No Work, No Food
Anyone who has been raised, unbeknownst to them, steeped in the culture of the protestant work ethic has heard a paraphrase of the...
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Christopher Diebold
- Nov 3, 2022
- 3 min
The Armor of God
While the bulk of Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians is concerned with the Day of the Lord, in the third chapter he turns to some...
Christopher Diebold
- Oct 26, 2022
- 3 min
Reflecting on the Goal of Election
As Paul offers God’s decree of election as the firm foundation upon which his readers stand to find comfort and be established in every...
Christopher Diebold
- Oct 20, 2022
- 3 min
Two Functions of Knowledge in Our Lives
As Paul turns in 2 Thessalonians 2 to a relatively lengthy teaching section on the topic of the Day of the Lord and the Man of...
Christopher Diebold
- Oct 12, 2022
- 4 min
Talking About Judgment
In 2 Thessalonians, after Paul gives thanks to God for the church’s growing faith and love, especially because it has come in the face of...
Christopher Diebold
- Oct 3, 2022
- 3 min
Repetition and the Christian Life
The New Testament contains 13 letters written by Paul, but we know that Paul wrote more than 13 letters to the many churches and...
Christopher Diebold
- Sep 27, 2022
- 3 min
Our Composition as Humans
As I briefly mention in my sermon, Paul’s words in his prayer in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 about being kept blameless in our “whole spirit and...
Christopher Diebold
- Sep 21, 2022
- 4 min
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...
Jared Smith
- Sep 14, 2022
- 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, 2022
- 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, 2022
- 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, 2022
- 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, 2022
- 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, 2022
- 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, 2022
- 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, 2022
- 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, 2022
- 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, 2022
- 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, 2022
- 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, 2022
- 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...
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