Have you ever felt unsettled by something—a conversation, a decision, or even a passage in the Bible? Intuition, our ability to quickly sense and assess, is a powerful gift. But as helpful as it can be, intuition can also mislead us, especially in our spiritual lives. What do we do when God’s word challenges our feelings or instincts? This article explores how progress in faith often means embracing discomfort, trusting God’s truth over our emotions, and growing through what doesn’t sit right.

Spanking is a challenging topic in today’s parenting landscape, and within our church, it’s sometimes seen as unusually emphasized. At last year’s Parenting Conference, we discussed spanking openly, as many parents struggle to talk about it yet are curious about its role in raising children. Reflecting on my own journey, I now see the value of addressing this practice clearly and without shame. Grounded in biblical wisdom and supported by recent studies, this article explores why many Christian parents view spanking as beneficial, emphasizing the need for it to be done with love, self-control, and a commitment to guiding children in truth.

Last year, Pastor Nate outlined three key strategies for overcoming sin—gospel, community, and behavior—in his article, “What Should I Do if My Husband is Addicted to Pornography?” This summer, I saw these principles in action as I led a group of men through Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace. By applying these strategies, the men made significant progress and have remained porn-free for over three months.

Editor's note: To mark the end of Dr. Rob Rayburn’s “My Life in Great Books” series, we thought it fitting to compile a comprehensive list of his recommendations—all 152 of them. Dr. Rayburn is arguably the most well-read minister in our presbytery, and anyone who has had the privilege of hearing him preach or lecture can attest to his vast knowledge. If he recommends a book, you can be sure it’s worth your time. Why not print out this list and start working your way through it?

In reflecting on what it means to be a gospel-centered church, the question arises: does spiritual maturity involve moving beyond the gospel, or is the gospel integral to every stage of our faith journey? It could seem that maturity means shifting focus from the gospel to the law. But is that true? As Tim Keller famously said, “The gospel is not just the ABCs of the Christian life but the A to Z of Christianity.” This article builds on earlier discussions and seeks to explore the profound ways in which the gospel remains foundational—not just at the beginning, but throughout the entire journey of faith.

We live in a culture that doesn’t sing. Our culture listens (quite a lot) to other professionals who sing. But for most cultures in history, singing was an activity for common people. And certainly throughout the Bible, singing is crucial to a life lived to God’s glory. 

Since our founding our church has been, and continues to be, a gospel-centered church. We believe the gospel alone has the power to make us into a people of joy, freedom, and righteousness. But the gospel-centered movement has received some criticism of late—namely, that since its constant aim is to motivate the Christian life by God’s grace, it can at times fail to give practical instructions to believers about how to live as a Christian.

Paul commands us to “be at peace among yourselves” (v. 13). In a sermon I gave a few weeks ago on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28, I discussed how this command relates to avoiding unnecessary burdens on your leadership by not quarreling with each other. I'd like to offer further explanation to clarify what I mean.

Wokeism is deceptively attractive to sincere Christian people. If you are tenderhearted, care for the outsider, and are willing to sacrifice for the marginalized, then without clear teaching, wokeism will be almost irresistible. Whose heart does not ache for the oppressed? Who doesn’t want to be a champion of the weak and disempowered and marginalized?

In covering the errors of Dispensationalism, it is important to talk about the fact that their method for interpreting the book of Revelation is historically recent, and that there are several other ways that Christians have interpreted Revelation since it was written in the first century.

You might wonder, “What exactly is wokeness?” My goal in this article is to explain what it is; I will follow up with a second article on how the church should respond. My hope is that these articles will help our church to think clearly about these issues, and will guide us to have the courage to confront them when they arise.

Because of our fallen nature and our finitude, we cannot know this natural law without the light of Christ to illuminate the darkness of our hearts and minds, or without the spectacles of the Scriptures to enable us to see these laws of nature clearly. So, while natural law does exist, it is both unhistorical and unrealistic to say we have access to it without the grace of Christ.