Is there a relationship between mental illness and demon possession? In addressing this question, the article notes that in Scripture, not all epileptics were demon-possessed and not all demon-possessed people were epileptics. This distinction has important pastoral implications, which the author goes on to establish by way of questions a pastor needs to consider: Are there any indicators revealing that the person dabbles in the occult?

What preaching method works best, preaching from a manuscript, notes, or no notes?

This article explains why proper exegesis is essential for every sermon.

This article considers the difference between exegesis and explanation of a text, helping the preacher evaluate whether he indeed explains the text in preaching.

This article explains that preaching Christ is essential for every sermon.

This article considers the nature and importance of application in preaching.

How does one prepare to receive a call into the ministry after the completion of one's studies? This article offers four thoughts.

What should you do if you go to seminary for training and afterward you cannot get a ministry internship or a call? Does it mean that you are not called for ministry? This article engages these questions.

What should you do if you face deposition or you come to the end of pastoral ministry? Does it mean you have lost your calling? This article indicates that you need to have wisdom and remember your responsibilities towards your family.

What should you lose your pastoral call or you do not receive a call to pastoral ministry? This article offers three things to bear in mind.

When should a pastor seek retirement? There are at least three things to consider when thinking about the retirement of the pastor.

This article looks at the impact of narcissism in pastoral ministry.

Does the Old Testament teach the doctrine of justification by faith alone? This article looks at the example of Abraham from Romans 4:21-22 to answer this question.

How should you handle false accusations in the ministry? This article calls for an attitude that is in line with Christ's.

The biblical teaching on imputation can be summarized as follows: Adam's sin was imputed to all humanity, the sins of the elect imputed to Christ, and Christ's righteousness imputed to the elect.

If sacrifice is a way of life for the Christian, then it means pastoral ministry is a sacrificial ministry. This article explains what such a ministry looks like.

This article considers how Romans 3:24-26 and Hebrews 9:14-15 contribute to the doctrine of justification.

The Christian life is a cruciform life. Christians are called to sacrifice themselves. This article offers two reasons why Christians can be joyful even in trials and suffering.

Helping the needy is what Christians should do. Caring for the needy requires a lot of wisdom. Giving money is not always the solution because true help must treat the cause and not the symptoms.

This article considers how the doctrine of justification by faith is important to pastoral ministry. It speaks good news to a variety of people for whom a pastor cares: the guilty, the insecure, the indifferent, and the resentful.

What are aspects to consider when considering a call to the ministry? This article raises six questions to reflect on.

This article considers the topic of the church in the Old Testament.

Bitterness is one of the dangers of the pastoral ministry. This article considers what causes it and what the cure is.

A churchless Christian is a contradiction in terms. When you are a Christian, you have to be a member of the church. What does church membership look like? This article offers three points on the matter.

Study breaks are important for the healthy functioning of the pastor. How can the pastor make the best of study breaks? This article suggests four things you can do to make your study breaks productive.

This article discusses why caring for widows is an indicator of the health of the church.

This article explains why prayer is important for pastors before preaching and for congregations to pray for the preaching.

What is the work of the pastor? His work is not to appeal to the masses but to preach to the remnant.

Why do friendships turn sour? This article looks at the friendship of John Calvin and Sebastian Castellio to answer this question.

Can Christians make use of skepticism as a tool in theology? This article warns against the danger of skepticism, and calls Christians to rely on the authority of Scripture.

What is the place of corporal punishment in the Christian family? This article explains that corporal punishment can help correct morality, but it should not be confused with the means of grace that brings sanctification.

What is the value of creeds and confessions? They define the beliefs of a communion of churches, protect from false teaching, and give testimony to the world.

Is it proper to conclude that "the Lord's Day" in Revelation 1:10 refers to Sunday? This article engages with this question.

What is a Reformed ministry? This article explains that the Reformers saw ministry as God's gift to his church. It deals with the work of the ministry, and the weakness of the ministry.

How do you determine the meaning of a text? When doing biblical interpretation, there are four rules to keep in mind.

This article considers Psalm 150, giving special attention to the concept of praise and worship.

The sovereignty of God is a doctrine that is not easy for Christians to accept. This article emphasizes that plans all human history, including the details of our lives, and successfully and unfailingly accomplishes his plan.

Because of the justice of God, Christians can be assured of the coming judgment. This article explains why this knowledge is of comfort to Christians.

Who is the servant of the Lord in Isaiah? This article explains that though "the servant of the Lord" refers to Israel, Israel failed to fulfil this prophecy. It is only in Christ that it is fulfilled.

This article offers some remarks on the covenant of grace as portrayed in Scripture.

