We have been asking members of our church—men, women, and students—to participate in the public reading of Scripture. Each week, the reader leads us in a short call and response. Afterward, the reader says, “This is the Word of the Lord” to which the congregation responds, “Thanks be to God.” Most have enthusiastically accepted this while some have wondered why.

I never thought the death of a stranger could weigh so heavily on my soul. But Charlie Kirk’s public martyrdom forces us to grieve, to pray, and to trust the God who still reigns.

Out of all of the systematic theology books I have passed the pages through, Do You Believe? offers a uniquely pastoral voice to it. Paul David Tripp takes lofty doctrinal concepts and unpacks them in a way that is easy to digest.

As far as I see it, there are three aspects of a Christian. Knowledge, obedience, and affection. And as we are maturing in our walk with Christ, each of those should be growing. We should be deepening our knowledge of Christ, our obedience to Christ, and our affections for Christ. These are not three steps to reach maturity, they are three stages in a cycle of maturity.

Is the Bible ancient? Yes, it is. The earliest text dates back several thousands of years. Is the Bible collected works? Yes, it is. Over 40 authors have been used to press ink to papyrus, but it is the Holy Spirit who inspired the writers to write. Is the Bible history?

So now, we Christians find ourselves in a similar state of affairs. We can no longer live under the civil detachment, whereby Christians allow ourselves to be governed in an ungodly and…