The Myth of the ‘Mission Trip’

“Youth groups and their leaders love ‘mission trips’ but it’s time for a bit of honesty among the practitioners of such enterprises.  First, they exhibit a kind of colonialism and an attitude of superiority.  That is, the mission trippers leave their affluent homes (mission trips are expensive) and they travel to some impoverished area and […]

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Understanding Romans 7:24

February 21

According to many Christians these days, Christians are wicked. Now, it is one thing to describe the Christian as being able to fall into sin, but according to Scripture, the wicked are sin, they live there, they are enemies of God and they will not spend eternity with our Lord Jesus Christ in the new […]

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Why the Devil Lets You Alone

February 06

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? – Romans 7:24 “I shall conclude by making an observation or two to many now present. There are some here who say, “I am never disturbed in that fashion.” Then I am sorry for you. I will tell you the reason […]

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Placating the Religious Heathen Will Result in Greater Christian Persecution

January 21

Pope Gregory’s correspondence with Augustine, as reported in Bede’s History of the English Church and People, provides us with a classic example of those who profess to represent the Christian faith, but who’s understanding of the Covenant of Grace and redemption go far astray. Augustine asks a series of questions of the Pope, one of […]

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The Christian Amish

In recent weeks, my family returned from the outer lying areas of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We go there a few times each year to relax, and to get away from whatever pseudo-ruts into which we may have fallen. It is always a joyous time for me. In a sense we reconnect to what is truly important […]

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How to Spot A Legalist

“If one is scrupulous about obeying God’s law because one hopes, or intends, or desires, by keeping his law, to obtain or retain one’s salvation, then he is a legalist, and lost. But if one tries to keep his law, not in order to be saved at the final judgment, but because he is already […]

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The Compromised John Piper

July 08

‘Desiring God is not really a book about having joy in God, it is a call for all Christians to become hedonists. In so much as the book has only secular philosophy, edited creeds, and misinterpreted scripture supporting it, the philosophy of “Christian Hedonism” is truly unworthy of further attention by the church and is […]

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A Foreshadow of Progressive Sanctification

I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. I will […]

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True Christian Piety

May 26

How blessed are those whose way is blameless [Lit complete; or having integrity], Who walk in the law of the Lord. How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart. They also do no unrighteousness; They walk in His ways. You have ordained [ Lit commanded ] Your precepts, […]

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The Christian & Government: Part 2–Distinction Between Authority and Power

In our introduction to this series, I tried to impress upon our readers that the Scripture teaches that all authority is from God, Who alone, arranges the extent and order of such. The Scriptures not only declare that it is the Sovereign God who limits this authority in the world, but these limits are to […]

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The Christian & Government: A Series Introduction

Civil governments are the last to receive authority or freedom to act. This authority is given by God to governors at all levels to represent Him and His righteous will. No governor rules Scripturally who abuses the people wickedly. Have you ever had a passage of Scripture that troubled you in seeking to please God […]

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Westminster Confession: New Birth is Unnecessary

The Westminster Assembly has written: "The seed and posterity of the faithful, born within the Church, have by their birth, interest in the covenant and right to the seal of it…. Children by baptism are solemnly received into the bosom of the Visible Church….   They are Christians and federally holy before baptism, and therefore are […]

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The Ultimate Statement of Musical Rebellion

God does care about the music too. Punk music [including hip-hop] is the ultimate statement of musical rebellion. Changing the words and the artists and calling it Christian will never sanctify it. It has no place in a new Christian’s life.’… I cannot bring any of my old sinful desires and practices into worship to […]

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The Greatness of Child-like Faith

July 26

Robert Lewis Dabney, in his work, Life and Campaigns of Lieutenant-General Thomas J. Jackson, describes an important key to the Christian faith and character of ‘Stonewall’ Jackson. He mentions that Jackson “embraced the doctrines common to all, with a faith so entire and prevalent.” This fine example of Christian integrity and the respect he received […]

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Christian Zeal

For the grace of God has appeared,bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness andworldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem […]

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Christian Rap (and Hip-hop) Is A Lost Cause

Sometimes I think this blog site could literally double, triple, or more in readership, if only I would do one thing: support and promote Christian, “reformed” rap/hip-Hop music and its artists. Maybe not, but maybe. Nah. I can’t do that because there’s something preventing me from doing so, the Bible. The pressure to do so […]

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Davy Crockett vs. Welfare

Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of […]

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The Value of Christian Biography

David Leach: About 35 years ago as I began to build a theological library I had a primary focus on commentaries and "hard theology." By "hard theology" I mean solid and more substantial works as opposed to the various sorts of "pop" Christian books. After 1976 when I came to a sovereign grace soteriology, I […]

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Swimsuits & The Undressing of America

April 19

[ The following are excerpts from a short, 29 page work by Jeff Pollard (link at end of article). I would encourage every woman – young and older – to read this important work, and pass it along to others! – JT ] Modesty is not first an issue of clothing. It is primarily an […]

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Two Reasons to Abandon ‘Holy’ Hip-Hop

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. – Galatians 5:16, […]

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