“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!
I’m a Bible nerd and I think you should be too. In my years as a pastor, I have often heard people trying to distance themselves from the “nerdy” stuff when it comes to studying the Bible. Sure, reading the Bible is for the normal, everyday church member. But Greek? Translation differences? The history of … Continue reading How Did We Get The Bible?
All throughout church history, followers of Jesus have held fast to the belief that the Bible is the word of God. There are skeptics today who seriously doubt this claim, however, it has been an essential doctrine of the church down through the ages. Modern day Christians stand on the shoulders of those who have … Continue reading Studying the Bible Through Church History
The Lord has been extremely faithful in 2022. This year RFTG has seen unprecedented growth in our online ministry platform. In the past year we have recorded the most views ever since we began in 2013, with views from over 70 countries around the world. Additionally, we grew by having viewers subscribe to the blog … Continue reading Top 10 Reviews, Posts, and Articles from 2022
In the great Hall of Faith passage of Hebrews 11, begins by saying, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things now seen” (ESV). The writer then spends the remainder of the chapter discussing the faith of saints who trusted the Lord to fulfill his promises. Much of the passage … Continue reading Reading Biography is Good For Discipleship
In the modern West, we live with an abundance of written resources. We have access to more books than any other civilization in history. Yet often we take this abundance granted and opt for mindless entertainment on television or our smartphones. As Christians, we should see this abundance rightly as a gift from the Lord. … Continue reading Daily Strength and Daily Joy: Devotions For Men and Women
There are two equal but opposite errors we tend to make when we come to the book of Revelation. One is being obsessed with it. This is the doomsday prophet approach. You eagerly watch the news and try to decode the events of today according to all the prophetic images. Of course, in this scenario, … Continue reading Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation
It may be hard to believe, but Christmas is just around the corner. As you prepare for this upcoming advent season, you are likely considering gift ideas for those on your list. One gift that you may consider giving to someone this year is a Bible. Whether it be a family member, friend, fellow church … Continue reading Bibles Make Excellent Christmas Gifts (Part One)
Men are likely to not attend church gathering nor be engaged in other religious activities. There are a variety of reasons for this trend. One reason for this phenomenon may be a lack of biblical literacy. That is not to say that men can’t read, but that they don’t read the Bible and have little … Continue reading ESV Men’s Study Bible
As we near the end of the year we will hear increased talk of New Year’s resolutions. These are self improvement goals that people set and likely abandon by the end of January. Most people set the goal of losing weight, reading more, being nicer, etc. Some people even desire to grow spiritually and incorporate … Continue reading Three Crossway Devotionals for 2023
