The Church’s Wedding Dress

Posted on by under Randy Alcorn

Commenting on the fine linen worn by believers in Revelation 19.8:

It’s only because of the Bridegroom’s work that the chosen princess, the church, can enter the presence of her Lord. Yet her wedding dress is woven through her many acts of faithfulness while away from her Bridegroom on the fallen Earth. The picture is compelling. Each prayer, each gift, each hour of fasting, each kindness to the needy, all of these are the threads that have been woven together into this wedding dress. Her works have been empowered by the Spirit, and she has spent her life on Earth sewing her wedding dress for the day when she will be joined to her beloved Bridegroom.

Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2004), 199-200.

Pastor, Do You Cringe from Problems in Your Church?

Posted on by under Alfred Poirier

It is strange that we as pastors, called to preach the gospel of grace to sinners, balk at having to deal with real sinners with real sin in real and messy situations. If we are to apply the Word of God to every aspect of life — sin and all — we must change our attitudes about conflict. Since it is God and His purposes we tend to forget in conflict, it would be best to start by asking: who is God, and what are His purposes with respect to conflict?

Alfred Poirier, The Peacemaking Pastor (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006), 72.

Your Vote Matters in Eternity

Posted on by under Russell Moore

Our vote for President of the United States . . . is important. We are held accountable . . . for the discharge of our ruling responsibilities in this life. But our vote for President is less important than our vote to receive new members for baptism into our churches. A President is term-limited and, for that matter, so is the United States (and every other nation). The reception of members into the church, however, marks out the future kings and queens of the universe. Our church membership rolls say to the people on them, and to the outside world, “These are those we believe will inherit the universe, as joint-heirs with Christ.”

Russell Moore, Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2015 ), 63.