Today we remember.

We remember sacrifice. Bravery. Courage. We remember heroes—laid in graves around the world—who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. And we thank God for their sacrifice.

Let us never forget that freedom isn’t free.

That which requires such a price should be treasured—and gratefully used. Yet too often we squander this gift in selfish pursuits. Shouldn’t we rather use it to tell others of the Gospel and Christ who gave His life to free us from sin?

“And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

Freedom costs. Are you using it?

It was a joy on Tuesday evening to preach the ordination service for Pastor Aaron Irlbacher. Brother Irlbacher is a graduate of West Coast Baptist College and has just recently become the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Roy, Washington. I’m thankful for the three other veteran pastors who also took part in this service: Pastor Mark Smith of Faith Baptist Church, Tacoma, Washington; Pastor Rick Wilder of Bible Baptist Church, Olympia, Washington; and Pastor Erik Sanders of Everett Bible Baptist Church, Everett, Washington. It’s a blessing to see these men supporting this new pastor.

More than anything, our country needs more men like Brother Irlbacher who will walk with God and preach the Gospel with both passion and compassion. I’m thankful to see the Lord raising up a generation of young men who are committed to truth, grounded in God’s Word, and determined to make a difference for Christ through the local church!

What a blessing it has been to join a number of pastors in the Northwest at our regional Striving Together Conference. This meeting was hosted by Pastor Mike Kinney (who just celebrated 25 years of ministry in the Northwest) and the Temple Baptist Church in Lacey, Washington.

Dr. Ouellette and I both preached last night, and this morning we held training sessions for pastors and Christian servants. I thoroughly enjoy time spent with like-minded pastors, and I’m thrilled to see how the Lord is using good men in the Northwest who have a commitment to walk in the old paths and a passion to see God bring revival. I’m thankful to serve alongside these men, and I’m grateful for their vision to see churches planted and raised up in this part of the country.

One of my goals in training and equipping ministries has been to reach beyond the routine basics of “grow the church” to specifically teach how we grow people within the church to become what God made them to be—”conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). I thank the Lord for numeric growth in biblical ministries anywhere, but I never want to neglect teaching those within our ministry to cultivate a heart for God.

This Spiritual Leadership podcast lesson focuses on how to cultivate Christ-likeness within the church. In this lesson, I share some practical principles on how a pastor can intentionally develop a model of Christ-likeness within the local body of Christ.

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The church’s effectiveness is enhanced or limited by the spirituality of its people. We need pastors who will lead under the headship of Christ and rely on the grace of God to develop godly, Christ-like leaders within the church. This podcast lesson teaches how this can be accomplished. (more…)

Many of us were grieved to see the shift in American policy as our president expressed this week his diplomatic views that Israel should return back to the borders of 1967. The Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis 12:3 makes it clear that God has an unconditional and eternal covenant with Israel and that His blessing on our nation is dependent on our blessing on Israel: “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

In a moment when America definitely needs the blessing of God, we do not need to take a further step away from the clear teaching of His Word by removing our support from Israel.

In my book, Understanding the Times, an entire chapter is devoted to Israel’s significance in current events as well as her prophetic significance. Below are excerpts from this book: (more…)