I can’t shake the thought. Ever since our men’s prayer meeting this morning, all that is going through my head is this question: what will Christians be remembered by after this crisis? What will the church (universal) be known for having done during this pandemic? Will we be remembered for complaining about the government or […]
Author: Jason Matossian
Categories
The Providence Mindset
As I continue to think about the practical implications of believing that God providentially preserves and governs all that is (even during a pandemic and “shelter in place”!), I have to admit, I’m in awe. At the end of Romans 11, Paul cries out with the same kind of amazement when he says, “Oh, the […]
Categories
Fear in proper context…
I have dealt with a lot of fears in my lifetime. A lot. Too many. No, like seriously, far too many. Sure, anxiety runs in the family and I had some interesting traumatic experiences early on in life, but looking back, I robbed myself of a lot of peace and joy by allowing fear to […]
Often, we Protestants and Evangelicals are mocked for the divisions found among us. The number of denominations that exist within Protestantism are an albatross around our collective neck. Yet moderate Nonconformists of the late-seventeenth century like Philip and Matthew Henry, Edmund Calamy, and James Owen found significant unity even with important denominational differences. This is […]
We are living in a time of deep and profound political polarization and it has seeped into the church. Here in our country we are experiencing some of the deepest rifts our nation has ever faced. These rifts are evident in and, perhaps, exacerbated by social media and this new era of tweets, posts, and […]
Categories
So far, so (much) good
Early in the book of Acts, persecution broke out, Christians scattered, and the Gospel spread throughout the world. What was hard on the church was used for its expansion and the fulfillment of its mission: make disciples of all nations. On the other hand, a lot of church historians would point out that after the […]
When I was 18 years old and had recently graduated from high school, my good friend and I were invited to the Mars Symposium in Washington, D.C. We had been the winners of a JPL-NASA sponsored essay competition for high school students. My friend wrote most of our essay, which is to say that I […]
Categories
An Implication of Faith in Christ
Philemon 6 (NIV) 6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. I don’t think that the apostle Paul was simply putting the pressure on Philemon. Guilting someone into doing what is right is not […]
Categories
Pray for each other
At the end of a number of letters, Paul requests prayer for himself and those with him (see for example Eph. 6:18-19 and Col. 4:3-4). This has always struck me. Paul, a man of God who appears to be so confident and bold, requests prayer precisely for boldness and, in addition, for clarity. Paul’s request […]
It is marriage season. A few days ago I attended my third wedding in as many weeks and next week it will make four in a row. The rest of the summer is busy with weddings too, that’s just how it goes. As I’ve been thinking about weddings and marriage, I’ve had the opportunity to […]