Making Sense of the Spirit's Gifting
Paul’s exhortation to the Thessalonians not to quench the Spirit and not to despise prophecy raises the question of how the Spirit’s...
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Jared Smith
- Sep 14
- 3 min
Personalities & Presbyterian Polity
“A pastor should blend in with the furniture.” This is a favorite quote of mine by Lutheran pastor, Rev. Hans Fiene, concerning pastoral...
Christopher Diebold
- Sep 8
- 3 min
The Day of the Lord
In the last part of 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul focused on offering comfort to those who grieved over deceased fellow believers. He was...
Christopher Diebold
- Aug 30
- 3 min
The Return of Christ
As he begins his treatment of the return of Christ, Herman Bavinck writes, “The course and outcome of world history are very different...
Christopher Diebold
- Aug 23
- 3 min
Love, Work, and Generosity
As the Session was looking ahead through the upcoming readings in Revelation, one of the elders noted how long the world laments the fall...
Christopher Diebold
- Aug 16
- 3 min
Sources of Teaching on Morality
The first two verses of 1 Thessalonians 4 pertain to Paul’s instructions through v12. As I mention in my sermon, Paul’s encouragement to...
Christopher Diebold
- Aug 11
- 3 min
The Impact of Prayer
One of the implications of the sermon text this week is that prayer to the living and true God is something that has a real impact. In...
Jared Smith
- Aug 4
- 3 min
Encourage the Younger
Although I am over thirty years old, married, with four children, some of my older brother’s childhood friends still call me “Lil Rel”...
Jared Smith
- Jul 26
- 2 min
Extended Family
Every two to three years, I have the pleasure of gathering with my extended family in North Carolina for a family reunion. It is a joy to...
Christopher Diebold
- Jul 20
- 3 min
Righting the Ship
In light of both Paul’s thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ faith and his defense of his faithful ministry, I thought it would be useful...
Christopher Diebold
- Jul 14
- 3 min
Imitation Theology
As Paul continues to give thanks to God for the church of the Thessalonians in 1 Thess 1:6-10, he shifts to thanksgiving for the marks of...
Christopher Diebold
- Jul 7
- 3 min
Praying for One Another
Though it’s in the background of my sermon, these opening verses are a prayerful expression of Paul’s thanksgiving for God’s work in the...
David Talcott
- Jun 30
- 3 min
Reflection on General Assembly
Last week the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) gathered for her 49th General Assembly in Birmingham, Alabama. The PCA was founded in...
Christopher Diebold
- Jun 21
- 3 min
The Holy Catholic Church
A phrase in the Apostles’ Creed that sometimes causes confusion is “the holy catholic church.” To confess that you believe in the...
Jared Smith
- Jun 16
- 3 min
Do You Feel the Spirit?
Have you ever been asked the question (or asked yourself): “Do you feel the Spirit?” It is a question that attempts to gage the...
Christopher Diebold
- Jun 7
- 3 min
The Final Judgment
While most systematic treatments of theology take up the topic of final judgment at the end, the Apostles’ Creed interestingly couples it...
Christopher Diebold
- May 31
- 3 min
He Descended into Hell
The most difficult phrase of the Apostles’ Creed is the final one in the section on Christ’s suffering, “He descended into hell.” No...
Christopher Diebold
- May 25
- 3 min
Born of the Virgin Mary
In 1924, more than a thousand Presbyterian ministers endorsed a document that is called the Auburn Affirmation.1 This affirmation was a...
Christopher Diebold
- May 17
- 3 min
Creeds and Confessions
Having wrapped up Daniel, we are due to switch gears and take up a New Testament book for our next series. We will do that soon by...
Christopher Diebold
- May 10
- 3 min
Reflecting on the End
As we have been reading through the book of Daniel, we have run into a number of texts and phrases that find their way into the New...