Studies in Church History This is the first in a series of articles that I am planning to do called Studies in Church History. From time to time I will post these short biographies for your encouragement in the faith. I believe that the study of Church History can serve us here in the present as we take inspiration, encouragement and even correctio...

[These are the notes from Redeemer's Quarterly Member's Meeting on April 19th.] Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17) Very few people aspire to be a good fo...

These are the slightly edited and updated  notes from the devotional given at Redeemer Baptist Church's Annual General Meeting on February 10th, 2024. There are many markers of success for a church. You can have healthy Christian families, generous giving, growing numbers, growth in sanctification, heartfelt and joyful worship, solid Bibl...

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Rampant thanksgiving is one of the surest marks of spiritual health, and one of the distinguishing marks of a Christian. As our text says, this is the will of God for the Christian. The shape of the Christian life is that of thanksgiving. ...

[these are the notes from the devotional given at Redeemer's quarterly member's meeting on November 10th, 2023] Recently I wrote on 1 Corinthians 15:58 about always abounding in the work of the Lord. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour i...

[these are the notes from the message given at the Quarterly Member's Meeting on August 25th, 2023] Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58) What is your life all about? What is your driving focus and your central...

[This article is based on the notes from the devotional given at Redeemer's Quarterly Member's Meeting.] I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spi...

Have you ever actually had a bee in your bonnet? How about one of those pokey burrs under your saddle? No? I didn't think so. Probably because you ladies don't where bonnets much these days, and you men don't ride horses. But you understand the picture. Both images point to a seemingly little thing that if left unaddressed causes a major problem. A...

[These are the notes from the pastoral devotional shared at Redeemer's 2023 Annual General Meeting] I recently wrote a series of blog posts on the One Another's of Christian fellowship. In the series I aimed to equip us and inspire us to really be the church. Calling us to live a life worthy of the gospel, worthy of the calling to which we were cal...

 [This is the sixth of several articles in the One Another series] We have been spending our time lately on the one anothers of Scripture. We first looked at those 35 direct commands where that phrase is used – one another. I've since tried to organize them in a way that is easy to hold in our heads, with the three main headings love, unity, a...

[this is the fifth of several articles in the One Another series] Unity or Diversity, which of these do we want? In our world we often hear the praises of diversity sung. Ethnic diversity, sexual diversity, religious diversity – the call is for everything to be many and multi. We want multi-culturalism, we want many faiths to coexist, we want all t...

[this is the fourth of several articles in the One Another series] I have been writing lately on the one anothers of Christian fellowship. By my count we have at least thirty-five direct commands pertaining to how we treat one another within the body of Christ. And as we've seen, it's a tall order. A list that not one of us obeys successfully even ...

[This is the third in several articles in the One Another series] We have recently been looking at the thirty-five one anothers of the New Testament. And last time I categorized them into three main headings: love, unity, and humility. Now let's go backwards through that list, starting with a focus on humility. The verse to anchor this one another ...

[Adapted from a sermon preached during Advent in 2021, The Politics of Christmas]Why do the nations rageand the peoples plot in vain?The kings of the earth set themselves,and the rulers take counsel together,against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,"Let us burst their bonds apartand cast away their cords from us." He who sits in the h...

[This is the second of several articles in the one another series]We have been looking at the thirty-five one anothers found in the New Testament. Last time we surveyed the landscape, and tried to put them in context. And in some ways we just took them all like a giant wave washing over us. But it can be hard to hold all thirty-five of these i...

[This is the first of several articles in the one another series.] You may have heard of a lone-ranger Christian. Someone who doesn't go to church, or share life with other believers, but claims to follow Christ. There are many things wrong with being a lone-ranger Christian. It is spiritually dangerous, it is not good for the soul, it is unwi...

In the life of a soldier at war there are times when life is "normal". You are sitting around with your mates drinking coffee, putting your boots on, talking about life back home. But then there are times when you are really in the thick of it, fighting hard and under attack. Or if you were a bomber pilot, perhaps for an hour or so you are seemingl...

