more often than we like to admit. Whether it is lust, pornography, adultery, same-sex attraction, or any number of other desires that deviate from God's good design, we are inclined to bury these parts of our lives in the dark. Yet, in Sermon on the Mount, Jesus wisely and lovingly shines a light on our hearts. Getting to the ...

"Disciples make disciples" It's an axiom that is thrown around by Christians who rightly make "making disciples" a priority for genuine discipleship. But is it really true? Do disciples make disciples? Or is there more to the story? Based on the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, we might think that Jesus words give definitive answer: Yes, disciples make disciples. Yet,...

This Sunday we looked at Matthew 5:2126, where we saw the first of six lessons Jesus gives us about the law of Moses applied to his new covenant disciples. Interpreting the sixth commandment, "Do not murder" (Exod 20:13; Deut 5:17), Jesus stressed the importance of making peace with those whom we have sinned against. In Sunday's sermon, we looked briefly at how Jesus appl...

For the last century, entertainment has becoming increasingly individualized. From the inception of record players, to drive-in theaters with individual speakers, to the release of headphones, and now the ever-common individualized playlist, we are a people trained to consume the world as individuals. And when we bring that approach to God, we can easily think of our spir...

What is the purpose of the Law? How are we supposed to apply Moses' commands to our lives? How does Jesus read the Old Testament? Is there any good news for Christians in the Law of Moses? These questions and more have been raised by Christians for centuries.And one of the most challenging passages on the relationship of the Old Testament to the New is Matthew 5:1720. Thi...

Thank you for your support and prayers that made my recent trip to Togo possible. Obviously God was at work in all the preparations, in the lives of the students, and in my own life as well. I apologize for taking so long to let you know that I've returned, but after arriving back in the U.S., I left less than a week later to go to Ohio to visit my parents. For those of yo...

This little light of mine, I'm goin' let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. If you have been around church for any length of time, you've probably heard this children's song. It takes its wording from this week's passage, Matthew 5:1316, where Jesus tells his disciples that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. In truth, this is an important passa...

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Matthew 11:27 Perhaps of the most surprising (and edifying) aspect of the Sermon on the Mount is the emphasis Jesus makes on his Father in heaven. While we may consider the Sermon as ...