The Pastor’s Pen

Fear is the multifaceted emotion which exists at the deepest level of the human heart, expressing itself in different ways according to the situation. Fear is a primal internal activity that impacts our conscience, our emotions, our beliefs, our stress levels, our desire for self-preservation, our loyalties, and our worship. To influence these diverse aspects…

When the Bible speaks of eternal life, it’s not merely referring to longevity of years, or of never ending spiritual life. No, the phrase “eternal life” is laden with implications critical to Christian faith. In John chapter three, Jesus enlightened Nicodemus, who was Israel’s lead teacher, how he could see the kingdom of God (John…

It’s a word we don’t hear often in society unless it’s used as a name. However, occasionally we hear the term “grace period” when referring to additional time that is granted to complete a task or fulfill a commitment without incurring penalties. In the spiritual realm, grace speaks of the undeserving love of God towards…

For the most part, the world does not consider Jesus Christ to be worthy of their attention, let alone their belief or acknowledgement, other than blasphemy. The apostle Paul tells how his life was radically transformed from this worldly state in Acts 26, when Christ met him on the road to Damascus. Intrinsic in Paul’s…

Church life, as with family and employment life, requires coexistence with others. It’s inescapable, the church is comprised of many different people, existing and operating as the body of Christ. Therefore, as members of this diverse body, we do things together; worship, pray, fellowship, eat, serve, make disciples, etc. Working together is central to most…

Israel’s 400 year enslavement under Egypt and their subsequent deliverance offer us numerous important lessons. Among these, a significant quality of the Lord that would have resonated with Israel at that time was Yahweh’s role as the God of rescue. Exodus 2:23-25 reads, During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people…

When considering the many components within a person’s character, selfishness, or selflessness, often stands out as obvious. From the first sin ever committed, selfishness was in Lucifer’s heart when he thought to himself “I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). Not surprising then, that selfishness was at the heart of the serpent’s…

Judges chapters 11-12 begins with a married man by the name of Gilead, committed adultery with a prostitute, who gave birth to a boy who was named Jephthah. Jephthah grew up in his father’s household with his stepmother who also gave birth to other sons by Gilead. As the boys grew up, Jephthah’s half-brothers resented…

There’s a line of worldly thinking which conveys the idea that weakness deprives us of happiness, therefore, weakness must be bad, wrong, and unloving. Such people often view weakness as debilitating and of no value. As Christians, we need to be careful not to buy into this wrong thinking. God, on the other hand, actively…

Worship is an essential part of the Christian life as it orders our beliefs and priorities with Christ at the top. Worship lifts our thoughts and heart affections above the things and relationships of this world and attaches them to God. Without God-centred worship, we quickly regress to man-centred  religion with self in the middle.…