“His Robes for Mine” is one of my favorite modern hymns. It uses the biblical imagery of exchanging robes to illustrate imputation and substitution (Zech 3:1–5). It magnifies the active and passive obedience of Christ. It even uses the word propitiation—no small feat for a song written in 2008!    Yet, for all of its obvious strengths, the chorus of the song has one line that gave me pause the first time I heard it: "I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost: Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God." This line draws on Christ’s cry from the cross, “My God, My God, why ..read more

Sola Scriptura would be the anthem of most evangelicals. It was the crushing blow of the Reformation, after all. But what implications does this conviction have upon the way we actually study our Bibles? And how we live our lives? First, let us establish the argument for sola Scriptura, and then we will examine its implications upon the way we understand and interpret the Bible ..read more

“Do not think I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets;  I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”  Matthew 5:17   Tunes we hear as children often stay with us as adults. Who doesn’t know Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star? Even after many decades, who couldn’t start a round of Wheels on a Bus? Children’s songs are nostalgic, bringing us back to a time of simplicity and safety—who can’t hear their mom singing a sweet lullaby in their ear?  Today’s Siren also has a childhood song. It’s the song of moralism—the chorus we heard growing up, the melody that plays in the background ..read more

“We see around us every day the growth of new beliefs, which think themselves new; and which are yet but the old, which pretend to be young.”  These words from Bram Stoker’s Dracula are spoken by Professor Abraham van Helsing in an attempt to help one of his colleagues understand the ancient evil they faced. Unlike the other characters, van Helsing was not blinded by the modern presuppositions that prevented them from identifying their enemy. While they couldn’t believe a vampire was the cause of their trouble (because of their presuppositions), he marshaled the wisdom of the past to inf ..read more

Shepherding is the heart of ministry. It is our response to the charge of every sermon, the truth of every verse of Scripture, and the labor of every prayer. Whether we are shepherding others or are being shepherded ourselves, we all are among the flock of the Chief Shepherd, and as He leads, we follow.  Psalm 23, so familiar to believers and non-believers alike, teaches us how to live, where to place our trust, what to hope in, and ultimately, in whom we find our comfort and rest. Yet, there can be a danger to these familiar biblical passages. Do you find that when a verse or chapter be ..read more

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  Luke 19:10   The cover is one of the music industry’s most effective ways to promote new musical talent. It entails an artist taking an already popular song and making it their own—a marketing technique that introduces an unknown musician to an existing audience while familiarizing an audience to the skill and style of a new musician. And when done well, a multi-billion-dollar industry is the prize ..read more

Look back at sermon notes from each Shepherds Conference 2024 general session ..read more

Shepherds Conference 2024 is almost here. Take a look back at the top 10 most-played sermons from last year’s conference ..read more

Many Christians, and even some non-Christians, are acquainted with the well-known stories of the Old Testament. They know about Adam and Eve, Noah and the Flood, Abraham and Sarah, Moses and the Ten Commandments, David and Goliath, and Daniel in the lions' den. Yet, in spite of this familiarity, Christians often treat the Old Testament with a reverential aloofness, content to feast on the delicacies of the New Testament and ignore the other 77% of the Bible ..read more

The missionary spirit is utterly contagious. Even just one life burning brightly for the gospel can ignite the hearts of hundreds of others for generations to come. What a powerful thing it is to contemplate that reality in the history of missionary work ..read more