When thinking about Christ’s birth, we often focus our attention on Luke’s detailed gospel account. But to appreciate the main point of the story—that the eternal Son of God assumed our flesh-and-blood human nature—we need to learn from the rest of the Bible why Christ came to earth. Why did Christ come? In this book, thirty-one thoughtful meditations answer this vital question, and the answers encourage us to celebrate Christ’s birth more deeply, see more clearly how it is connected with the rest of His ministry, and recognize its importance for our lives.

An important confession of the reformed churches for hundreds of years, the Canons of Dort teach clearly that salvation is by grace alone through Christ alone. Yet some people may find it an intimidating document and wonder why it was even written. In The Glory of Grace, William Boekestein and Evan Hughes help our children understand the difficult challenges the churches in the Netherlands faced in the Arminians’ distortion of the gospel message. In this story about the Synod of Dort (1618), children will learn about the history and ideas that formed the Canons of Dort and come to a greater appreciation of this great treasure of the Reformed faith and its emphasis on the glory of God in graciously saving sinners.

The life of Guido de Bres teaches us that we can find enduring hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ, even during persecution. Author William Boekestein sensitively tells the story of de Bres for children, guiding them through his turbulent life and times- from his birth in 1522 in a small Belgium town, to his call to the ministry and study under Reformers such as John Calvin and Theodore Beza, to his authorship of the Belgic Confession and a life of suffering, to his martyr's death in 1567. Skillfully crafted illustrations and an easy-to-understand narrative combine to capture the interests-and admiration-of the entire family for this amazing Reformation hero.

The Heidelberg Catechism has been taught to children for hundreds of years, encouraging them to seek Christ as their true source of comfort. But how did this catechism get written? In The Quest for Comfort, William Boekestein and Evan Hughes combine history and art to retell the events that led to making the catechism. By sharing the stories of Caspar Olevianus, Zacharias Ursinus, and Frederick III and how they came to Heidelberg, children will gain a greater appreciation of the Christian faith as it is expressed in the Heidelberg Catechism.

our provocation has driven them away.

4. Listen to the Advice of Others

Effective parents seek counsel from their pastors and elders, their own parents, and even their own kids. They also take advantage of good books on parenting. Two great helps on spiritual parenting are Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp and Parenting by God’s Promises by Joel Beeke.

Our children are a sacred trust. Our task is not so much to rule over them, as to lovingly, graciously, train them to fear God. If you have ever worked with concrete you know that you only have a few hours to work it into the proper shape before it becomes immovable. So it is with children. We have just a few years to help shape the spiritual impulses that will guide them through the rest of their lives. We must do all we can to avoid misshaping our children by provoking them to discouragement.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on July 15, 2013.

the rod (Prov. 17:10). This is particularly so as a child moves past the early years of childhood. Matthew Henry urges parents to exercise authority not “with rigor and severity, but with kindness and gentleness.” If your children can forget that you love them, either during or immediately following discipline, you might be doing it wrong.

2. Maintaining a disorderly home.

God is a God of order (1 Cor. 14:33). He has created us in his image to promote order and thrive in the context of order. A disorderly home can discourage children. A perpetually messy, or especially an unsanitary home can help produce poorly adjusted children. A lack of regularly scheduled meal times and bed times can frustrate children’s God-given desire for order.

3. Holding inappropriate expectations.

Some parents expect almost nothing from their kids. In such settings, children can lose energy or passion because they are never helped to “reach forward to those things which are ahead” (Phil 3:13). In other homes too much is expected. Experience teaches that unreasonable expectations are the ideal breeding ground for discouragement. If your children regularly fail to measure up to your standards, you might be expecting too much.

4. Building a joyless home.

In some homes children are not treated with the dignity that God requires. Some parents rarely congratulate or encourage their children, focusing instead, on their faults. Parents must never forget that their children are people created in God’s image. Children of believers are even included in God’s covenant (1 Cor. 7:14).

