Dr Paul Allen

Jesus didn’t pull punches in his parable of the rich fool, condemning the man who built larger barns to store his ever-increasing wealth (Luke 12:13–21). If this is such a big issue, how ought church leaders to think about money in the bank? What’s the minimum a church should hold in reserve? When is a church flirting with the rich fool’s barns?   Such questions might make you uncomfortable. Christians sometimes talk about church finances as if they’re awkward cousins of real gospel ministry: “It’s a shame, but you’ve got to think about the church like it’s a business.” We assume preaching, evangelism, and discipleship are truly spiritual activities while finances are an unfortunate necessity—if not an outright distraction. We assume preaching, evangelism, and discipleship are truly spiritual activities while finances are an unfortunate necessity. The implication is that financial questions belong in the domain of the businessman, not the pastor.  The Bible, by contrast, ...

Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! —Psalm 100:2 As spring draws near, it is as though all creation bursts into life. Flowers bloom, trees blossom, grass grows, and weeds shoot up like they have been fertilized. Thus, it is time to break out the weed-eater, which soon leads to firing up the blower. These gas-powered instruments for beautifying the yard, however, cannot crank with just one tug on the pull cord. The engine requires priming, which involves pushing a small pump to deliver fuel, making the engine ready for combustion. Our hearts are like those cold engines. To be ready for worship, fired in our souls to give God the praise due to His name, we need shots of truth, heart-focusing facts about the greatness of the Lord and His grace, so that our cold hearts would be roused to action. Psalm 100 can be such a primer for us. Psalm 100 is the climax of a collection of psalms focused on the Lord as King. From the declaration of Psalm 93:1, “The Lord re...

Anna Lyndsey (a pseudonym) is allergic to light. In 2006, while working indoors in a London office, Anna began to notice that the skin on her face had a burning sensation after exposure to her computer screen and fluorescent lighting. She was diagnosed with photosensitivity – and became prone to severe “sunburn” from any source of light. She had to leave her job. She moved out of the city but her condition continued to worsen. Even multiple layers of clothes did not protect her, she was only comfortable in totally blacked-out rooms. She would occupy herself with word-games, audiobooks, and writing in the dark. Although there is no obvious cause or cure, Anna says she feels quite optimistic… “Because this condition is such an unknown quantity, nobody has told me that it can’t be cured, although nobody has told me that it can be.” In the spiritual world, there are many who are allergic to the light of the gospel, but thankfully Jesus knows both the cause of and the cure for t...

“Follow your heart” is a creed embraced by billions of people. It’s a statement of faith in one of the great pop-cultural myths of the Western world — a gospel proclaimed in many of our stories, movies, and songs. Essentially, it’s a belief that your heart is a compass inside of you that will direct you to your own true north if you just have the courage to follow it. It says that your heart is a faithful guide that will lead you to true happiness if you just have the courage to listen and act. The creed says that you are lost and your heart will save you. This creed can sound so simple and beautiful and liberating. It’s a tempting gospel to believe.  Until you consider that your heart has sociopathic tendencies. Is This the Leader You Want to Follow? Think about it for a moment. What does your heart tell you? Please don’t answer. Your heart has likely said things today that you would not wish to repeat. I know mine has. My heart tells me that all of reality ought t...