I'll Be Honest

In this interview, Justin talks about his conversion and gives a testimony of how the Lord saved him. Then, he discusses that when he got exposed to Biblical doctrine he ended up leaving his church. Once in this situation, he could not find a like-minded church and therefore wrestled with either relocating to join another church, or planting a church.

"To avoid burnout in the ministry, pastors need to know how to pace themselves and also intentionally take breaks and rest. We must not look at rest, breaks, or vacations as being unspiritual. Rather, they are essential and necessary for longevity and more fruitfulness for the long term." - Mack Tomlinson

Humility is a vital characteristic of the Christian life. If we would keep from falling away, and if we desire to have healthy churches, we must cultivate and attain this blessed virtue.

God is completely satisfied with what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. The question is...are you?

Do Calvinists tend to be unloving and mean? Are there things in the Christian life that are more important than being absolutely precise in every area of theology?

What should we think of a 14-year-old who is being heavily accused of characteristics that resemble a Pharisee? What could be the cause of this? Is this persecution, or could there be some validity to these accusations?

In the last section of Ephesians 3, we get the privilege of seeing a prayer that’s inspired of the Holy Spirit. Paul addressed God as his Father, and he asks for big and grand things, according to God’s riches, for other Christians. Is that how we pray?

Intercessors don't come from marginally spiritual people. They come from people who walk close with the Lord, and who also love other Christians. If a Christian doesn't intercede for other Christians, one of the great manifestations of sacrificial love is missing from their lives.

What can we learn from the apostle Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3? One notable thing Paul prays for is that Christ would dwell in the hearts of the Ephesians. Why is Paul praying that Christ would dwell in their hearts if Christ is already in their hearts?

In this hand I've got everything that you have, your health and strength and all your future - it's there. And in this hand, I have Jesus Christ. Which one are you going to take? Are you going to have all that this world has to offer? Is it: I want that. Or are you going to take this great, sympathetic, divine, tender, loving Savior for now and forever. Which one?

Does the biblical doctrine of disassociation from false Christians apply to only the church? Or does that principle extend to other areas of life (i.e. work, school, family, etc.)?

There is a way to be made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ. This is called justification; the most glorious promise that can be imagined. But this is only good news to those who recognize their total need for this blessing. Are you a pretty good person? Or does God's law render you cursed under His wrath, standing naked and needy of Another to justify you?

As believers, there are times that we become gripped with such a great resolve to go further and be more like Christ. Yet to our dismay, we often will look up and realize that we got distracted and did not follow through with the resolutions we made. Somehow we got sidetracked; and our appetite to grow spiritually, no matter the cost, somehow dissipated. So what should we do? We need to believe th...

Why does the Bible indicate in some places that God does not punish children for the sins of the father, and then in other places indicates the opposite?

Does the Christian receive the Holy Spirit the moment they believe? If so, how should we understand the accounts in the book of Acts when believers apparently receive the Holy Spirit subsequent to their conversion?

The starting point in the Christian life is not our love for Christ, but His love for us. When we are planted in the love that Christ has for us, it will cause us to respond with love towards Him. We greatly need to be rooted in the love of Christ so that nothing in this life can move us.

When Christ comes to us, He brings all that He is and all of His blessings. But we can't seek those blessings apart from seeking Christ Himself. We can't seek to live the Christian life and obey the word of Christ without having Christ Himself. So many of our problems are traced back to seeking something other than Christ.

As Christians, we should have great expectations that God will satisfy the longings of our souls to know the love of Christ. God inspired Paul to pen in His Scriptures this prayer that we would know the love of Jesus Christ. If God left this in His inspired Scriptures, then we should have increased expectation that He'll give us this knowledge of Christ's love.

How should Christians deal with panic attacks and anxiety? Does the Bible have anything to say about these issues? More than that, is the Bible sufficient for us to deal with these?

Is it a stretch to say that every time God was visibly seen or manifested in the Old Testament that it was Jesus Christ specifically?

What did you bargain for when you decided to follow after Jesus Christ? Are you willing to stand with Christ even in the flames? Even in times of heart-wrenching tragedy and loss? If you've truly believed on Christ, you'll follow Him no matter what happens.

How can you tell the difference between good and bad anxiety? Is your anxiety a desire in your heart to care for someone and it produces fruit? Or is it a lack of trust in the Lord and it produces sin and selfishness? Bad anxiety chokes the word, good anxiety does the Word.

How do we remain humble when we accomplish something? How do we keep ourselves from self-confidence when our skills are put on display?

What does God's Word have to say about people who start off very well in their Christian profession, but then they begin to decay and become entangled with sin?

Christ wants us to know the love that He has for us. But in order for us to truly comprehend and appreciate His love, we have to remember how hellish and hate worthy we were in our lost condition. We were under the wrath of God and had nothing in us to provoke the love of Christ. If we would know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, we need to understand how unlovely we were in our sin.