5. Failing to speak as “one flesh.”

Too often, dad and mom are not operating by the same rules when it comes to interacting with their kids. One parent might be more lenient. The other might be more demanding. But such “accidental doublespeak” is dangerously confusing to our children. In irreconcilable disagreements the wife must graciously acquiesce to her husband’s leadership (Col. 3:18).

There are many more potential causes for childhood discouragement. Like good physicians, parents should evaluate the spiritual health of their children and, where applicable, diagnose the source of their children’s discouragement. Sometimes the answer will be found by looking in the mirror.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on July 8, 2013.

if the prophet Nathan had not told David: “You are the man” (2 Sam. 12:7). Nathan had helped David see the ungodliness of injustice; his “anger was greatly kindled,” but not yet against his own sin. Thankfully, Nathan told the hard truth at just the right time (2 Sam. 12:1–15).

Has a minister or a friend ever spoken words from God that accomplished just what you needed: insight, encouragement, or correction? You are not God. But you imitate Him when you prayerfully choose the right words for the moment. To a doubter, you might speak words of mercy. To someone careening toward hell, your words will be stronger (Jude 22–23). A good vocabulary is like a full toolbox; use the tool most likely to accomplish the best end, and, like a blacksmith, strike while the iron is hot.

Be careful not to let your hearer’s faith “rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:4–5). Martin Luther wrote: “The word of a brother, pronounced from the Holy Scripture in a time of need, carries an inconceivable weight with it. The Holy Spirit accompanies it, and by it moves and animates the hearts of the people, as their circumstances require.” If the Holy Spirit is in you, and you are feeding on God’s Word, you can say, The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. (Isa. 50:4)

Matthew Henry writes that effective speech “is well-circumstanced, in proper time and place,” and that we ought to strive for “instruction, advice, or comfort, given seasonably, and in apt expressions, adapted to the case of the person spoken to and agreeing with the character of the person speaking.” That is a tall order to fill! But for people who struggle to know what to say, God has given a good prayer: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Ps. 19:14)

As you look to God for help, you can say, I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right. (Prov. 8:6)

biblical orthodoxy and civic loyalty of reforming Christians. Not surprisingly, the author denounced “the Anabaptists, other anarchists, and in general all those who want to reject the authorities and civil officers and to subvert justice” (art. 36; cf. 18, 34). But the confession was not just a legal defense. It was a true apologetic; one first-edition printing prominently quoted 1 Peter 3:15. The writer was honoring Christ the Lord as holy by offering a defense of the reason for his hope in God. It has been compellingly argued that the Belgic Confession is an outreach document with “an original missionary nature and intent.” Its author was clearly driven by missionary zeal. “I proclaimed the Gospel,” he wrote, “and instructed the people in the knowledge of the Son of God, and if I had a hundred thousand lives I would be willing to expose them all to death for the confirmation of that doctrine.” Following the publication of his confession, de Bres again went on the run, this time to France. But the hunt was intensifying. Authorities searched de Bres’ home, confiscated his books and papers, and publicly burned his effigy.

By 1566, the situation seemed safer for Protestants in the Low Lands. Returning again from exile, his preaching drew so many listeners that no building could hold the crowds. So he preached in fields, sometimes to as many as twenty-five thousand people. As the Reformation gained sway, Protestants demanded use of existing buildings for Reformed worship services. When the request was denied, against de Bres’ instructions, mobs descended on Roman Catholic Church buildings, destroying images and furniture deemed offensive to biblical worship.

The authorities’ response was swift and firm. After a short siege, the soldiers of Phillip II finally arrested de Bres in 1567 and imprisoned him for two and a half months. While incarcerated, de Bres wrote moving letters to his mother and to his wife Catherine, whom he called his “dear and beloved wife and sister in our Savior Jesus Christ” and who had borne him five children in their eight years of marriage. As de Bres was escorted to the gallows, he encouraged his fellow prisoners: “I would never have thought that God would have given me such an honor” as to die for Him.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on December 13, 2022.

bless “all the families of the earth” (Gen. 12:3). The Nineveh revival anticipated Pentecost and the loosening of Satan’s grip on the nations. Because of God’s indescribable gift of Christ, one day “myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” of redeemed people will sing of the matchless worth of the Lamb who was slain (Rev. 5:11–12). Truly “salvation belongs to the Lord” (Jonah 2:9).

