Written by: April J. Buchanan Every season carries beauty in the ordinary affairs of life. Some of that beauty is nearly impossible to see in the moment and can only be appreciated as time relentlessly marches on. And what once felt so beautiful often cannot compare to what lies ahead. Still, today is what we…

Written by: April J. Buchanan John 10 speaks of Christ’s sheep hearing His voice. That much is abundantly clear. What is not present in the text is the modern idea that believers should be hearing new, personal, private words from Jesus. That meaning is imported into the passage, and when it is, the text is…

Written by: April J. Buchanan Yes. That verse says those words. But what you are doing with them is vile, reprehensible, and not merely an offense against Christians, but an offense against a holy God. You have your bias, and your heart is hard-set against Christians. You claim to be one of them. You claim…

Written by: April J. Buchanan When we teach that someone needs to rededicate their life to the Lord, we diminish the power of the Gospel, deny the finality of Christ’s finished work, and obscure the ongoing work of grace in those who are truly born again. If someone makes a profession of faith, walks an…

Written by: April J. Buchanan There’s something about romanticizing and spiritualizing one’s testimony. It almost becomes this thing that sets you apart as more spiritual because you’ve been through more “stuff” than others so now where you are is because of what you’ve been through and you have been granted something greater for which you…

Written by: April J. Buchanan There you sit.Your Bible is with you. Smiling faces greet you. The lights are dim enough to let you disappear just a little, granting you the privacy you hoped for. You are not sure what to expect. It has been a long time since you walked through the doors of…

Written by: April J. Buchanan It is almost certain that any man who sets the Spirit against doctrine does not understand the true work of the Spirit. He harbors doctrinal error and seeks to conceal it by diverting attention away from biblical teaching and toward unbiblical experience. Such a man does not draw people by…

Written by: April J. Buchanan In recent years, I have come to a deeper understanding of passages of Scripture that are often misunderstood and abused, texts that, when rightly exposited, expose two very different responses. On the one hand, there are faithful teachers who, upon submitting themselves to the Word, recognize their error, receive correction…

Written by: April J. Buchanan There are many reasons within the sinful heart to destroy what God has made beautiful. We do not appreciate beauty. We are dissatisfied with it, and through our distorted lens and corrupt hearts, we despise what is good. We long for, burn for, and pine after what is not ours,…

Written by: April J. Buchanan You see the flyers, the social media posts, the invitations to conferences, revivals, studies, and more. You need not respond favorably to every invitation. Every invitation must be tested against Scripture. What are they appealing to?How are they defining biblical terms?What promise are you being drawn to?What is the message?…