This article explains that the Old Testament Sabbath, an institution of the Lord at creation, has enduring significance for the church after Christ. God as Creator and Redeemer calls his people still today to rest on the Lord's Day.

Christians are engaged in spiritual warfare. It is a war against the flesh, world and Satan. What hope of victory do we have in this warfare? It is the victorious work of God in Christ.

This article looks at the relationship between the work of God in creation and re-creation.

Who was George Whitefield and why was his ministry accepted with mixed feelings? This article gives a short biography.

What is the gospel and how does it shape life? In Galatians 2:11-16 Christians are not only given the meaning of the gospel; they are also shown how the gospel shapes all of life.

Is God the author of sin? Is the gospel for everyone? Is grace for everybody? Is Calvinism a license to sin? This article shows the differences between Reformed theology and hyper-Calvinism on these points.

The books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth reveal God’s work in history and illumine two redemptive themes: safety comes through faith and obedience, and disobedience is of no small consequence.

Medical technology brings challenges for Christians in making ethical decisions. This article looks at the impact of bioethics with a special focus on in vitro fertilization and Christian decision-making.

This article defines the covenant of works and aims to show its connection to the covenant of grace. The author argues that seeing the relationship between the two covenants is essential to seeing the place of the gospel.

How should Christians worship? One of the foci of John Calvin was worship. This article looks at Calvin's view on the importance of worship, the practice of worship, liturgy, principles of worship, and music for worship. Today's church can learn a lot from this.

Does God want you to be happy? What does happiness mean? This article explains what biblical happiness is.

The health and wealth or prosperity gospel has produced a new form of salvation contrary to the one taught in Scripture. It is salvation from unhappiness by doing your best. This article explains how this is so with a focus on the evaluation of the ministry of Joel Osteen.

What happened to sin? This article explains that sin and the sinfulness of man have been trivialized, negating the need for Christ. The article considers some of the claims of Joel Osteen, and in turn reveals what the Bible teaches about sin and hope in Christ.

The Christian life is presented in the Bible as suffering that leads to glory. Based on this understanding this article evaluates the claims of the health and wealth gospel with a specific focus on Joel Osteen.

Autonomy and nihilism are all efforts made by man to write his own story. This article explains that the true meaning of life is found in the story of God.

The ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ inaugurated the kingdom of God, and believers enter the kingdom in Christ. This union of Christ the King with believers must shape the daily life of the Christian.

There are two ways to undermine the law of God: idolatry and legalism. And there is one way of affirming it: by observing it, still today. 

The exodus motif shapes much of Isaiah 40-55. This article examines how Isaiah rereads the exodus motif.

The prophets who prophesied after exile pointed to the promises of God that were fulfilled in Christ. This article gives the promises of three of the prophets: Zechariah's prophecy of a new King, Joel's prophecy about the coming of the Spirit, and Malachi's prophecy about the remnant.

Church discipline aims at providing remedy, judgment, comfort, and encouragement. This article explains this by looking at Christ's letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-Revelation 3.

This article considers why the gospel is absent from much of American Christianity. It explains that many churches in America have embraced moralism, pop-psychology, and therapeutic deism.

Christians are called to be witnesses of Christ. This article considers three aspects related to sharing the gospel: the message of our witness, the messengers sent to witness, and the materials for our witness.

How does bioethics impact pastoral care? How should Christians approach ethical issues related to medical technology? Biblical anthropology must shape the Christian approach to bioethics. This article looks at the relationship between man's creation in the image of God and bioethics.

This article gives a historical overview of the Canons of Dort. The focus is on the context of the Canons, the meeting of the Synod of Dort, and the content of the Canons.

Every Christian needs systematic theology. This article looks at common areas of agreement in church history to highlight the need for dogmatics.

What does it mean that the sacraments are signs and seals? This article looks at the relationship between covenant promises and covenant signs. It also looks at the relationship between sacraments and God's Word. The sacraments are dependent upon the Word of God.

The doctrine of the Trinity is the heart of Christianity, because it is impossible to think about creation and salvation without the doctrine of the Trinity. This article explains this by looking at the necessity and mystery of the Trinity.

What should be the attitude of Christians toward the law of God? The attitude should be shaped by understanding the place of the law through the historic progression of God's revelation. This article explains the role of the law before the fall, after the fall and in the New Testament.

How did the fall into sin affect man and creation? As a result of the fall, human nature is corrupted by sin and creation is affected by the curse of sin. Hebrews 2 points to Christ as the hope for a new creation.

Is dispensationalism correct in seeing Israel as still the special people of God? Is the Zionist Movement a fulfilment of God's promises to Abraham? This article explains that God's promises to Abraham were fulfilled in Christ, and what that means for Israel as a nation.

