I would like to see more vibrant, Christ-exalting living, first in me, and then in my church and the Christian community as a whole. So I sympathize with what you’re looking for.

To say that churches should receive the firstfruits does NOT mean they should keep them. They should set the example for their people by giving more to missions and the poor than they keep.

I’ll begin with some important prefacing remarks. I am absolutely committed to the centrality of local churches in God’s kingdom agenda. 

In some passages the bride is the Church.

Enjoying good music makes us smile. It’s part of what makes us human. And one recent TV show drives the point home in an unexpected and astounding way.

The apostle Paul gave us our top priority: “What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

Can the gospel spread, and thousands be converted, and churches grow, and love abound where Christianity is continually spoken against?

When it comes to church involvement, many in previous generations struggled with legalism. Today many struggle with the opposite–license.

I have spent hours on the phone in the last week with End of the Spear producers Mart Green and Steve Saint.