Bringing Good News to a Lost World

by Jeremiah W. Montgomery

Imagine starting a conversation about Jesus with a non-Christian relative, friend, colleague, or classmate. Do you feel eager, or hesitant? While we may not like to admit it, most of us feel some hesitance. We are afraid of looking foolish or facing rejection. Rico Tice shares the following recollection: In the week before my grandmother died, I did not speak to her about Jesus. I loved her, but I didn’t say anything to her. . . . Why didn’t I tell her about Christ? . . . I was afraid of what she’d say, and I was afraid of what my family would say . . . I loved myself more than I loved her and more than I loved my Lord. . . . When it came down to it, the hard truth was that I wanted my family to respect me more than I wanted to bring Jesus glory or see my grandmother saved. . . . I kept my mouth shut. (Honest Evangelism, 47–48) Has this ever been true for us? The first step toward overcoming such sinful fear is to confess it, not just to ... Read more

The Mystery of the Lord’s Supper

by Larry E. Wilson

What exactly happens in Communion? Don’t ask me. Christian believers have never succeeded in agreeing on precisely what happens at the Lord’s Table. But that’s OK. The mystery is too big to fully analyze or explain. What you really need to know is that when you come to the Lord’s Table in faith, you come to Jesus himself. When you receive the Lord’s Supper in faith, you receive Christ himself. That’s what our church confesses. It does so because that’s what the Bible teaches: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor. 10:16). Even so, many in our churches balk at embracing it. That’s surely partly because our fallen hearts are prone to doubt and distrust God’s gracious person and promises and power. But could it also be partly because we haven’t been adequately instructed? Not an Object Lesson Somehow—in reaction against Roman Catholicism—the ... Read more

Bringing Singles into Church Fellowship

by Mary Van Weelden

The OPC raised me well. Even in my earliest memories, my church felt like home. But when I returned as a young adult from serving two years on a mission field, I began to feel deeply the tension of being single and childless in a church community that centers much of its energy on families. Although I felt no less loved by my church or the churches in my presbytery, I sensed the strain of not quite having a place in the family and the unintended pressures of well-intentioned church members who so dearly hoped—like I myself did—that I would find a spouse. In 2020, as so many of us sequestered in isolation, the unique need of Christian singles to be wrapped up in the fellowship of the family of Christ became more apparent. So, I began a series of interviews with Christian singles of various ages and backgrounds—some of which have been included here—to try to better understand how the church can care for these particular members of its body. No two people are exactly the same, nor are any two ... Read more