Author Archives: Evan Hughes

May 22, 2010

Links I Like

By Evan Hughes

Here are some links for you weekend enjoyment.

Is Church Membership Important?
Good answer from Pastor Piper:

Assuming Too Much in Personal Evangelism
Trevin Wax with some good thought on evangelism:

“Traditional evangelistic strategies are not necessarily deficient in what they say, but in what they assume. These methods assume that the lost person already has a basic amount of Bible knowledge. The presentation makes little sense unless presented within a religious framework in which the character of God is largely understood, the nature of sin is acknowledged, and the need for forgiveness is felt. Unfortunately, we no longer live in a world in which people understand these truths.”

Quantity Time
Nancy Wilson with some thoughts on the old saying that kids really just need quality time with their moms, not quantity time:

“But the truth is, that’s a big fib. Kids need quality time all right, but they need tons and tons and tons of it. They are actually little bottomless pits, hungry for time with Mom all day long. And if they don’t have access to their parents, they will look for attention elsewhere, of course. They’re not dumb.”

Raising Obedient Children
Here are six good tips on raising obedient children.

CT on ‘Lost’
As a Lost fan pessimistically hoping (is that an oxymoron?) the show ends well tomorrow, I liked these thoughts from Denny Burk.

Parenting and Porn
Justin Taylor posted this Randy Alcorn video with some good thoughts on protecting our children from porn:

Would you buy your son a stack of pornographic magazines? from Randy Alcorn on Vimeo.

Posted in Links I Like | Leave a comment
May 15, 2010

Links I Like

By Evan Hughes


Joyful Parenting
This article from Peter Leithart is something that Christian parents need to be reminded of.  Many times our approach to parenting is based on an avoidance ethic, “Jesus says don’t do this, don’t do that…” What if our approach was more focused on how Jesus makes our home joyful.  As I often say to my wife, when our children grow up the one thing I want them to say when they think about their upbringing is “I had a happy home because of Jesus.”

Are Christians Meant to Feel Guilty All the Time?
This is an important question that Kevin DeYoung tackles. He also has a good follow up on why we need confession of sin.

Sentences, Paragraphs and Chapters

“Four people tell you that there was a typo on the third slide in your presentation. A generous and useful editor (hard to call them a consultant), though, points out that you shouldn’t be doing presentations at all, and your time would be better spent meeting in small groups with your best clients.”

Why Christians Should Covenant Together Through Local Church Membership
Some more good thoughts from Kevin DeYoung:

“God’s covenant with us is prior to any covenant we make with each other. He chooses us, sets us apart, calls us to holiness, and enjoins us to love one another. But all this must happen in particulars. The commitment to live out the principles of the new covenant takes place with a specific people in a specific place. This results in a local church. Membership matters because particularization matters.”

Read the rest where he lists nine benefits of church membership.

Should Churches Celebrate Mother’s Day?
Happy belated Ascension Day! What, you didn’t know that this past Thursday was the celebration od Christ’s ascension? I bet you didn’t forget mother’s day though. As somebody who celebrates the church calendar I really liked this blog post.

Answering People’s Questions
I always enjoy Tim Chester’s thoughts on evangelism.

Should We Marry If We’re Theologically Divided?
Russell Moore takes on this important question.

Loving My Invisible Neighbor
 Another great post from Moore. Here is an excerpt:

“Some Christians rattle on and on about “The Family” while neglecting their kids. Some Christians “fight” for “social justice” by “raising consciousness” about “The Poor” while judging their friends on how trendy their clothes are. Some Christians pontificate about “The Church” while rolling their eyes at the people in their actual congregations. Some Christians are dogmatic about “The Truth” while they’re self-deceived about their own slavery to sin.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
May 8, 2010

Links I Like

By Evan Hughes

Here are some links that I found interesting or helpful from this past week. A lot of good stuff this week.

How I Pastor My Family
I found this blog post to be a helpful guide with some very practical info on shepherding your family.  This quote was particularly challenging:

“Husbands/dads, don’t clock-out on your way home; be ready to be present and engaged; don’t let your kids or wife expect to hear your formulaic: “I’m tired;” turn your phone off (I recently read something like this: “If you touched your wife as much as you touch your iPhone your marriage would be in a much better spot.”); cancel your cable TV; repent of your addiction to new projects, hobbies, and distractions.”

The Secret of Appreciating Church
 “So, stop shopping for a church. Stop sampling. Don’t fall for all the hype of a Disneyworld experience with a Christian aura around it. Don’t chase after a superstar preacher. You can hear that on your iPod. Feel free to contribute to that ministry. But find a church where you can be part of a community of people who know each other and will help one another live the Christian life, sometimes as helpers and sometimes by being in need and providing an opportunity for others to help.”

