So what exactly is Baptism? Depending on who you ask, you will receive all sorts of answers. Today we will define Baptism from a Biblically Reformed understanding of Scripture and look at different scriptures referencing Baptism.

A look at Ephesians 4

Read and Sing Psalm 19 from the Trinity Psalter

This is a BIG question, what is the church? We will not exhaustively answer this question in this series. We will answer some questions in this series, but for the most part, it is actually our goal, hope, prayer, and desire, that this series will stir up questions such that we will diligently search the scriptures together. This series, in a sense, is not one that will end, as throughout the rest of your life you will be, as you already have been throughout your life to this point, learning and experiencing different answers to the question - what is the church? 

In this final section of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher lifts the curtain and reveals his end goal, which is the true nature of wisdom. I think that many people in the church don't want to hear about wisdom, but instead, they want to be told what to do. We confuse wisdom and law. You see, at the deepest part of human nature is the legalist, and he/she loves the law. This is because they believe that it's their adherence to the law that will save them and guide them in every single circumstance in life. But this is the very point that the Preacher is refuting. He is comparing books' demanding and exhausting nature to the dynamic and liberating nature of true wisdom.

Wisdom theology can be described as general observations about how God ordered the world in creation.  This ordered creation is reliable, regular, coherent and ethical, as seen and taught in Proverbs. If we link Ecclesiastes with wisdom, then we must connect “life under the sun” as coming from creation. However, Ecclesiastes 1:14-15 reminds us that this same creation has been made crooked by man’s rebellious sin:

Together Read: Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 And Rev. 21:18-20

Many scholars and laypeople believe Ecclesiastes is not, and cannot be, connected with any of the books of the Bible. Yet, in our hearts, we know this must not be true. When people do try to fit it into the rest of Scripture, they will typically try to connect it in one of two ways. 1.) Ecclesiastes is responding/reacting to the entrenched teaching, “If you do this, this will happen” of Proverbs.” and 2.) Ecclesiastes shows us our need for God by the Solomonic Preacher giving us a life lesson in what not to do.

When talking about manhood or womanhood from the Scriptures one should begin at the very beginning.  Last month in an article we looked briefly at motherhood/womanhood and what the scriptures say about their role as covenant ally, particularly from Proverbs 31.  In this article for the month of June, we will be investigating fatherhood/manhood and will be seeking the Word of God to glean an understanding of what God reveals to us about what it means to be a man and a father.

Dear brothers,  I write this to you who are considering if the Lord's purpose for you is to serve in the church as pastors and elders. It is a good and right thing that you desire to serve the Lord as elders, pastoring the people of God. This is a weighty thing, not lightly to be considered, and certainly not lightly to be entered into. As a result of the great responsibility and weight of this calling and work, I write to encourage you should the Lord choose to use you as elders and pastors, and I write to you to guard you against some of the temptations and traps that lay ahead of you as you pursue this noble task (1 Timothy 3:1). 

Last week we launched June’s theme of husbands and fathers by giving an overview of what the Bible has to say about fathers. This week we turn the focus of our attention from a broad overview to a specific expectation of God for husbands - that husbands would “love your wives”  (Ephesians 5:25, Colossians 3:19). In this expectation there is great blessing, command, instruction, and goals for husbands to pursue wholeheartedly.

During the month of May, we examined what God’s Word has to say about mothers. Throughout June we will be examining what God’s Word has to say about fathers. To get started with this month’s topic of fatherhood we will give a brief overview of what the Bible has to say about fathers. 

Women are often looking for specific passages in scripture that pertain exclusively to them. Many answers to these queries will reference two biblical passages: Proverbs 31, and Titus 2. We looked at Proverbs 31 earlier this month, so today we will take a look at Titus 2. Titus is a WONDERFUL book that I encourage you to read and study. There are a few verses (Titus 2:3-5) that explicitly give instructions and descriptions for women to pursue Godly living. While these few verses in Titus 2 do provide a clear picture of how women following Christ can grow in Godly living, these verses lose much of their meaning when removed from the context of the whole book. To grasp hold of the goodness, wisdom, and helpful instruction given for women in Titus 2, we need to look at the book of Titus as a whole.

One of the strangest moments summarizing the lost state of unbelievers today occurred during recent US government proceedings. During those meetings, a person of great academic education and career success was asked to define what a woman is. The answer was unhelpful and downright a rejection of objective truth. The present value placed upon ambiguity, fluidity, and ever-shifting definitions is a recipe for disaster for individuals, families, communities, and whole nations. Rejection of truth is now often the barometer for trustworthiness and enlightenment. It is as though to appear to be a person who knows something nowadays, a person must demonstrate all of the intellectual permutations of what that person has gone through, what tribes that person represents, and what assumptions that person wants to avoid by giving anything close to a definitive statement. Decisions and definitions seem to be rooted and guided more by personal experiences and preferences than by any appeal to objectively observable principles.

The Bible, specifically Proverbs 31 truly reflects the dignity that God created the woman to have when He caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and formed his covenant ally from his rib.  On the sixth day, God created male and female in His image, Genesis 1:27. 

Trigger Warning This post Talks about Miscarriage 

There is something about being a mom that I never fully grasped until I was well, a mom. That was the idea of having joy and pain at the same time. I had often heard of this concept but never truly experienced it. The first time I experienced joy and pain was the moment after our first daughter was born. There was such joy in holding our slippery bundle of joy that we had prayed and waited for so long. And yet, among the joy was the physical pain from giving birth. I think this is a feeling that all mothers can understand—the feeling of joy and physical pain.

Summer is here once again, and kids are returning home from school. I have heard many times the fear in mothers voices as the wonder what they will do with their children all summer. This summer, I challenge you to Enjoy and Thrive with your children home.

When you sit down to read a passage in scripture, it’s good to have some questions floating in your mind. You can systematically work through these, or develop your own list of questions as you study God’s Word. Here is an example of an Interpretive discussion list for you to consider as you seek to grow in your relationship with God and his Word.

An AMAZING wholesome book for the entire family! Check out our review of this new family read-aloud.

God doesn't need to conform to our feelings, or our biological ability to mutilate our bodies. God has made and declared what is good. It is good for men to be manly, and good for women to be womanly. Each culture WILL look slightly different, but that doesn't change the created order of God, and sometimes even cultures (like Western hyper-sexuality culture) as a whole can reject these created distinctive - the fact that Androgynous is a description of a blurred attractiveness of a person, neither fully male or female is evidence of this present sad state.