Dr Paul Allen

The most difficult part of ministry is when people walk away from the Lord. Of course, the death of fellow saints is painful, but our theology allows us to be joyful at the same time; unbelievers rejecting the Gospel is sad, but it is expected apart from God opening their eyes.  It must be said that there is nothing like having someone with whom you’ve spent hours with, discussing Scripture, theology, doing evangelism with them, and spending Sunday after Sunday singing incredible truths with, only to watch them walk away from it all in order to satisfy some worldly temporary pleasure while forsaking the church that Christ died for. Thomas Watson’s words ring true when he said, “What a fool who, for a drop of pleasure, would drink in a sea of wrath.” What are we to do?  How are we to think about it?  It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a pastor for decades and have watched dozens of people walk away, or if you’re new in the ministry and it has happened only a h...

It happens often. There's a disagreement and two members of a family blow up at each other. One member of the family is angry. They enter the room in a rage. Doors are slammed shut. Each person then spends a couple of hours sulking and thinking terrible thoughts of the other person. After a while, they will emerge from the room, either acting like nothing happened or mumbling an “I apologize if I offended you”, or even worse an “I’m sorry” that can only be answered with “that’s okay”. The problem is that it’s not okay. We should never justify sin in our lives and it simply doesn’t cut it to say we’re sorry. We apologize or say we are sorry when we step on someone’s toes by mistake. What is needed when we commit an offense against someone is a transaction. When I sin against someone I must ask for forgiveness. I have sinned against them and caused pain in their life. It wasn’t by mistake. It wasn’t accidental, it was on purpose and just because it wasn’t premeditated or I hadn’t...

We live in a time when "tolerance," "diversity" and "inclusivism" are considered by many cultural virtues that supersede all others. This popular relativist notion disregards something far more important: Truth.  We live in a time when "tolerance," "diversity" and "inclusivity" are considered by many to be cultural virtues that supersede all others. This popular relativist notion disregards something far more important: Truth. Yet, and to borrow from Pontius Pilate , " What is truth? " Jesus is truth. Either that or, as C.S. Lewis famously observed, He is a liar, a lunatic or the "Devil of Hell" himself. Christ was both tolerant and intolerant—utterly exclusive and wholly inclusive. He said in no uncertain terms: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" ( John 14:6 ). Let's break that down. The Way Jesus asserted over and again tha...

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” ( Mark 8:36-37 ) The lives of many people revolve almost completely around the stock exchange, and they never stop to realize that it easily may become a soul exchange, where they exchange their very souls for the imagined blessings of the great god Mammon . “ For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” ( 1 Timothy 6:10 ). Similarly, many are greatly exercised about their monthly profit-and-loss statements. But the Lord Jesus asks whether there is really a profit, even if one acquires the wealth of the whole world at the cost of his soul, and the answer to such a rhetorical question has to be: “No!” For “the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” ( 1 John 2:17 ). Furt...

The Ladder of Divine Ascent is an important icon kept and exhibited at Saint Catherine's Monastery, situated the base of Mount Sinai in Egypt. The gold background is typical of icons such as this, which was manufactured in the 12th century after a manuscript written by the 6th century monk John Climacus who based it on the biblical description of Jacob's ladder. It depicts the ascent to Heaven by monks, some of which fall and are dragged away by black demons. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness , godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life , whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” ( 1 Timothy 6:11-12 )   A Christian has no desire for his past life of sin. As we see in our text, we should “flee these things” and “lay hold on eternal life,” putting off whatever is old and instead putting on what is ...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) EVERY PERSON COMES TO THE matter of homosexuality with an established opinion, which has been shaped by a worldview. By worldview I mean a person’s concept of self, the world, and everything else. Every worldview encompasses what one views as real, the nature of truth, how we come to know what is true, and how we define what is “good” in an ethical sense. One’s worldview determines whether homosexuality is perceived as right or wrong. My own worldview is founded upon my confidence in the existence of a creating and governing God . This God has spoken or communicated both in general revelation through the created order and in the special revelations of Scripture and His Son, Jesus Christ . General revelation includes the complexity of the design and creation of the human body, the awareness of the spiritual self and conscience, and the unfolding of a plan that is shown through history. Reality encompasses both seen and unseen...

Hegel (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) A question we hear often is, “Does it really matter what I believe as long as I believe in something?” Or, “As long as your belief helps you, isn’t that all that matters?”  The idea behind statements such as these is that there is no absolute truth to believe in, and thus the act of believing is all there is. We all believe in something, as Edgar Sheffield Brightman states, “A thinker cannot divest himself of real convictions, and it is futile to pose as having none” (E.S. Brightman in H.N. Wieman, B.E. Meland (eds.), American Philosophies of Religion, New York , Harper & Brothers, 1936).  The idea of finding any truth or meaning to life has escaped modern man. This statement reflects the inability to conceive of something outside of one’s self: “There are no rules by means of which we would discover a purpose or a meaning of the universe” (Hans Reichenbach, The Rise of Scientific Philosophy, p. 301).  Even though we live in a...

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” ( Revelation 3:22 ) This is the final exhortation in Christ ’s letters to His seven representative churches. It is the seventh such exhortation, one addressed to each church, so must be unusually important. The emphasis, obviously, is not merely hearing with the physical ear, but hearing with an obedient heart. Such hearing is necessary first of all for saving faith, for “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God ” ( Romans 10:17 ). Jesus said: “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” ( John 5:24 ). In our day, however, probably more than in any previous age, there is a cacophony of voices of all kinds that are seeking listeners. In fact, Jesus Himsel...