Jonah reveals the loving heart of God toward lost people. The prophet does this not by his own virtue but as a type of Christ. Pay attention to Jonah not because he is a model of godliness, but because we, like him, need the Christ whom he portrays.

When Jesus’ critics demanded of Him a sign to validate His claimed identity, He pointed His generation to Jonah (Matt. 12:39). Jesus interpreted the pivotal point of the Jonah story as a picture of His own death and resurrection. Jonah symbolically died, for the sailors believed they were killing him by hurling him into the sea (Jonah 1:14). He should not have survived the “mighty tempest” that “threatened to break up” the ship or his three-day stay in the fish’s belly (Jonah 1:4). The fish was Jonah’s watery grave; his being vomited on the shoreline began his new life. The old Jonah—the one who hated gentiles and craved selfish comfort—symbolizes the “old self” (Eph. 4:22). The new Jonah—still radically imperfect—more crudely symbolizes the “new self” (Eph. 4:23–24). Jesus also would die and arise. Union with Him is the only way to become new creatures and enter God’s reward (Rom. 6:8).

Jonah’s symbolic death and resurrection also validated his message of repentance to the Ninevites. We have even less excuse if we fail to respond to the gospel of Jesus: “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here” (Luke 11:32).

Jonah is about Jesus (Luke 24:44–47). In Christ alone we find the obedience necessary to stand before God and the help to begin our own godly walk. In Him, we experience the pity of God that alone can stimulate us to pity others.

This article is part of the Every Book of the Bible: 3 Things to Know collection.

appealing work, eager to obey God’s will. Such an attitude can protect you from the paralysis often caused by the vast number of modern vocational choices and immunize you against the modern passion for keeping options open. Make a decision trusting that God is sovereign even in our vocational choices.

God’s sovereignty can help us accept callings we suspect will be hard—bearing and raising children, managing the family business, taking a lower-paying job to be near a faithful church. Still, because of God’s covenantal faithfulness, you can prayerfully choose but leave the results to the Lord. You don’t have to worry about success. Leave that to God, who is able to satisfy you no matter your situation.

You must make hard choices about your future. But don’t panic. After all, biblical vocation is the aligning of the gifts God has given us, the Spirit’s guidance through self-examination and the input of other believers, providential opportunities, and divine assistance in wisely practicing our gifts. Care about the needs of your neighbors. Seek opportunities. Be committed to using your talents. Practice faith in Christ, whose righteousness gives you the freedom to work for the good of your neighbor. And trust that behind your choices is the ever-faithful working of a loving God.

: John Calvin, Commentary on 1 Corinthians (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1848), 346. : John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960), 4.20.4. : John Cotton, “Christian Calling,” in The American Puritans: Their Prose and Poetry, ed. Perry Miller (Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1956), 174–75. : John Flavel, The Mystery of Providence (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1985), 75. : John Frame, The Doctrine of the Christian Life: A Theology of Lordship (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 312–13.

Editor’s Note: This article is adapted from William Boekestein’s Finding My Vocation: A Guide for Young People Seeking a Calling.

as important as the product. Fidelity to God in our work will adorn the doctrine of our Savior (Titus 2:9-10).

Regard the Community

In the Christian life occupations must serve the commonwealth. Or, as Paul put it, “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good . . .” (Rom. 15:2; Cf. Eph. 4:28). If we are working only for ourselves (or even for our nuclear families) we are not thinking vocationally.

Live Holistically

We must discharge our vocation as if God were a Savior of whole people, because He is. Our devotion to God’s cause should shine in worship, while transacting business, or engaging in political or social activities. Life as a whole must be God-directed; no sphere may be excluded.

Without vocational thought and activity Christians lose valuable influence in this world (Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 86). If the church today is anemic it is not because of a lack of congregations, programs, or resources, but because Christians are not living according to divine purpose. Louis Berkhof has rightly said that, “. . . If all those who are now citizens of the Kingdom would actually obey its laws in every domain of life, the world would be so different that it would hardly be recognized.”