Consumer debt is not your friend
Seth Godin gives some good thoughts on why to avoid debt.

44 Ways to Ruin Your Financial Life By Age 30
 Speaking of finances, here is a great post on some financial pitfalls to avoid. If only I read things like this before going into massive amounts of debt to become an artist.

7 Thoughts on Reading the Bible
 Bishop J.C. Ryle with some good advice on how to read your Bible.

5 Reasons You May Not Be Seeing Spiritual Growth
 Do you ever try to measure your spiritual growth and feel like you aren’t making much progress in the Christian life? This post may help point you to the reason why.

At What Point Should I Share the Gospel?
 I love this well balanced answer from Pastor Piper.

Ask People How You Can Pray for Them
 Speaking of evangelism, I found this to be great practical advice to implement with the non-Christians you encounter.

Missional Through Community
 More good advice pertaining to evangelism and how it relates to the Christian community.

“It’s all too easy for us to put on events that suit us at locations that suit us and at times that suit us. But to reach a neighbourhood or community of people, we need to eat their food, play their games, hear their stories, walk their streets, enter their homes, follow their timetable and inhabit their spaces.”

What Might Happen If Satan Took Over?
 Michael Horton has an interesting take on that question.

Imperatives – Indicatives = Impossibilities
 Good advice for all Christians, especially those who preach and teach the Bible.

Posted in Christian Living, Links I Like | Leave a comment
May 7, 2010

Feedback Friday: Evangelism Techniques

By Evan Hughes


Although feedback is always welcome on all posts “Feedback Friday” posts are a great opportunity to join in the conversation. So please chime in and share your thoughts by posting a comment.

If you have been Christian for any significant amount of time you have likely come across the good ol’ fake money gospel tract.  The tract is obviously designed to grab attention in a culture where money is the dominant idol.  It is definitely effective toward that goal, it does grab attention.  With that though, I feel they also have a tendency to annoy or anger the person that picks it up, especially when left instead of a tip (please never do that!).  Is this annoyance at the gospel itself, or the method of delivery?

It reminds me of a guy I knew who went to see these bodybuilders do amazing things like rip phonebooks in half and lift cars, but it turns out that these were Christian bodybuilders with an agenda beyond just showing off how strong they were. The event turned out to be the bait to get to a gospel presentation.  He walked out at that point and was annoyed.

These are two extreme examples of bait-and-switch gospel presentations, but I wonder how many other evangelistic endeavors of Christian can fit into that category in a less obvious way.  For example, last year my church put on a neighborhood picnic and invited people from the neighborhood out for free food, music, and games for the kids and the picnic ended with a gospel presentation from my pastor.

With that said, here are a few questions.  What do you think about “bait-and-switch” gospel presentations?  Is a non-Christian right to be offended when they are lead to believe that they are picking up money only to find a gospel tract? Do you ever think it appropriate to lure somebody with something of interest to them in order to draw them in to hear the gospel?  If you don’t like the “bait-and-switch” approach to evangelism, what do you see as a better alternative?

Posted in Evangelism, Feedback Friday | 3 Comments
May 1, 2010

Links I Like

By Evan Hughes

Here are some links to articles and videos that I came across this past week that I enjoyed or found helpful.

The Best Way to Punish Your Kids
 This quote from John Patton was a needed exhortation for me.

Are you a “Me-Monster”?
 This post combines two of my favorite things, Brian Regan, and practical application. If you like laughter the video is a must see.

Three Main Steps to Starting Family Worship
 This is some good practical advice for those who know they should be doing family worship but don’t know where to start.

10 Reasons to Under-Program Your Church
 Is your church’s idea of ministry and outreach often focused on adding new programs or putting on a big event? Here are ten reasons to take a simpler approach.

Seven Characteristics of Highly Evangelistic Christians
In relation to the link above, what your church likely needs is not more programs, but more evangelistic Christians.

The New Middle Road
 Pastor Francis Chan once again challenging us to get serious about following Jesus.

Posted in Links I Like | 1 Comment
April 30, 2010

Feedback Friday: Should We Pray in Public?

By Evan Hughes


Although feedback is always welcome on all posts “Feedback Friday” posts are a great opportunity to join in the conversation. So please chime in and share your thoughts by posting a comment.

It is a well-founded and good practice for Christians to pray and give thanks for their food before they eat. The question arises though, what do you do when you go out to eat at a restaurant?  If you have ever tried to pray at a restaurant you are likely aware of that awkward moment, when after getting your food the waitress comes back to ask if everything is ok and everybody’s heads are down. Do you stop praying? Do you just plow right through and ignore her?  It is even more difficult when eating with people who are not Christians.  Do you bow your head alone and pray?

