If we’re honest, we can often demand grace from them but extend little to them. With regular access to podcasts and social media, it’s tempting to compare our pastors unfavorably with those we admire from afar. We can subconsciously expect them to supersede the qualifications defined in Scripture (1 Tim. 3:1–7, Titus 1:5–9)—and judge them when they don’t.
Considering the theological weight that it carries in the New Testament, one might expect a clear prophecy concerning the Messiah’s resurrection on the third day in the Old Testament. But, was the resurrection of Christ really “according to the Scriptures” as the Apostle Paul claimed? (1 Cor 15:4 cf. Lk 24:45–46).
I suspect that God has answered many of our prayers, but we’ve told very few people about it—and we’ve missed an opportunity to glorify Him. Our churches will pray more if their faith is increased by hearing about God’s response to us.
In our age of constant news, social media, and the world’s attentiveness to pastors who have stumbled, it is easy to forget all that pastors do for the church. Sure, we have all heard of a pastor who has not acted admirably, but they are the exception, not the rule. Most of the pastors I know garner my trust and respect and deserve my prayers and support. That, and given my own years serving churches, makes me admire pastors. You should too. Here is why.
The fulfillment of God’s ultimate purpose is very wonderful, and every Christian needs to know it. But it may seem a long way from the painful realities that a grieving person is facing now. Heaven may be wonderful for the person who has died, but it may seem very distant from the one who grieves their loss, especially if that loss was sudden and unexpected. The immediate question for the one who grieves is, “How am I going to get through today?”
[This article was co-authored by Brandon Myers] I had been looking forward to this evening for a few weeks. My wife and I were on our way to downtown Chicago for an evening with close friends. A delicious dinner, the beautiful skyline, and an evening to enjoy each other’s company awaited us. Then...
I want you to meet Obadiah. He has influence. He serves as King Ahab’s chief of staff. Remember that Ahab did more evil in the sight of God than all the kings who came before him (1 Kings 16:30). And Ahab was husband to Jezebel, who “cut off the prophets of the Lord” (1...
The kind people at my home church would have been able to tell you that I cried through nearly every service—that is, every service I had the physical strength to last through—for weeks after our daughter went to glory. A Home through Song At the mention of heaven, the sound of “weary” or “grief” amplified by the...
