Come Down, Lord!

Last night, I dreamed about the parable of the hidden treasure. I woke up thinking especially about the man's joy. Jesus said, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”​ Our forefathers seem almost universally agreed that the treasure here represents Jesus Himself. Though the parable is a parable of the kingdom, it is important to remember that the heart, the glory, and the joy of the kingdom is the King Himself. It is as men and women put their trust specifically in Him that the kingdom advances. As Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Rather, it is a kingdom marked by the progress and power of the Spirit as He makes men and women “willing in the day of His power.” This is not a kingdom advanced by the might or wisdom of men. Rather, as the gospel is proclaimed, the Spirit gives life to the dead. Men and women are bo...

  When the two blind men cried out saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David, Jesus stood still (Matthew 20:30-32).  Though the multitude rebuked them, as if Jesus had more important and pressing matters to attend to, He still took time for them.  He stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you (Matthew 20:32)?  Hugh Martin says that in the biography of Jesus “we have the very Christ himself - the living Saviour - still speaking to us as never man spake, still going about doing good.”  As Martin puts it, when we read the Bible we deal with Him, and He with us.  He says, “The true and living Christ, present with you - secretly and subjectively present in you by his Spirit - deals with you.  And you in the Spirit deal with the true and living Christ, present with you - ostensibly and objectively present with you - in his own holy word and history.”  He added, “Jesus is here as he was there; here now, as...

  Over the past several days, I’ve been reflecting on the trucker convoy. I remember how thankful we were to hear they were on their way to Ottawa. After months of lockdowns and vaccine mandates, ordinary Canadians had had enough. We had seen pastors imprisoned for gathering their congregations for worship, we had been barred from restaurants and public spaces for refusing the vaccine, and we had witnessed the devastating effects of lockdowns on the sick, the elderly, and our children. So when we learned the convoy was coming, many of us took our flags and lined the 401 to cheer them on as they passed. Some of us went to Ottawa as well. And some of us were there when the police violently cleared the truckers out. I will never forget that day. We had seen the female protester trampled by a mounted officer, and we felt compelled to go. We went peacefully, but we went to stand with the truckers. I saw no protesters acting violently that day - but I did see a great deal of gratuitous v...

  Over the last sixteen years, I have spent a lot of time in the Puritans. Early on in my pastoral ministry, I resolved to read at least ten pages of Puritan writings a day. While I have not always been consistent, I have made Puritan reading a significant priority. Though I have read other material, the bulk of my time has been given to their works, which have profoundly shaped my thinking on a host of issues. When I have questions, I instinctively turn—not to contemporary voices—but to the Puritans. They aren’t perfect, but they are safe. I have noticed, however, that the ideology and practices of younger generations of Reformed believers have been largely shaped by the influence of popular contemporary figures, many of whom find their platform on social media. This hasn’t been good for the Church. Had our young men been steeped in the writings of their forefathers in general—particularly the Puritans—the Church today would be in a far healthier state. Some were puzzled—even dism...

  Some have found it hard to understand why I would write a critical piece about Doug Wilson and the New Saint Andrews (NSA) ad.  They don’t understand what all the fuss is about, particularly when there are so many other battles being waged.  They genuinely appreciate Wilson’s ministry, and if they weren’t necessarily thrilled with the middle finger they also don’t mind overlooking the occasional glitch.  And besides, none of us are perfect.  Haven’t we all been sinfully angry at times?  Haven’t we all said things we shouldn’t?  And don’t we all - or at least most of us - watch movies (and television programs) where coarse language is used?  So why get so worked up about one ad?   Here I want to clarify something.  And I think its important.  But first, a little background. In this season I have found myself often saying, “ O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?   I thank God—throug...