This new series on marriage is aimed mostly at married couples who would like to strengthen their marriage. That said, if you’re engaged or dating, there’s a lot here for you as well. Maybe your marriage is in trouble. Maybe it’s stale. Maybe it’s going well. Whatever the case, why don’t you join me in this podcast journey? I think you’ll learn something that applies to your marriage or situation. Who do you know that could benefit from short encouragements on marriage? Share this...
Author - Jonathan Shirk
Let’s say it’s a beautiful day outside and you’re taking a stroll in the park. You study your shadow, and you notice just how much it looks like you. It’s an image of you. It’s connected to you. You start to run, and it follows you. It does what you do. Your shadow is affixed to you. Your shadow cannot be detached from you . . . unless you’re Peter Pan. Keith Mathison uses this helpful illustration in his little book titled The Lord’s Supper to explain the spiritual presence of...
A bicycle is a pretty simple machine, but I doubt you understand the science behind how a bike works. I certainly don’t. According to interestingengineering.com, several theories about how bikes remain stable have been disproven (the gyroscopic theory and the caster theory). [1] A bike is a simple machine, and yet, the exact mechanism that makes a bicycle stable is a mystery. Okay, if a simple machine involves mysteries that scientists can’t figure out or explain, how much more are the...
In my experience, many Christians struggle to understand what they believe and to find the right words to communicate what they believe. This is where creeds, confessions, and catechisms help Christians immensely. They define and explain things in simple terms—terms children can learn and understand—and unite Christians around a common understanding of Scripture. Creeds, confessions, and catechisms communicate, “This is what we believe as Christians, and this is what we do not believe.”...
Before I begin to unpack Article 35 of the Belgic Confession, let me make an important clarification for this podcast. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God, inerrant, infallible, and the only rule or authority for faith and life (WCF 1:2). The ecumenical creeds and Reformed confessions and catechisms do not replace Scripture nor are they equal to Scripture. Please listen carefully. Scripture alone is the Word of God, however, the ecumenical creeds and...
Let’s think about the Lord’s Supper. Let’s try to better understand this incredible gift from our Lord. What’s God’s intent for the Lord’s Supper? Why did God give you and me the Lord’s Supper? Heidelberg 67 asks, “Are both the Word and the sacraments, then, intended to focus our faith on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as the only ground of our salvation?” It answers, “Yes, indeed. The Holy Spirit teaches us in the gospel and assures us by the sacraments that...
A slight correction from last time. I read Heidelberg 65, which is important to this series, but I referenced it as Heidelberg 66. I apologize for the confusion. Heidelberg 65 asks, “where does . . . faith come from?” Great question. Believers want to have faith and a stronger and deeper faith. How do they get that? Heidelberg 65 answers, “From the Holy Spirit who works it in our hearts by the preaching of the gospel and strengthens it by the use of the sacraments.” Aren’t you glad...
I have a really bad habit of not drinking enough water, and quite frankly, it creates problems for me. I think I have more aches and pains because I don’t drink enough water. I like to run, and if I’m dehydrated, guess how I feel when I run. On hot days, in particular, I sometimes have a very difficult time running, in part, because I’m not well hydrated. You’d think I would learn my lesson, but I still struggle with the discipline of drinking enough water. Think about food for a...
We’ve been working our way through Article 29 of the Belgic Confession which gives much encouragement about local churches and our membership in them. Article 29 gives the three marks of the true church—the pure preaching of the gospel, the pure administration of the sacraments, and church discipline—and the says: In short, it governs itself according to the pure Word of God, rejecting all things contrary to it and holding Jesus Christ as the only Head. By these marks one can be...
You may have heard the horrific news story about the 6-year-old boy who shot his teacher, Abigail Zwerner. School employees say that Zwerner asked for help with the boy several times earlier in the school year. [1] According to Diane Toscano, Zwerner’s attorney, multiple concerns about the boy were reported to the administration that day before the shooting. Allegedly, Zwerner reported to an administrator that the boy threatened to beat up another student. Another teacher searched the boy’s...