Begin thinking vocationally, not only to avoid ending up like the couple in my opening illustration, but to experience the fulfillment of seeing Christ’s lordship steadily applied to every area of your life.

sovereignty look like?

Reverence

Particularly hard providences tempt us to curse heaven. Job’s wife sensed God’s hand in their tragedy but failed to revere His sovereign activity. Her husband asked a critical question: “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10). All providence warrants obeisance (Job 1:20).

Trust

The sovereign God who values His children is always in full command (Matt. 10:31; Ps. 121:3–4). If you know Christ as Savior, the Spirit as Comforter, and God as Father, then you can trust divine providence. A holy God will never cast away His children. No trying circumstances can divert you from God’s loving plan for your life (Rom. 8:38–39). In fact, God sometimes troubles His children “to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support upon himself.”

Humility

Young children assume the doctor is cruel for administering a shot. Mature Christians regard God’s providence more carefully. The once-confident Job came to realize his ignorance of divine ways: “I have uttered what I did not understand” (Job 42:3; see also Ps. 77:19). As students of Christ, we should claim to know only what He has revealed to us and admit our lack of understanding in hidden matters.

Adoration

Proper grappling with God’s sovereignty produces worship. God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge are deep, His judgments unsearchable, and His ways inscrutable. We know little of His mind beyond what He has revealed to us in His Word. Mustn’t we then worship Him “to whom be glory forever” (Rom. 11:33–36)?

Before the English pilgrims set out for America, their Calvinist pastor, John Robinson, pronounced this blessing: “He who hath made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all rivers of waters, and whose providence is over all His works, especially over all His dear children for good . . . guide and guard you in your ways, as inwardly by His spirit, so outwardly by the hand of his power.” Based on the pilgrims’ rough first year, a critic might claim the prayer had failed. But those inwardly guided by God’s Spirit know better. God’s sovereign providence never fails to accomplish His good will.

: Belgic Confession of Faith, art. 13. : Joel Beeke, Living for God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism (Lake Mary, Fl.: Reformation Trust, 2008), 40. : Westminster Confession of Faith, 5.3. : Westminster Confession of Faith, 5.5. : Jordan D. Fiore, ed., Mourt’s Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims of Plymouth (Plymouth: Plymouth Rock Foundation, 1985), 10.

challenges? Before making a major decision about marriage, you will have made thousands of little decisions about friendship, commitment, and integrity. “A man whose will is set on doing God’s will, as far as he knows it, is alone in the proper state for receiving further Divine illumination.”5

Observe Providence Because of God’s providence, some aspects of knowing and doing God’s will are contextualized. Didn’t get the scholarship you had hoped for? Some of your college options might need to be eliminated. No good church in the city of your job offer? You should probably turn it down. Providence won’t always tell us what to do, but it can be a factor. Paul was never certain where God would lead him, but he didn’t have to be. The Holy Spirit opened and closed doors (Acts 16:6). Still, we must resist allowing our burning desires or fears to make us misread providence.

Pray for Wisdom God praised Solomon for seeking godly wisdom (1 Kings 3:5–14). Paul petitioned God to enlighten the eyes of understanding (Eph. 1:18). When we lack wisdom for a particular decision, we should “ask God, who gives generously to all” (James 1:5). Asking for wisdom is not demanding a wet or dry fleece. It is asking for more astute sensitivity to God’s revealed principles, a closer resonance with His heart, and a stronger commitment to His value system.

Trust God God’s sovereignty assures believers that when we commit to doing His will and make decisions according to His Word, we cannot go wrong. Our decisions will not always be wise. But God will always weave our choices into His good will. God’s grace assures believers that He loves us and will never leave us, no matter our failures. This is why God can command His children not to worry about life’s most basic decisions (Matt. 6:25), and to repent when we fail to trust. Godly decision-making is not easy, but it is simple. Maintain a clear conscience and make decisions that seem to best honor God. Big decisions will, and should, feel weighty. After all, our choices matter. But the Holy Spirit gives us both the wisdom and courage to decide well. Believers are not of those who shrink back but who do God’s will (Heb. 10:36, 39). God’s elect children can make hard decisions trusting that they are as secure in Christ as Christ is in the Trinity.

