Throughout church history there has been some sort of clergy / laity distinction. That is, in every era of church history there has been a recognition between those who are set apart for vocational ministry (ie, elders / pastors) and “ordinary” church members. Some traditions have maintained a strong separation and reserve various responsibilities and…

Imagine your life has been difficult for a few years (that may not be all that hard to do for some). Government persecution has ramped up. The current ruling authority—the emperor—has been given absolute authority to govern as he sees fit, and part of how he sees the world is the official persecution of followers…

There are few things more exhilarating than cheering with a massive crowd. Last Fall my son Trey took me to a University of Michigan football game—not just any game: Notre Dame. It was raining when we parked and stood in line for the bus to the stadium. It rained as we got off the bus…

Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi is a future-oriented letter, written to people who are from the future. I don’t mean that Paul wrote Philippians to us today; he wrote it to the Philippians in the first century. I mean that the Philippians were future people. Though they lived in Philippi in the second…

At Mount Sinai God made a covenant with the people of Israel. The words of the covenant were written on two tablets of stone; they were the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28). The Ten Commandments and the various laws that were given were the covenant God made with Israel. The Ten Commandments were a summary of…