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Biblical Articles


Restoring Relationships Biblically
Pastor Parker Reardon

I recently preached on Jesus’ clear and authoritative answer to the irenic scribe who asked Him which one commandment was foremost. Jesus boiled all God’s requirements down to supreme, sacrificial love for God, as well as neighbor (Mk 12:28-34). Thus, all our sins can basically be boiled down to a failure in love for God or for neighbor. As we learn to think through the desires, words, and deeds of our hearts we should run everything through the ‘love filter.’ Does this manifest love for God or neighbor? 
Wouldn’t it be great if we had an equally simple and clear biblical paradigm for restoring either our vertical fellowship with the Lord or for mending breached horizontal relationships with fellow man? I’d suggest you...

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Distinguishing Traits of Healthy Churches: Expository Preaching
Pastor Parker Reardon

If the starting point of pursuing church health is concerning ourselves with what we are taught, in other words, sound (or healthy) doctrine,1 we also need to be concerned with how we are taught, for the way that sound doctrine is disseminated is through faithful exposition of Scripture. This is not a mere option, but a non-negotiable to any church that desires to honor the Lord and grow in spiritual vitality and health. There is a plethora of story-tellers, motivational speakers, topical preachers who share thoughts about the theme of a passage, but that is not Bible exposition. 
There is no biblical ministry where the Word of God does not reign and rule supremely, for no congregation rises higher than their view of the...

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Distinguishing Traits of Healthy Churches: Sound Doctrine
Pastor Parker Reardon

Have you considered what kind of church Christians should attend? And what are good reasons to leave one church for another? In their insightful book Life in the Father's House, Mack and Swavely suggest, "When Christians realize the importance of the church and look for one in which to be involved, they often run into a confusing plethora of choices. The number of denominations claiming to be a part of the Christian religion throughout the world was estimated at 20,800 in 1980, and that number has most certainly grown substantially since then. In many American communities, there are more churches than schools, grocery stores, or even restaurants. So, realizing the importance of the church and membership in it is not the end of the war for...

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Biblical Eldership: What does the Bible say about Elders?
Pastor Parker Reardon

Biblically, the focal point of all church leadership is the elder. An elder is one of a plurality of biblically qualified men who jointly shepherd and oversee a local body of believers. The word translated ‘elder’ is used nearly twenty times in Acts and the epistles in reference to this unique group of leaders who have responsibility for overseeing the people of God. 
The Office of Elder
As numerous passages in the New Testament indicate, the words “elder” (presbuteros), “overseer” (episkopos) and “pastor” (poim-en) all refer to the same office, in other words, overseers and pastors are not distinct from elders; the terms are simply different ways of identifying the same people. The qualifications for an overseer...

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Dispensationalism 101: What is Dispensationalism?
Pastor Parker Reardon

What is the difference between dispensational and covenantal theology? Furthermore, is the difference really that important? After all, there are believers on both sides of the discussion. Before entering into the conversation, there are a couple of understandings that need to be embraced.

First and foremost there is the need to recognize the tension, and mystery which has characterized this and other theological discussions for centuries. There will probably never be a satisfactory answer or clarifying article that will settle the debate once and for all for both parties. There will be no end to the discussion until Jesus Christ returns (either in the rapture of His Church or earthly millennial reign, in my...

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