Delighting in Deacons

by William Boekestein • March 02, 2017

Healthy churches and healthy believers treasure deacons as invaluable servants of God, Christ’s official ministers of mercy. They help exposit the kindness of God, strengthen the communion of the saints, and preserve the fiscal integrity of the church. It is important for us to retain or, if need be, recover a biblical view of the office of deacon.

How do church deacons help establish God’s kingdom? Many of us might struggle to answer that question. For a number of reasons, the diaconate is often viewed as a non-spiritual administrative committee. Because deacons oversee church money and property we might mistake them simply for parochial accountants and custodians. But, according to Scripture, if we minimize the biblical office of deacon we miss a huge part of God’s plan for vibrant Christianity.

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A Psalm of Repentance, Scene 4

By James Boice
Theme: The Psalmist’s Hope and Prayer
 
In this week’s studies we learn about David’s great affliction, and how his confidence and hope in the Lord were restored through prayer. 
 
Scripture: Psalm 6:1-10
 
Yet, in spite of the extremely black picture I am painting, the situation was not quite as hopeless as even the psalmist thought. Nor is it as hopeless as you might think. It may be that David felt under God's fierce disapproval and wrath.

Yet, in spite of the extremely black picture I am painting, the situation was not quite as hopeless as even the psalmist thought. Nor is it as hopeless as you might think. It may be that David felt under God's fierce disapproval and wrath. I am sure he did. I am sure that he felt that God had hidden his face and was nowhere to be seen or found. But God was still there, and he was David's God in spite of everything.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

A Psalm of Repentance, Scene 3

By James Boice
Theme: The Psalmist’s Distress
 
In this week’s studies we learn about David’s great affliction, and how his confidence and hope in the Lord were restored through prayer. 
 
Scripture: Psalm 6:1-10
 
Yesterday we looked at the first feature of verses 1-7.  Today we look at the other three.
 
2. A loss of a sense of God's presence.
Yesterday we looked at the first feature of verses 1-7.  Today we look at the other three.
 
2. A loss of a sense of God's presence. A sense of being disapproved of by an angry God is bad enough, but sometimes in our depression the case seems even worse than this. What if God should not even be present? Suppose he has turned away from us or withdrawn himself? This is what David was feeling, which he indicates by the word "return" in verse 4.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

Non-Ignorable "Ifs"

by J.A. Medders • February 28, 2017

The conditional word “if” is full of biblical weightiness. We must never ignore, explain away, or overlook the “ifs” in the Bible. The "if" passages are freighted with importance. Though a small word, it has eternal implications. 

The conditional word “if” is full of biblical weightiness. We must never ignore, explain away, or overlook the “ifs” in the Bible. The "if" passages are freighted with importance. Though a small word, it has eternal implications. And the normally nominal Bible-belt has neutered and robbed the power of the inspired "if." Whatever you do, don't let your theological grid soften the word of God. When you read the Bible, if you find yourself trying to explain away some of the hard texts then something is off—and it's not the Bible.

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Christward Collective is a conversation of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Christward Collective and the mission of the Alliance.

A Psalm of Repentance, Scene 2

By James Boice
Theme: God’s Wrath
 
In this week’s studies we learn about David’s great affliction, and how his confidence and hope in the Lord were restored through prayer. 
 
Scripture: Psalm 6:1-10
 
In the New International Version the psalm is divided into four stanzas, which is right. But in terms of its content the psalm is best considered in two sections. In the first (vv. 1-7) David is in great distress. His whole person--body, soul and spirit--is in anguish.

In the New International Version the psalm is divided into four stanzas, which is right. But in terms of its content the psalm is best considered in two sections. In the first (vv. 1-7) David is in great distress. His whole person--body, soul and spirit--is in anguish. He senses the anger of God upon him for sin. He cannot sleep. In the second section (vv. 8- 10) he suddenly becomes aware of God's presence again and moves out of his depression into new faith and bold conduct. 

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

From Beer Flights to Book Flights

Posted on Monday, February 27, 2017 by Aimee Byrd on Housewife Theologian

Kind of a new Urban Dictionary term for us nerds.

Okay, my friend Dana gets the credit for this one. She was selected as a beer tasting judge for the Quad State Beer Fest Amateur Home Brewing Competition after submitting in her qualifications, “but have you ever had a housewife as a judge?” This was a call for an Aimee date to practice housewife beer tasting lingo. Except we did just that---we ordered a flight of beer and used housewife lingo for our final verdicts.

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A Psalm of Repentance, Scene 1

By James Boice
Theme: “The Dark Night of the Soul”
 
In this week’s studies we learn about David’s great affliction, and how his confidence and hope in the Lord were restored through prayer. 
 
Scripture: Psalm 6:1-10
 
Psalm 6 is the first of the penitential psalms, that is, psalms in which the author confesses his sin and asks God for his mercy and forgiveness.
Psalm 6 is the first of the penitential psalms, that is, psalms in which the author confesses his sin and asks God for his mercy and forgiveness. The other penitential psalms are psalms 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143, the best known being Psalm 51, titled "A psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba." It was the custom in the early church to sing these psalms on Ash Wednesday.
 
 

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

A Prayer for Coming to God's House, Section 5

By James Boice
Theme: Rejection of the Wicked and Blessings of the Righteous
 
In this week’s studies David prays that the Lord would show his justice against all who do evil, even as he asks that the Lord’s blessing would rest upon the righteous.
 
Scripture: Psalm 5:1-12
 
At this point David turns to the wicked again. Earlier he had spoken of them as "those who tell lies" (v. 6), but this was only one descriptive phrase among many. In these verses (vv.
At this point David turns to the wicked again. Earlier he had spoken of them as "those who tell lies" (v. 6), but this was only one descriptive phrase among many. In these verses (vv. 9, 10) he describes them in terms of their wicked speech or words, probably because he had just prayed for guidance (v. 8) and was thinking of how the words of the wicked can't be trusted. Ah, but it is even worse than that. Their words are destructive, and those who follow them will perish.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

The Theologically Disciplined Church

by Nick Kennicott • February 23, 2017

Many western churches are withering spiritually because their pastors and church members have bought into the lie that rigorous theological study is outdated and unnecessary. Yet, many of the churches in which pastors are committed to historic theology miss the mark when it comes to ensuring that sound doctrine isn't as dry as the Sahara. If we would learn to approach the discipline of theological study and teaching in a local church with the right frame of mind and heart, we will find it to be incredibly rewarding commitment.

Many western churches are withering spiritually because their pastors and church members have bought into the lie that rigorous theological study is outdated and unnecessary. Yet, many of the churches in which pastors are committed to historic theology miss the mark when it comes to ensuring that sound doctrine isn't as dry as the Sahara. It’s a tragedy whenever that which is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12) is presemted in a bland and tasteless fashion.

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A Prayer for Coming to God's House, Section 4

By James Boice
Theme: “’Tis Mercy All”
 
In this week’s studies David prays that the Lord would show his justice against all who do evil, even as he asks that the Lord’s blessing would rest upon the righteous.
 
Scripture: Psalm 5:1-12
 
One of the complaints unbelievers make against Christians is that their understanding of sin causes them to think of themselves as better than other people. But that is not actually the case. In fact, it is the opposite.
One of the complaints unbelievers make against Christians is that their understanding of sin causes them to think of themselves as better than other people. But that is not actually the case. In fact, it is the opposite. The next stanza of the psalm shows what really happens (vv. 7, 8): “But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make straight your way before me.” 
 

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

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PLACE FOR TRUTH

What David Needed Most

Reformation 21

“He fell today; I may fall tomorrow.”