What is Penance and How is it Difference from Repentance?

There's a Christian term that we all know that perhaps we mix up with another Christian term that's not quite as familiar. The one we know is repentance. It's a big part of Scripture. The very first sermon that Jesus ever preached, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." That was his message...

Oct 29, 2025

Is Church Growth Related to God's Judgement?

Sometimes we're very tempted to look on the outward evidence of God's blessing. And for a local church, one of those can be, Oh, our church is growing so much, we're being blessed by God. And that may, in fact, be the case. But the other side of that coin is, Our church hasn't grown in years, or we'...

Oct 27, 2025

What Should a Church Be Aware of When Growing Quickly?

Some of you may be in churches that over the past few years have experienced a great deal of growth. In 2020, faithful churches, many of them, including the one that I serve in, we experienced explosive growth. And so it's easy to say, oh, look what God is doing, but forget that there's still one pr...

Oct 22, 2025

What is the Role of Prophecy in the Local Church?

Many in the Christian world still profess to believe or to practice the gift of prophecy. That they hear words from God or impressions from God that they are then prepared to give out to others. Or they listen to them. And there are whole churches that build their entire culture around this. It's...