Ephesians 5:23-30 is a familiar passage to most of us. (It’s the one about husbands and wives relating to one another as Christ and the church do.) While it’s a great passage about husbands and wives, it carries far greater significance. There are many different images in the Bible to describe the church, but none more clearly communicate the way God binds Himself in l...

Last week, we discussed the importance of engaging with the lost with the intent of making disciples of Jesus. We talked about how we need to make it a priority to prayerfully and intentionally touch base with those around us, just as Jesus did. Just as Jesus "looked up" towards Zacchaeus as he passed through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem (see Luke 19:5) we must take the...

The gospel does two things for us when we suffer: it comforts us, and it calls us. In my last post, I surveyed the glorious hope our identity in Christ gives us in the face of suffering:...

Yesterday’s message from Pastor Benny Phillips continues with the "Age of Heroes" series. I am thankful to God for this message of inspiration, hope, and redemption. We were reminded of God's immense power in how God uses His people to overcome many obstacles that are seemingly insurmountable. It is amazing how the gospel is connected to every story in scripture. Many of...

In Part 1 of the #CulturalValues post about Immigration, Joey pointed out that fundamentally, Christians should think about this issue through the lens of Jesus’ teaching about the “least of these.” Our primary concern about this issue should be for people, not fences. It’s important to remember that neither of us are advocating for a specific policy position. Our ...

In this, the third and final post of the series on worship, I am hoping that you have been challenged with how you prepare your heart, as well as your physical expressiveness in times of corporate worship. Today, I would like to stir up the pot a little with what is an ongoing debate amongst churches and hopefully encourage us all to use our gifts and talents for the glory...

Last week, I introduced a seven-step approach to making disciples that I believe can serve as a helpful, step-by-step way for us to follow Jesus in fulfilling his Great Commission. By way of reminder, here is the basic approach....

This past Sunday, Joey Phillips delivered the latest sermon in our Age of Heroes series, entitled David and Goliath. Joey pointed out that the story of David and Goliath is a story about the complete and utter authority of God, as well as the heroic obedience of David....

The suffering in our lives keeps us from doing and experiencing many good things, and it often teaches us bad things. Suffering has the tendency to pervert our perception of the world around us. Children who grow up abused often have uniquely distorted views of God, self, and others. Those who suffer traumatic experiences in any stage of life often have difficulty engaging...

There is a reason that the first post in this three part series was on preparing our hearts for worship and the fact that every aspect of our lives during the week is a form of worshiping the Creator. We were created to worship God and we are emotional creatures, but just as in everything else we are called to do, we are to direct those around us to God’s glory and not o...

By all accounts, thousands and thousands of children are entering the United States from Mexico every month. What has been a political issue for a long time has become something of a crisis. It is at the point that the government is asking for help from churches in the areas most affected. (See http://tinyurl.com/ow93le3) This issue has a lot of facets, not the least of w...

If you've been with us at Redeemer Church for a bit, you may have heard us use the term "disciple-making disciple" as a way to encapsulate what we believe is our role as followers of Jesus in our God-created, fallen, yet redeemed and soon to be restored world. As I've explained elsewhere, as we seek to follow Jesus in his mission of redemption for the world, we are to draw...

In my last article, I described our core identity in terms of being God's image-bearers, but if you survey the New Testament, you'll find its overarching understanding of our identity in Christ is that we are sons, co-heirs, siblings of Christ destined to become like Christ. So, we must ask the question: is the New Testament replacing the Old Testament image-bearer motif w...

When asked to do a three part series on worship, numerous topics came to mind as I sat down to start writing. What would be helpful to talk about? How do I prepare for writing these posts? And that’s when I thought this: if I need to prepare for writing this, how much more important is it for me to prepare my heart for corporate worship? So, this week we are going t...

Walking purposefully along the winding sidewalk towards the host hotel for my final day at The Gospel Coalition’s national women’s conference, I was stopped by an inquisitive taxi driver who looked at my name tag and asked me what was going on inside. As if to aid me in my answer, I held out my nametag for him to read and replied “It’s an event put on by The Gospel...

For those of you who were not present to hear Jesse's message on Sunday, please do yourselves a favor and listen to it here. It was simply and profoundly inspiring. As he reminded us about God's relentless and merciful pursuit of us in our wanderings and rebellion, my soul was stirred afresh as I was reminded of the wonder and the power of God's great love for us, for me....

On Sunday, we heard from Jesse Phillips to kick start our summer series, “Age of Heroes: Classic Bible Stories and What They Really Mean.” He took us through the story of Jonah, beginning by explaining to us what Jonah ISN’T about. Often we hear children’s ministry versions of classic Bible heroes and the supposed lessons that God wants to teach us about them. Jona...

Identity is who you are. It tells you what you are worth, why you are here, and how you should live. It provides roles and boundaries for your relationships; it provides goals and parameters for your lifestyle; it gives significance to your thoughts, desires, and behavior. Identity is something that can and should be ascribed to each of us by God alone, and the identity He...

The recent opinion issued by Justice Samuel Alito on behalf of the Supreme Court in the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby case gives us reason to rejoice, although not, I think, for the reasons most Christians (and people of all faiths and religions) have been rejoicing thus far. In Hobby Lobby, the Supreme Court held that the obligations imposed on closely-held corporations by the ...

It’s the 4th of July. So naturally I was the chosen contributor for today’s blog. Running for office and naming my daughter Liberty has probably guaranteed me a featured column on this blog for every civic-related occasion until the end of time....

I went to the Gospel Coalition Women’s Conference on the book of Nehemiah. That still makes me laugh. Who teaches Nehemiah at a women’s conference? And beyond that, no one taught a single leadership principle! Not one. Because that isn’t the heart of Nehemiah or the overall story of the Bible: the story is God, in love, redeeming His people....

On Sunday, we completed our inspiring series through the book of Acts. In this second volume of Luke's theological history of the birth of the Spirit-filled church, we've seen over and over again the Holy Spirit indwelling and propelling the church forward to extend the bounds of God's kingdom. And as we were reminded about on Sunday, all of this came on the heals of God...

This last weekend a few ladies from Redeemer went to The Gospel Coalition Women’s Conference. We heard from speakers including Don Carson, John Piper, Tim and Kathy Keller, Paige Benton Brown, and Nancy Guthrie. Those were only the plenary speakers! There were several breakouts to choose from including a list of speakers and authors who have contributed to the gospel wor...