The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men…’ (Luke 18:11) Are you a Pharisee? Of course you’re not! How do I know this? Because none of us think of ourselves this way. As Michael Reeves writes, “Nobody today is a self-avowed, card-carrying Pharisee, after all. … Continue reading The Gospel Is The Cure For The Church’s Hypocrisy
In his book, Friendship with God (Crossway, 2023), Mike McKinley closes his introduction with the statement, “God…deeply longs for fellowship with you.” It’s this concept, difficult for many Christians to come to grips with, that the author addresses. But admittedly his thoughts are not original. They are those of a famous 17th century Puritan. If … Continue reading The Triune Friendship of God
I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. … Continue reading God’s Symbol of Mercy and Patience
Books about megachurch pastors are so discouraging. The success stories of how they built a church of thousands from a Bible study in their living room sell lots of books, to be sure, but they also hold up a worldly measure of ministry achievement, and promote an ungodly desire for celebrity status among pastors. For … Continue reading Learning from Spurgeon the Pastor
Knowing God. This is the single most important need of the human heart. Yet all of mankind is fallen, and we cannot know God apart from his revelation. But God. These two words thunder through the pages of the Bible, and lavish grace on sinners. God in his rich mercy has made a way for … Continue reading The Life-Changing Grace of Knowing God
A church is a family. That’s the main lesson in Megan Hill’s new book for kids, Meg is Not Alone (Crossway, 2022). Inspired by a real-life event in the childhood of the author, Hill tells the story of a little girl named Meg whose parents miscommunicate and accidentally leave her at church one Sunday morning. … Continue reading Teaching Kids About the Beauty of God’s Family
“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways…” (James 3:1-2a, ESV). So begins one of the most widely quoted scripture verses regarding pastoral ministry, and it is truly excellent advice. I have heard it said … Continue reading The Joy-Filled Journey of Pastoral Ministry
Attending a Baptist seminary, I became familiar with Leon McBeth’s book A Baptist Heritage. The 800+ page text teaches one about Baptist history while sharing insights about other denominations. Sure, it has its flaws, but no book is perfect. Despite its imperfections, it would be great if each Christian denomination had texts summarizing its history, like A … Continue reading The Heritage of Anglican Theology
One of the final sentences in our Bibles is a prayer for the second coming: “Come Lord Jesus.” (Rev. 22:20) In his newest book Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Second Coming of Christ (Crossway, 2023), John Piper takes a deep dive into Scripture to examine everything God has revealed to us about the return … Continue reading Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
Did Jesus of Nazareth really rise from the dead? The answer to this question has critical implications of which the Apostle Paul considered “of first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:3). In fact, the entirety of 1 Corinthians 15 is dedicated to this question, because it is not only has implications for daily life, but also for … Continue reading Is The Resurrection of Jesus Believable?
Jesus of Nazareth only lived to be about 33 years of age, and spent only three years in the public eye. In those three years, Jesus never wrote anything down that has survived. I think that was an intentional part of God’s providence. The only reliable source we have to know any thing that Jesus … Continue reading Meditating on the Words of Jesus
As a ministry RFTG exists to “equip followers of Jesus with biblically-focused resources.” We accomplish this goal in two main ways, (1) resource reviews, and (2) study series. Over the past year we have been given opportunity to expand our ministry. Today we are excited to announce a new way that we can help equip … Continue reading Introducing The New RFTG Bookstore!
