Recently, I preached on the amazing “High Priestly” prayer of John 17. At the end of that urgently passionate prayer, in vv. 20-23, Jesus amazingly offers appeals not for Himself, but for the future fellowship and unity of His followers. As I prepared for my sermon, my mind was naturally drawn to my favorite work of literature—J.R.R. Tolkien’s epoch epic … Read More
Agents of Reconciliation
(The following statement was shared by Dean Michael Duduit with undergraduate students in the College of Christian Studies during their recent meeting to begin the Spring semester.) In recent weeks, our nation has been torn by division and partisanship. In all too many people, passion has replaced reason and anger has pushed aside truth. Politics and religion have been intermingled, … Read More
Doing Our Sacred and Ordinary Part
Concerning Christian behavior and choices, the question typically arises of “what would Jesus do?” or “What would Paul do?” This proves useful in matters of good and evil and other such moral choices. In those situations, any Christian should do as Jesus did! But when it comes to more unaddressed areas such as one’s career, automobile preference, travel plans, kid’s … Read More
Jesus’ compassion on a Showroom Floor
Jesus’ compassion for the people in Matthew 9 reflects on the Messianic promise of Ezekiel 34:23.
How to pray, “Hallowed be Thy name”
What is the significance of “Hallowed be Thy name” in Jesus’s so-called Disciples’ Prayer
Our Own Progress as Pilgrims
Recently, the family and I watched the 2019 movie interpretation of one of my favorite Christian classics—John Bunyan’s allegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress. This animated film missed some of the key points of the story and embellished a few scenes in order to add some unnecessary flare. But overall, this visual adaptation was well-done. Of course, as with any movies based on … Read More
Salt and Light
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. In my role as an preaching pastor at a local church, I’m currently preaching a sermon series entitled, “What Jesus Really Taught.” Honestly, all of the messages in this series have proven both challenging and convicting to me personally. But I found the passage from a … Read More
Taking Up Your Cross
A cliché among preachers is that you should preach your sermon to yourself before the congregation. I agree with that sentiment, but I will say that it is not easy. At times, I will find myself thoroughly convicted by the biblical text and even by some of the great saints I reference in my illustrations. Such was the case recently … Read More
Praying in Preparation to Preach
There is no chance of fire in the pews if there is an iceberg in the pulpit; and without personal prayer and communion with God during the preparation stages, the pulpit will be cold… To borrow from the marriage ceremony, it is imperative that “what God has joined together, no man should put asunder.” We dare not divorce our preaching … Read More