Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
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I am not a sabbitarian, but sometimes wish I was. At the moment I can’t overcome a few theological issues that prevent me from embracing the view. Thankfully this does not prevent me from honoring Sunday and seeking to set it aside as a special day, one dedicated to the Lord in a unique way. I recently found this quote in Walter Chantry’s Call the Sabbath a Delight. Again, though I am not a sabbitarian, I can agree with him …
In his book Expository Listening (read my review) Ken Ramey offers a list of ways you can “Plan Ahead, and Schedule Your Week Around the Ministry of the Word.” “For the majority of people, even church members, church is not the priority of their week. Too often school, work, sports, and other activities take precedence over going to church. They make the mistake of letting their time be ordered by the world, which views the weekends as a time to …
Every Easter Saturday, that day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, I find myself pondering what it must have been like for Jesus’ followers on that day. What did they do? What were they thinking? How did they spend their day? What thoughts were running through their heads? Their leader was dead; their Messiah had been arrested, beaten, crucified, killed, buried. Miracles had attended his suffering–darkness and earthquake–and yet still he was dead. Confusion must have reigned. Bewilderment. It’s no …
We enjoyed a break of almost an hour and then gathered together again to sing “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand” and to hear Mark Dever’s session. He discussed the temptation to improve upon the gospel. His talk was built upon five “calls” that are dangerous to the gospel—five ways churches may be tempted to adapt or shrink or expand the gospel message in order to make it more palatable. The First Call – Make the gospel public. The …
Here is a little video featuring some of the people attending Together for the Gospel and asking what they are looking forward to at this conference.
Last week I mentioned that I had discovered 9 Marks Ministries and that I was thrilled to find an organization that is dedicated to recovering many of the traditional marks of a Biblical church. While they mention that the nine marks they outline are not the only important marks of a healthy church, they do believe they are the most neglected. I am going to briefly outline each of the nine. And just to increase your value, I will weave …
This morning we had the privelege of attending the first preview service for The Journey Church in Brampton (Web site design by yours’ truly!). For those who are not familiar with the term, a preview service is a service held approximately once per month for the four or five months preceding the launch of a new church. It is a chance to gather a core group and begin to draw members before a church is ready to launch permanently. Aileen …
Today is the last Sunday Reflection for a while that will contain a hymn. I promise! This is a hymn written by Christopher Wordsworth that celebrates the Lord’s Day, looks back at the first Sabbath as celebrated by God at the close of Creation, and looks forward to each upcoming Sunday, as “Each Sunday finds us gladder, nearer to heaven, our home.” O day of rest and gladness, of day of joy and light, O balm of care and sadness, …
God gave us the Sabbath, the seventh day, to use in remembrance of Him. Ultimately, the day of rest should stir our thoughts to think of the final rest we will enjoy when we go to be with Him. The following hymn, For All The Saints (written by William W. How), is a favorite of mine. It speaks of our struggle in this life, that though it may be difficult, we look forward to the day when God will call …