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There is indeed a responsibility for the church to share the gospel in the world, but never at the expense of the church’s charity and mercy for those neighbors who are nearby. Most Christians are probably familiar, by name or in theory, with world mission. Since the nineteenth century, Protestants have taken a strong interest in evangelism overseas – meaning beyond the bounds of Europe and North America.

The only hope for idol-addicted sinners who are utterly incapable of decluttering their souls is Jesus, the one at the heart of the gospel, and the only one who stands before the Father with an undivided heart. Although not every line and precept is still binding on us today, a corollary of the Mosaic law is that it shows us how deeply God cares about the way his people live.

More than a friend, Amsdorf was also an important figure in the work of religious reform, providing counsel to Luther on key occasions, shepherding the churches, and defending the faith until his death. When I wrote my two novels about the Lutheran Reformation—Broken Bonds and Face to Face—one of my favorite characters to bring to life was Nicolaus von Amsdorf, Luther’s fellow reformer.

Just as it is necessary that Christ took on flesh for our salvation, so too, it is necessary that he should be in the supper bodily “Oh dear man! If someone does not want to believe the article of faith concerning the Lord’s Supper, how will he ever believe the article of faith concerning the humanity and divinity of Christ in one person?” [1] Within the Scriptures, there is a clear parallel between the doctrine of the Incarnation and the doctrine of the real presence of Christ in the Lord’s...

Jesus doesn’t say, “I give you the way,” but “I am the way.” How do you know who, or what, you truly are? It’s a question about self-awareness. Some of us are better at this than others, but we all need help, from time to time, understanding ourselves. This help often comes in one of two forms. One type is when someone explicitly points out your character traits. This could come from a personality test or a clinical diagnosis. Or it could come from someone simply describing you.

This is an excerpt from the sixth chapter of Fear Not: How the Gospel Disrupts Our Deepest Anxieties by Luke Kjolhaug (1517 Publishing, 2026). Alone In the popular reality TV show Alone, contestants compete to win a cash prize by seeing who can battle the elements the longest before tapping out. Each one is dropped off at a different remote location, cut off from all human contact. They’re not even followed by cameramen; they have to record themselves.

Through the water of your baptism and the power of God’s Word, He changed your route. The highway no longer takes you to the hell you deserve. And in this life you no longer wind your way through the self-serving twists and turns. The map doesn’t point to you. Thank the Lord for that! It points to him. He remains your true north now and always. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they orient their map. That's because our minds have a habit of finding their way onto the map.

We draw near because Christ our Mediator has gone where we never could, and he has brought us with him. Within the twenty-five-verse narrative of Exodus 19, Moses makes three of his seven trips up and down Mount Sinai, which might not sound all that enthralling, but the events that lead up to the actual giving of the law in the next chapter make this one of the most important sequences in the entire Bible. Some commentators have even suggested that, in fact, it is the most important chapter.

The Israelite God was different from all the other gods, thus, the worship of Yahweh differed from that of all other gods. What do you do with an old, worn-out Bible? What about a worn and tattered American Flag? What about leftover communion wine?

David finally found the truth that it was not his seed of kingship but the promise made to Abraham that made him holy. From that, David refused to be moved and wrote this Psalm by the necessity of the Spirit as the assurance of faith. The law never made a man holy, not even one as robust as David; yet faith did this great thing without lifting a finger. v. 1 Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?