This is a work in progress. More will continue to be added.

Pastor John helped me see that if God is not sovereign over salvation, then God is not sovereign.

The church, for too long, has neglected this reality and has been too comfortable cozying up to the culture and adopting its ideas. Certainly, Israel took from Egypt (Exodus 12:36), but only their material possessions as God instructed them.

God's men act like God's Son: on the alert, firm in the faith, strong, and loving.

The modern church must reclaim the biblical vision: children belong in worship, alongside their parents, learning to love and fear the Lord. The Bible is clear—God calls entire families to worship Him, not just adults.

Any position, strength, or skill we gain is a gift from his hand, so we should trust that if help will come in the hour of trial, it will come from his gracious hand, and for his own glory. We may also appeal to God’s glory.

These are just a few examples of righteous deception in the bible, but in every one of these cases, we see the person or people lying, being deceptive, strategic, shrewd, and wise as serpents, we also see them being as innocent as doves.

Our culture has drifted so far from God, and subsequently immeasurably far from sanity and coherent thought, that the inability to stop drinking, aka the inability to stop willfully taking money out of your bank account, willfully driving to a store, willfully walking into the store, willfully grabbing a bottle off the shelf, willfully paying the proper amount – tax and everything – willfully popping the top, willfully putting the opening to your mouth, willfully tilting your head back, and willfully swallowing the alcohol is now seen as a symptom of a disease rather than a moral failing.

The concept of “first fruits” appears in Leviticus 23:10, which states, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to be accepted.”

Psalm 82 is reminiscent of Isaiah 6 and Job 1, as the veil between heaven and earth temporarily rolls back, allowing the onlooker insight into the congregation who gathers before Yahweh.

In the church, many suggest Christians stay in their lane, a sacred lane that must be kept separate from the secular realm. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, elite evangelicals often assist in cementing the supremacy of secular elites. But what does God think of our rebellion? He laughs at our foolishness and calls us to wisdom. Wise kings honor Christ as King and serve him with joy.

The subject of mortifying sin ought to resonate with the push for biblical masculinity; the call to mortify sin brings about a spirit and a sense of adventure, battle, conflict, and conquest. We are teaching ourselves, our men, and our boys to be a warrior who is tender to his allies and tough on his enemies.