When Good People Do Nothing (Reflection on Deconstructionism)

A Christian nationDearly Beloved, imagine Germany in January 1933. Adolf Hitler has just become chancellor. On Sunday morning, the church bells still ring. Most Germans are baptized. Many of them sit in the pews that w...

2 Corinthians 3:1-18

SummaryYesterday Paul asked, “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2:16). Today he answers. Some people in Corinth questioned whether Paul was a real apostle. Others came to the church carrying letters of recommendati...

2 Corinthians 1:1-11

SummaryPaul opens the letter by stressing that his apostleship came from God and from Christ. The first subject he raises is comfort. The strained relationship with the church in Corinth had turned toward healing, and that tur...

2 Corinthians 1:23-2:17

SummaryYesterday Paul answered the charge that he says Yes and No at the same time. Today he gives the real reason he changed his plans. “It was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth” (1:23). He ha...

2 Corinthians 1:12-22

SummaryRight after his greeting of comfort, Paul turns to something painful. Doubts about him were growing in the church in Corinth. His first plan was to visit Corinth on the way to Macedonia, and then to come back th...

Modern Hymnody Project: Come Home (Piano Ballad v3 Clear)

Come Home[Verse 1]Gently the Savior is calling your name,calling the lost and the least.There at the door He stands watching the road,longing to welcome you in.[Chorus]Come home, (come home) it's not too late...

Modern Hymnody Project: Here As I Am (Soul Blues) Female

[Verse 1]Here as I am, with nothing to bring,no plea of my own, no worthy thing;only Your blood, and only Your call,Lamb of God, I come.[Chorus]I come, I come,Lamb of God, I come to You.[Verse 2]Here ...

Modern Hymnody Project: Hidden in the Rock (Candlelight v3) Female

[Verse 1]In the cleft of the Rock I hide,sheltered in Your wounded side.Water and the blood that flowwash me whiter than the snow.[Pre-Chorus]Guilt is gone and sin's power too;I am safe, held fast in You.(hel...

Modern Hymnody Project: Grace Will Lead Me Home (Candlelight) Female

[Verse 1]I wandered blind and far from home,too lost to know my need;then grace came looking for my soul,and grace has set me free.[Verse 2]Grace showed me all my guilt and shame,then grace took it away.I sti...

Modern Hymnody Project: Come and Rest (Rainy Day v2) Female

[Verse 1]I wandered blind and far from home,too lost to know my need;then grace came looking for my soul,and grace has set me free.[Verse 2]Grace showed me all my guilt and shame,then grace took it away.I sti...

Modern Hymnody Project: Your Welcome Voice (Duet v2)

[Verse 1]I hear Your voice of welcome;it calls me, Lord, to You,to wash me in the precious bloodthat makes the sinner new.[Chorus]Here I come, my Lord,coming now to You.Wash me in the blood of Calvary;mak...

James 5:7-20

The occasionJames walks with his people through every room of life. In chapter 1 he speaks of trials, wisdom, and temptation, and he calls us to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (1:22). In chapter 2 he watches how the ...

When the Bell Tower Fell

On Saturday evening, October 17, the bell tower of the town hall in Limoges, France, fell into the fire.A building with a bellThe Hôtel de Ville in Limoges opened in 1883. That afternoon, masked rioters broke in...

James 4:13-5:6

SummaryTwice in today’s passage James says, “Come now” (4:13; 5:1). It is the voice of a pastor who stops us in the middle of a busy life. The first time, he speaks to people making plans. Today or tomorrow we will go ...

Modern Hymnody Project: My Whole World (Upbeat Piano)

[Verse 1: confident, piano, bass and drums]Jesus, You're all the world to me,My life, my joy, my song;You are my strength through every day,You keep my footsteps strong.When I am low, I come to You,No other love ...

James 4:1-12

SummaryJames has just set two kinds of wisdom side by side. One sows peace. The other leaves “disorder and every vile practice” behind it (3:16). Now he asks a plain question. “What causes quarrels and what causes figh...

James 3:13-18

SummaryJames has been speaking about the tongue. Now he asks a question. “Who is wise and understanding among you?” (v. 13). He is not asking for a diploma. He is asking for a life. Let the wise person show it by good ...

The New Jacobins

A Burning France and a Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken

Cool-headed Compassion

Who Is Really Receiving?Why do we help other people at all? Brain scientist Professor Na Heung-sik of Korea University has studied that question for years. In a short Sebasi talk, he says kindness needs a cool head. Then he tells ...

James 3:1-12

SummaryJames now turns to the tongue. He begins with a warning for teachers. Not many of you should become teachers, he says, because those who teach will be judged with greater strictness (v. 1). Then he widens the ci...

Modern Hymnody Project: The Nail-Scarred Hand

[Verse 1]Every plan that you made has been swept by the tide,Every dream slipping through like sand;You are weary and worn, you have nowhere to hide,Place your hand in the nail-scarred hand.[Chorus]Place your hand in...

James 2:14-26

SummaryJames asks a pointed question. What good is it if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him (v. 14)? Then he paints a picture. A brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking i...

The Gospel According to James

James 2:1-13

SummaryJames now turns to a sin that hides easily in church. It is partiality. We hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, so we must show no partiality (v. 1). Then James paints a scene. A man with ...