This article is adapted from Stubborn Prophet, Faithful God.

1John Piper, “What Do You Think of Casting Lots to Determine God’s Will?” (Desiring God, March 23, 2009); https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-do-you-think-of-casting-lots-to-determine-gods-will.

2Kevin DeYoung, “Should Churches Select Elders by Casting Lots?” (The Gospel Coalition, February 11, 2011); https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/should-churches-select-elders-by-casting-lots/.

3R.C. Sproul, “Message 10, Ask R.C. Live” (July 2014); https://www.ligonier.org/learn/conferences/live-qa-events/ask-rc-live-july-2014/.

4Andrew Murray, God’s Will: Our Dwelling Place (New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 1991), p. 52.

5Murray, God’s Will, p. 40.

his wife from her “closest relatives.” Be swift and firm to discipline children for disrespecting mom. Resist contradicting her in front of the children. Give her “time off” when necessary. Outside of the home, develop an interest in her friends. Help her to focus on friends that are best for her.

By his matchless grace, God draws us to love him and empowers us to love others. Matthew Henry notes that the epistles which focus most on the glory of divine grace, and the majesty of the Lord Jesus, “are the most particular . . . in pressing the duties of the several relations.” The gospel is the good news that the Son of God “loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Christ loves the whole Christian–heart, mind, body, soul–and every other part. Only as we come to terms with what that means will we be able to obey God’s word. “Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.”

work and bless.

our humanity, while continuing to be God.

Highlighting the relevance of the incarnation, the Athanasian Creed transitions seamlessly from Christ’s person to His work. During the whole of Jesus’ earthly ministry (and into eternity), Christ the God-man secures salvation for His elect. He acts as man, because it is man who needs salvation. But, for a mere human, however infused with divine help, the call of duty is too great. Only God could provide man’s remedy. In Christ, God and man meet, and sinners are saved.

The Incarnation: The Athanasian Creed The Incarnation: Its Relevance

Rev. William Boekestein is pastor of Covenant Reformed Church in Carbondale, Pa. He is co-author of Why Christ Came.

doubts, but to trust Jesus even with our doubts. Do you doubt that God can improve your marriage? Have you become content with your anger or rudeness, suspecting that God cannot help? Do you trust Jesus, but puzzle over why Scripture and sermons don't move you? Bring these doubts to the Lord and to trusted spiritual friends. Learn to help others be honest with their doubts by receiving your friends' doubts with Christ-like tenderness.

2. Ask for God's Help

When this father cried out, "I believe, help my unbelief" he had a specific doubt in mind. He needed to entrust his son to God's care. We should ask God for help in our unique arenas of doubt. Remember, God "will deliver the needy when he cries" (Ps. 72:12).

3. Fast and Pray

Through fasting we humble ourselves before God while making requests through prayer. Fasting stimulates prayer by exposing our weakness. The disciples had weak faith because they trusted in the strength of their flesh. Fasting reminds us that all human effort is impotent without God's energizing power (John 15:5).

4. Remember God's Promises

When Abraham faced a colossal challenge to faith, "He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform" (Rom. 4:20-21). Calvin reminds us that "Christ has come to bridle the rage of Satan." Remember that promise when the accuser rages against you.

5. Refuse to Be Overtaken

Doubts need not equal defeat. Refuse to feed your doubts by asking questions that cannot be answered here and now. Embrace the mystery of God. Become comfortable with the phrase, "I don't know…but God does." Assume the posture of a child who doesn't know his parents plans but who trusts their motives. Wrestle with God, not over God. We don't know everything that God is doing in our lives. We don't know why He allows us to be afflicted with doubt. But we can still face our questions with amazed confidence: "Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!" (Rom. 11:33).

For today, that's enough to disarm my doubt.

