On the night of His betrayal, Jesus knew that the Father had given him all things into his hands. This biblical phrase signifies dominion and power, yet Jesus chose to use this authority not for revenge or domination, but for acts of...
Dr. Joshua Jipp highlights some key insights from the book of Acts (0:10), and an animated look at John 1:1–5 (3:00). Study Colossians with Dr. Jipp In this course, Dr. Joshua Jipp takes you through each passage of Colossians, identifying important...
Would you invite a complete stranger into your home? Would it make a difference what color their skin, the language they spoke (or didn’t), or the clothes on their back? How would your answers change if you knew the full depth of biblical...
At its simplest, Christian discipleship means helping others believe and obey Jesus. A culture of discipleship emerges when it becomes normal for a church to collectively value helping one another follow Jesus. This shared value will consequently...
We tend to do strange things with the Gospels. What we have in the New Testament are four stories of Jesus—each distinctive, each with its own unique features. Yes, there is much in common between them, but their distinctive contours and individual...
Importantly, penal substitution is not to be understood as the only aspect of Christ’s work, just as guilt is not the only aspect of our human plight. Jesus came to destroy death, the devil, sin, and human corruption; to give life to the dead, to...
Do not talk about politics or religion. That is the conventional wisdom for dinner conversations. These topics touch on identity and ignite emotion. A single off-handed comment can spark a heated argument. What is true at family dinners is also true...
Early in my ministry, I stumbled upon this little parable of two woodcutters. It goes something like this: Two wood cutters decided to hold a competition to see who could chop more wood in a day. The rules were simple. The next day they would chop...
Most simply, theological anthropology is the study of what it means to be human by starting with God and seeking to understand God’s intentions for humankind. Anthropology, as a social scientific discipline, can be done with or without reference to...
I have what is in my opinion a dream job. I’m a Christian apologist. I spend my days defending Christianity and arguing why it is the best explanation for the way the world is. But apologetics involves more than just defending a Christian worldview...
What does faith have to do with teaching? I do not mean the content being taught (whether you are teaching piously inflected material) or the motivation for teaching (how your faith led you to teach), but the teaching itself—the moves you make with...
Small groups and the idea of being gospel-centered are not new, but without clarity we risk creating gatherings that are active and fun yet lack true spiritual depth. This article will touch 5 essential traits to look for in small groups.
Our son M was formally diagnosed in 2015 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and sensory processing disorder (SPD). We already had two daughters and noticed that our bouncing baby boy was very...
Unless we draw our concepts from Scripture, we risk misunderstanding that the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom. Today, wisdom is often seen as algorithms, risk-taking, or YOLO living. But the Bible does not talk about wisdom this way...
Ministers are like plants, or so I suggested in my last article. Like any living thing, plants must grow. While some plants stay indoors for the entirety of their lifespan, most plants that begin indoors need to go through a process called hardening...
How can a church effectively launch its small groups? What specific details need to be considered to get a small group ministry off the ground and running? Such nuts and bolts details are the burden of this particular article.
In every era, society has tried to capture a sense of community. The ancient Greeks viewed it through the lens of the polis. Medieval societies centered community around the church. Our understanding of community shifts along with our cultural...
If you are someone who is currently planting a church or interested in church planting, the work, as you know, is daunting. According to Pinetops Foundation church planting is near an all-time low in American history. Based on their research there...
Never have enough volunteers? Ready to grow your church's volunteer team? Kelly Cross shares four practical, proven strategies to recruit and retain your volunteers. Learn how clear expectations, a small yes, and fun feasts can lead to big impact.
I was a young pastor attending a ministry conference at a well-known church. I will never forget it: The host pastor boasted that his church was the healthiest in America. I immediately wondered, How does he know that? Pastors and ministry leaders...
We asked Logos users to share their go-to books about building healthy churches. Hundreds of you gave your opinion via our social posts. Here are the top six books on church health, according to Logos users. This list includes a mix of your top...
Christian ethics is the discipline that aids the church in pursuing the example of Christ in wisdom, holiness, and justice as empowered by the Holy Spirit and directed by Scripture. What is Christian ethics? We will answer that by introducing basic...
What does the Bible say about immigrants? What does it mean to be a sojourner? What are the most important verses on this topic?
You might have noticed that the world we live in has changed dramatically—not only during the last few centuries but even during your lifetime. And I am not talking only about the transformation of society by unbelievable developments in technology...
If I asked you to name a woman in the Bible, who would come to mind? How many could you name? Countless sermons have been preached about Esther and Ruth. We’ve scrutinized the woman at the well’s encounter with Jesus and celebrated Rahab’s strategic...
Christian feast days—what are they? Far from being a strange and sour corruption from the late middle ages, the feast days of the church—or what is called the liturgical calendar—offer Christians a gospel-centered way of walking through the year...
Did you attend church on Sunday? If so, you’re part of an increasingly rare minority. In fact, fewer people regularly attend church now than at any time in American history. Why is this? What follows is a testimony—a confession—of my five decades...
As the late and esteemed Larry Hurtado asked, Why on earth did anyone become a Christian in the first three centuries? The familial, economic, and social costs of turning from the worship of the traditional pagan gods and converting to the Way (the...
Is Christianity a servile and womanish religion? It is somewhat ironic that today people sometimes dismiss Christianity as too patriarchal, whereas the ancient Romans reviled the churches as too womanish. They accused Christianity of being for the...
Editor’s note: The resources recommended in our On the Shelf series are the opinions of the featured individuals, not those of Logos. We are publishing a breadth of voices to reflect varying perspectives within the church. Mark Brians is the rector...