Read More »

Posted in Feedback Friday, Prayer | 6 Comments
April 6, 2010

Tombs and Trees

By Evan Hughes


On my walk to work this past Good Friday I took a shortcut through the cemetery, as I often do. As you look at the tombstones in this cemetery the most common image or symbol you see is the symbol of the cross. I would say that a good 85-90% had crosses on them.

It’s a bit odd at first thought. Why would a symbol of one of the most horrible forms of execution in human history be adorning people’s graves? Couldn’t we use a different Biblical image for our tombstones, maybe an image of the Tree of Life or something? Wouldn’t that be a more hope giving symbol for those loved ones that come to visit these gravesites?

The symbol of the cross adorning these tombs is only odd until you understand the meaning of the cross of Christ, and until you understand how Jesus’ death on the cross is relevant to your own mortality. You are going to die. This is the inescapable reality that we all must face.

Read More »

Posted in Christ, Heaven, Salvation | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments
March 19, 2010

Carl Trueman Interview

By Evan Hughes


On September 11 of this year we are planning another conference in Dunmore, PA.  Dr. Carl Trueman will be the main speaker.  I came across an interview with him last week that I wanted to pass along.  Check it out here.  There are several comments in this interview that are very insightful and will hopefully whet your appetite to come hear him at our conference.  Here is the first question and his answer:

Paul Grimmond: I understand that one of your great passions is the importance of the local church and the significance of the local church in God’s plans for the world. What is so important about the local church?

Carl Trueman: I think the local church is the unit of countercultural rebellion today. It’s the place where Christians draw aside from the world, where they hear the word of God preached, where the gospel is brought home into their lives, where they connect with other likeminded believers, where they take the Lord’s Supper together and where they worship in fellowship together. The local church is the place where the normal Christian life takes place.

Read the rest.

Posted in Conferences, Featured | 2 Comments
March 17, 2010

Strive for Sanctified Speech

By Evan Hughes


James 3:2-12:

“For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.”

A quick reading of this passage tells you that James is not at all joking about the importance of taming our tongue. In fact when I read this passage I am rebuked, because my tendency is always to neglect this small member and fall into the trap that James is warning us of. Sure the tongue is small, but it is strong.

When I was reading this passage I wondered, what is the underlying theology in what James is saying here. As I thought about this subject I realized an important truth about the nature of God Himself that helped me see why godly speech is so important.

God reveals Himself to us, and He does this in different ways. We know that He reveals Himself to us through creation, and through His mighty works that we can see and observe, but the main way that God reveals Himself to us is through speaking to us. God Himself is the Word, as it says in John 1. In fact without verbal communication, we would not be able to understand God’s other forms of revelation rightly.  Trying to understand the world without God’s Word is like coming in on the middle of a movie with the sound turned off.  It would be impossible to understand the plot, or even to discern who is the bad guy and who is the good guy.

This is the same with us as God’s image bearers. People can know us through seeing our works, but they can only find out what motivates us through us speaking to them. Joe the Atheist could help a poor orphan, and Evan the Christian can do the exact same good work. The watching world can’t know the difference unless we speak up about why we do the things we do.

Words are what reveal who we truly are on the inside. As Jesus said, “from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” This is why James says with such zeal, “My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” He sees the hypocrisy in our speech and knows that we are not only representing and revealing who we are through what we say, but as image bearers and especially as Christians who have God’s Spirit in us, we are to represent God when we speak. So when we speak sinfully, we bring dishonor not only on ourselves but on God. Let us use our tongues for blessing, let our speech be to the lifting up of His great name. Strive for sanctified speech.

Posted in Christian Living | 2 Comments
March 3, 2010

The Centrality of Worship

By Evan Hughes


The Purpose of Your Life
You were made to worship.  This is unavoidable. God has created you and he calls every person to worship him.  Psalm 96:9 says, “Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!” At any particular point in your life you are either obeying this commandment or you are disobeying and worshipping something else.  If that is true, then understanding who or what you worship is the most important and practical thing in your life.

Since worshiping God is that important it would make sense for us to ask, what is it? Worship is the act of glorifying God in giving honor, adoration, thanks, praise, and service to him.  Since God is our Creator and he has given us every good thing we have or experience, it is clear why we should worship him at all times, above all else.

This call to worship encompasses every aspect of our lives and we are to worship and glorify God in all that we do (1 Corinthians 10:31).  In other words, our goal in everything – whether we are eating or drinking, at work or at play – is that God must be first in our hearts.   This is what we will call informal worship.  It is just your personal daily experience of using all God’s gifts as a stepping-stone to draw closer to him.