Rev. William Boekestein is pastor of Immanuel Fellowship Church in Kalamazoo, Mi. He is co-author of Why Christ Came.

in this present age. The Apostle Peter captures in a single phrase Scripture’s unified application of eschatology. In light of God’s plan to purify the cosmos, he asks, “What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness?” (2 Pet. 3:11). With Peter, Jesus (Mark 13:35–37) and Paul (1 Thess. 5:6) call God’s people to respond to the coming of the end with watchful sobriety. The same emphasis is found in Hebrews 10:25; seeing “the Day drawing near” ought to strengthen our hope, devote us to worship, and galvanize us in our expressions of love and good works. If Christ is returning, if His judgment will be eternal, and if hell is as terrible as heaven is delectable, then studying the end times is eminently practical. Those who lose sight of the end can become careless in their conduct and arrogant in their rejection of God (2 Pet. 3:1–7). By contrast, a biblical eschatology provides a rationale for ethics that goes deeper than pragmatic concerns. With God’s help, eschatology can chill our blood at the thought of sin and judgment, and it can warm our hearts with God’s gracious work of redemption.

God invites us to meditate on the future, not to speculate or altercate but to better share His perspective on this life and the life to come. And this is how we should study the topic. The way Scripture and the church’s historic confessions teach eschatology is much more like gazing upon a dazzling sunset than analyzing and describing the chemical properties of the sun. We need more than a skeletal, technical, clinical understanding of the end times. We need a robust eschatological vision that can invigorate us with the reality that God’s last work will change everything and that the change has already begun.

This excerpt is adapted from The Future of Everything: Essential Truths about the End Times by William Boekestein.

is the good news of Christ's advent. In Jesus Christ, God loves His believing children with this same incomprehensible, infinite, and unchangeable love. Having sacrificed His Son for our salvation is it possible that He will now withhold from us any good thing (Rom. 8:32)? No, for Christ's incarnation confirms that nothing "shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:39).

Adapted from Joel Beeke and William Boekestein's Why Christ Came: 31 Meditations on Christ's Incarnation.

soul!”

Editor’s Note: This article is adapted from Shepherd Warrior.

us God’s will; as king He rules over history and judges the thoughts words, and deeds of men; and as priest He lays down His life to save His people. With gripping clarity, the Gospels tell no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. (Acts 26:22–23)

Sense Jesus

Like all good stories, the Gospels draw us into the world of the narrative, enabling us to powerfully sense the God who is with us. The Gospels exude the kind of details that help us imagine that we are breathing the same dust the disciples breathed as they followed Jesus. We feel, for example, Jesus’ other-worldly love as He “saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them” (Mark 6:34). Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each present the gospel message not as a dry legal brief but as a fast-paced historical account of the ministry of the Savior of the world.

Notice what God Loves and Hates

In the Gospels God interacts with men—sometimes blessing, sometimes cursing—always teaching which type of life He honors, and which He rejects. We learn about this life in the Epistles through doctrine; in the Gospels through illustration. The characters in the Gospels can be like mirrors. Sometimes we see an image that resembles us (for better or for worse). Sometimes we see an image that doesn’t resemble us (again, for better or for worse). We see a remorseful Judas fail to repent (Matt. 27:3). We observe Pilate violate his conscience out of self-love (Mark 15:14, 15). We watch Peter confess Christ and then falter (Mark 15:1–15). The characters in the Gospels literally lived before the face of God in Christ. As we watch them we should ask, “Where am I in this story?”

Submit to the Great Teacher

In the earlier days God spoke to his people by the prophets. But He has spoken His final word through “His son, whom he has appointed heir of all things” (Heb. 1:1). When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain God’s voice boomed from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, hear him!” (Mark 9:7). Jesus speaks through the entire Bible. But there in the works and words of Christ, the will of God takes on flesh and blood and communicates to us in a uniquely powerful way. If we did not have the Gospels we might miss God’s tender invitations, His firm warnings, His solemn commands.

You and I need to see Jesus. We can see Him in all of Scripture (Luke 24:44-45). But we cannot miss Him in the Gospels.

difficult theological works. But we all must know what we believe and why. Could you distinguish between an Arminian and Calvinistic concept of the gospel? Do you have a biblical view of creeds? Do you have a sound theology of worship?