I've written a lot this year on what one could call a philosophy of ministry. It may not be the subject matter that every believer thinks about on a day to day basis, but as a church planter it is always on my mind. And I share these thoughts with you, the church, because no one plants alone. It is good for you all to think through these things wit...

Lately we've been going through the major themes of Nehemiah as a church. And we've done it all under the banner of Build the Church. We have been taking the great story of Nehemiah, seeking to understand it in its original context, but then leaning heavily into application for us in the church today. We've talked about Building from the Ruins, Bui...

Whenever a man and a woman get married, they are proclaiming certain truths about God. Whether they believe in God or not, they are participating in His good creation, and showcasing His beautiful design. It is a wonderful thing to see a good man and a good woman get married, start a family, and love each other all the way into their old age. Seein...

[Adapted from a chapel message given at Redeemer Classical Academy] What does it mean to be a Christian in this world – to be a Christian institution, or Christian family, or a Christian businessman? Does it mean that in everything we do we make sure to pray first? Or if you were a Christian artist, you would make sure to add a cross onto all ...

4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (1 Thessalonians 1:4-5). Why do some words stick with you and others don't? Why do some conversations remain lucid in our memories for our entire lives, while others fade ...

Our world today is a consumeristic world. Advertising is everywhere. Something is always being sold. We are constantly being influenced by the world toward discontentment and selfishness. We are told to think about what we need and want for ourselves and for our own happiness as our number one priority. Now this can be subtle or it can be direct. M...

The Apostle Paul said a lot of things. He wrote a lot of things. In fact, Paul wrote at least 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament and is responsible for about a quarter of its total word count. It is possible that he wrote the book of Hebrews as well, which would add to his prolificity. And I should hasten to add, that these writings were under...

What is baptism? By all appearances it looks like we are simply dunking someone in water. Someone could walk by a baptism service and not understand anything of the spiritual meaning of this sacrament. And Christians too can use some help understanding this. We know that Christian's get baptized, but do we know why? Do we know what is it that we ar...

Today marks the 155th year that Canada has been a country. Each time Canada Day comes around we have this opportunity to reflect, to celebrate and to give thanks for our nation. But if you are at all like me, you have some pause in your celebrations. Like the child of a wayward and ungodly father on Father's Day, we struggle with mixed feelings on ...

In much of evangelicalism, especially in Canada, there has been a lack of robust cultural engagement. Or to put it another way, the churches have been on the retreat for the last half a century of so; retreating to build isolated Christian communities. Instead of speaking into the issues of the day, many have opted to simply focus on matters of ind...

This week we will be celebrating the Day of Pentecost at Redeemer. This is the moment in Redemptive History where God poured out His Spirit more fully and universally on His people. This was a moment that changed history forever. We read this in Peter's sermon as he quotes the prophet Joel: 17 "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares,that I...

Evangelism is not easy, as I said in a recent blog post. And it is still true. But it is also still true that we are called to attempt this difficult task (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20). The aim of this blog post is to give you a few categories to think about different types of evangelism and a few tools for yo...

Evangelism is not easy. In fact, I would compare it to swimming a river up-stream, you know, like those Salmon do. Today, the streams of our culture flow hard against the bold proclamation of the Christian faith. Evangelism is looked at with disdain by those outside the faith; and from those within, it is either dreaded or ignored. Yet, aren't we c...

Do you pray for revival? Do you hope for revival? And by that, I mean expect it with faith not a mere wishing for it. You see, many Christians are not praying and seeking and hoping for revival. They are like the squirrel with its nuts, preparing for winter. They hunker down and seek the simple goal of not being destroyed by the world and the gener...

note: this post is a slightly edited version of the devotional shared at Redeemer's quarterly member's meeting on April 26th.Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3).I praise the Lord f...