While God clearly calls us to worship him at all times and in all places, he also calls us to set aside a special time to put off everything just for worshipping him.  This is what we will call formal, or corporate worship.

Formal worship is a gathering of God’s covenant people to hear from and receive grace from him, and for his people to offer themselves as living sacrifices in service to him.  This is the main purpose of the church.  In all other ministries of the church, even something as important as evangelism, drawing people to worship God is the goal. The worship of God, both formally and informally will still be the eternal purpose of the life to come in the new heavens and the new earth. (Revelation 7:15)

This is why meeting weekly on the Lord’s Day for worship is so vital to the life of a Christian.  We see that worshipping and glorifying God is the very purpose of your life, and formal worship is where you encounter God in a special way.  It is then the training ground to learn how to glorify God in everyday life in informal worship.  Corporate worship is where God gathers his people to feed them spiritual food in word and sacrament.  It is a place to be replenished, fed and energized to fight the spiritual battles of the coming week. Formal worship should be seen as a summons to meet with and even feast with the Lord Jesus, the King of Kings, the Lord of the Universe.  When put that way, we begin to see that Sunday should be the most important day of the week.

Who is Worthy to Meet the King?
This is great news. God is the king of the universe, and I am talking about having a close, intimate relationship with this King of Kings – for that is what worship really is, it is a description of the way we are to relate to God.  The question should be asked then, can anybody worship God?  The question becomes more pointed when we factor in the fact that not only is God the King and we his subjects, but that we are guilty of high treason and the murder of the King’s Son.

While we were made for God, to worship and love him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, we have all gone astray.  We have all replaced God with idols. You’re most likely too enlightened to actually bow down to a literal statue idol, but idolatry is living for anything besides God.  It is offering the worship due only to God, to something else.  Many things can be an idol:  sex, drugs, money, career; even things such as being a moral person, or being a good parent can become idols.  Idolatry is saying to the King, “I want to take your authority and be my own king of my own world.”  So this compounds the problem, because God has issued a sentence to banish idolaters from his kingdom forever.

Let’s ask again, since the Bible puts everybody in the category of idolater (Romans 3:11-12), who is worthy then to worship God and so find true satisfaction and purpose in life?  We see the answer in Revelation 7:9-17 where we get a picture of worship in heaven.  In that passage we get a glimpse of an innumerable multitude worshipping around the throne of God. In verse 13 the question is asked, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” The answer, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple.” (Revelation 7:14-15)  The blood of Jesus is the only thing that can atone for and take away hostility that God has toward treasonous idolaters.  This is the answer then – only those who trust Jesus can be friends with and worship the King.  They have been washed in Jesus’ blood therefore they worship him.

For the person that isn’t yet a Christian this answer is vital to understanding how to fulfill the purpose of your life. The first step is to be reconciled to God through the death of Jesus. The Christian, too, always needs to be reminded of the blood of the perfect lamb of God.  The ability to have free access to God is something that many Christians take for granted and the death of Jesus is something that we tend to downplay as we go about our Christian life.  Let me remind you, Christian, that the only reason you can have access to God on a daily basis, and why God is present in your corporate worship, is still and always will be because of the blood of the perfect lamb of God.

The Solution to Your Problems
So I ask, do you have problems in your life?  When you do have problems, where do you go for your solution?  When we aren’t happy or something is wrong in life we think to ourselves, “if only…” How do you fill in the blank?  What are your common “if onlys”?  Where do you go for comfort in times of distress?

In Psalm 27 King David expresses some of his problems and distresses. He says in verse 2 that, “evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh”; in verse 3 he says that “war has arisen against him”.  This isn’t creative writing or a figure of speech, people were literally waging war against David and were trying to kill him.  Few people in America face trials like David is describing here, and fewer still understand the true solution to our problems like David did. So what is David’s solution?  What is David’s “if only” in this time of distress?  This is what verse 4 says:

“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.”

David knew that everything would be alright “if only” he could dwell with God and worship him.  Worship was the solution; communion with God was the solution. Unfortunately, when problems arise in our life our first tendency is often to blame or question God, not to desire more of him or to want to worship Him.  We should learn from David and instead of making God our last resort, we must trust and long to worship him at all times.

Job, too, when faced with the destruction of his property and the death of his children knew that even then he must still worship God.  “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.’” (Job 1:20-21)

Really then, worship must be central to your life because God must be central.  In good times or in bad times, draw near to God through faith in Jesus and worship him. Worship is your purpose because God is your purpose. Worship is the solution to life’s dilemmas because God is the solution to life’s dilemmas.  So I say with the Psalmist, “Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!  For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” (Psalm 95:6-7)

Posted in Worship | 2 Comments

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