3. Community

A congregation that is held together only by geography–or even theology–will never be a biblical family. When Paul talks about right conduct in the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15), the house he's referring to isn’t a church building it’s a household, the new family God has constituted in Christ (Eph. 2:19). Though this family is already a living organism, the members must learn to live together. When Paul speaks of the importance of hospitality in the church (1 Tim. 3:2), he’s calling for the church to be a loving and close-knit community which is committed to lodging strangers, washing the saints' feet, and relieving the afflicted (1 Tim. 5:10).

Building community requires that we not be ruled by past experiences. Many of us have been disappointed in an effort to develop close church friendships. We may have tried, and seemingly failed, to get to know our pastor, elders, and other church members. Don’t let an unhappy history determine future church relationships. When Christ reconciled us to Himself He gave us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18). Keep working at that ministry.

4. Contentment

In warning against church arguments, Paul heralds this truth: “Now godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). Some people do not become settled and serving members of a church because they lack contentment. Usually discontent is characterized by a disproportionate focus on a church’s shortcomings and an unwillingness to work constructively toward a brighter future. The fallout from unhappy, uninvolved, and critical members can be crippling.

The church does have spots and blemishes. Your pastor isn’t going to visit you as often as you‘d like, or always preach the kind of sermons your family wants. The programs aren't going to address your every need. The music isn't going to reflect the kind of repertoire you might prefer. You will be hurt and disappointed. But Christ is building His church and He knows exactly what He’s doing.

The first step in developing healthy church membership is finding rest for our weary souls in the One who is building the church (Matt. 11:28-29). After lauding contentment, Paul urges believers to consider the appearing of our Lord Jesus (1 Tim. 6:14). With reference to deep struggles Paul speaks of the exceeding abundance of God’s grace (1 Tim. 1:14). With grace for today and hope for tomorrow, each of us can press on toward more Christ-like conduct in the house of God.

feed us and make us His disciples (Matt. 28:18–20).

Passé or Omnipotent?

While the concept of the means of grace is not new, it is often misunderstood or misused.

What's Next?

In some circles, the idea of the means of grace is quickly dismissed as outmoded fundamentalism. This posture assumes several different forms, such as: "We've tried that; it's time for something new," or, "I feel far closer to God when I'm in nature than when I'm in church," or, "I can only connect with God through a certain style of music."

You've heard the question, "Can't God use something else besides preaching, sacraments, and prayer?" That's an odd question to ask. He once used a donkey to rebuke a prophet (2 Peter 2:15–16). He could use total silence, bankruptcy, depression, or murder. But instead of grasping at every passing straw, we should ask, "What has God promised to use?"

We will never outgrow God's plan for our growth. Neglecting the means of grace can only result in spiritual loss. The sad irony is that those who neglect the means of grace and thus spiritually deteriorate are often unable to understand why they have so degenerated. They've become so spiritually anemic that they no longer have the strength to rightly assess their situation.

Means "as" Grace

On the other hand, it is possible to conflate the means of grace with grace itself. This danger has been at the heart of the Protestant protest for half a millennium. The means of grace do not operate on the principles of mechanics. Baptism itself does not wash away sins. Nor does the Lord's Supper automatically dispense the blessings of Christ. There is no guarantee that simply hearing sermons will make you godly. Going through the motions of prayer will not connect you with God. As G.I. Williamson has said, "The ordinances do not rule God; God rules the ordinances." But He uses them because He pleases to do so. We must use the means of grace believingly, trusting the Lord—not the ordinances.

Naaman almost died a leper because he despised God's means of healing as too ordinary. If you want to grow spiritually, do something shockingly ordinary: Devote yourself to the preached word of God, habitually use the sacraments to direct your faith to Christ, and spend time in earnest prayer. If these means seem ordinary, then you understand God's goodness. Spiritual growth isn't a mystery. Trust God, use His means, and expect Him to provide the growth (1 Cor. 3:6).