Should Christians be members of the electronic church? This article explains that Christians are called to keep their church membership in a local church. TV church can only be a supplement for the Christian, for the Word of God and the nature of worship require this.

In Revelation 2:1-7 we read about Christ's evaluation of the church in Ephesus. This article explains the lessons the church must learn today from Christ's evaluation of the church.

What is the place of the law of God in society? What is the relationship of the law to the gospel? What is the role of the law in the Christian life? This article gives John Calvin's answer based on his view of the three uses of the moral law.

You may have heard the phrase "Reformed and always reforming" in reference to the church. What does it mean? This article explains that the saying teaches that the church is the Lord's, and is always created and renewed by the Word of God rather than by the spirit of the age.

Singing has been a vital part of the life of God's people since the Old Testament. This article encourages the use of hymns in the worship of the church, but particularly hymns rich with godly experience as well as a focus on the mercies of God in his Son. The church must exercise great care in choosing its hymns.

What is real Calvinism? Calvinism is as concerned with the life of faith as it is with doctrinal soundness. This article explains that this conviction is seen in history, Scripture, and Christ, and leads to a distinctive piety, life, and worship.

What is the message of the Bible? This article looks at both how Jesus and the apostles understood Scripture. It explains that the message of Scripture is Jesus Christ.

What should be the attitude of Christians towards the civil government? This article explains that Christians should view the civil government as ministers of God for your good, because civil magistrates are ordained by God. However, their authority is limited.

What does the Bible say about women in office? To answer this question the article looks at the general office of believers and how this is different from a particular office. It shows that all Christian women hold the general office of all believers.

Why is baptism important? It is important for Christian identity and growth.

What is the millennium in the book of Revelation? This article explains that understanding the meaning of the millennium is a source of encouragement to the church because it points to the victory of Christ.

Should Christians make use of secular scholarship? Can Christians learn aspects of truth from non-Christians? This article gives reasons that can make Christians object to using knowledge from non-Christians, as well as reasons why Christians should use aspects of truth from non-Christians. This is linked with understanding common grace.

What is a threat to the gospel? When the message of justification is confused with the law, church membership, and work, then the gospel becomes bad news.

What was considered to be important by the Reformers for the reformation of the church? It was the Bible, worship, justification, sacraments, and the church. These five are still important for the continuing work of reforming the church today.

What is the relationship between justification and the final judgment in Paul's writings? This article argues that the final judgment should be thought of in relation to the resurrection of Jesus.

Do pastors need a sabbatical? This article explains what a sabbatical is. It gives reasons why pastors need a sabbatical, and it gives guidance as to how pastors can use their sabbaticals.

Justification is by faith alone. What is the nature of justifying faith? This article explains that the nature of saving faith is one that turns away from itself. It is faith in Christ.

How do you plant a church? Reformed church planting must be authentic, strategic and confessional.

Are you thinking about being a church planter? These are three things that can help you in your consideration of church planting: God's Word, evangelism, and shepherding.

Christians are described as pilgrims and sojourners. This article explains the implications of this and the impact it has on Christian identity and the place of Christians in society.

How should sermon application be done? What is the meaning of application in preaching? This article explains that pastors and believers must aim for gospel application.

How should theological education be pursued? This article explains the need for a community in pursuing theological education. It gives three reasons for this need. It also evaluates online theological education and its value.

How can the church carry on the legacy of the Reformation? This article explains that there were three things essential to the Reformation: Scripture, justification, and church. If the church continues to cherish these things, it will carry on the legacy of the Reformation.

Why does the Bible value wisdom so much? It is because wisdom is priceless. This article explains what is wisdom, its value, and the manner of seeking wisdom.

Christ is king of the church, but is also king of the world. Christ rules over these two kingdoms differently. This article shows the implications of this different rule for the Christian.

This article looks at Romans 11:36, discussing how the doctrine of predestination should lead us to glorify God since it reveals His perfect mercy.

John Calvin still matters today, because Calvin demonstrated how valuing God's truth is crucial to shaping true theology, church, education, and politics.

They key to understanding the book of Revelation is in understanding its use of paradox and recapitulation. The author demonstrates this by looking at the meaning of the millennium and Armageddon.

What are sacraments? This article shows that sacraments are visible signs and seals of God’s invisible grace promised to his people in the gospel. Both baptism and Lord's Supper point us to the work of Christ.

Is a Christian still required to keep the law? This article shows that the relationship between the law and the gospel is found in both the Old and New Testament - in the law God makes His demands, and in the gospel He provides what He demands.