One of the dilemmas some people have with church membership is the purpose of it. Some people have rightly been against a formal church membership on the basis that it has been explained as the way of inclusion into the church. Hopefully we would...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
The book of Isaiah holds the two most quoted Old Testament statements about the promise of Jesus. In Isaiah 7 we hear of the promise of a virgin giving birth to a son. Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
It’s hard to be wrong. It’s even harder to be on the end of a rebuke that brings our wrongdoing into the open in a way that requires a response. It’s during these times that the voice inside us starts speaking lies to us....[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Not many books have been written so successfully as to reach a 50th anniversary edition. The late Richard Niebuhr’s book, “Christ and Culture,” is one of them. It shows that the questions about Christ and culture are of high...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
So often we read the bible and skip over words that were never meant to be taken lightly. Sometimes the words we so easily read past are truths for our soul and encouragements for our heart. Sometimes the words we pass by so flippantly are...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
This week, HPBC has our Big Discipleship Day. It is our day to think about how we counsel each other in through sin and suffering in life and seeking maturity in Christ. In a beautiful twist of God’s providence this week (never fate), I...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Last week our church considered Galatians 5:25-6:3. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
This year my family stood in front of an American flag and promised to bear arms for this nation if we were ever called upon by the Government to do so. It is a basic expectation of an American citizen. I hope never to be in a position of being...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
I have often wondered why so many people are so quick to speak with great pessimism about the church. Perhaps some of you have just read this first sentence and thought to yourself that I must be blind and deaf. Is it possible that I have not seen...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
When Paul wrote the letter to the Galatian churches, there was no beating around the bush. In his opening remarks he moves straight to the point that they were being lured toward a false gospel. Of course, Paul is concerned that there is no...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
