Anyone who believes he is called to serve in the ministry, he has to realize that seeking to be obedient to the call of Christ and performing his ministry coram deo must be the sole-driving force of his ministry.

Father God, we are grateful for the gospel and for the forgiveness of our sins, for the imputed righteousness of Christ, and so we rejoice in those gifts. But, oh Lord, in our present circumstances for there is much suffering, there are many who are dying, many in great pain, and many who have loved ones who are in hospitals and are unable to visit them.

We are grateful for the signs and seals of your covenant; indeed they are precious gifts. But at the same time, oh Lord, we have a sinful proclivity as fallen human beings to idolize the good gifts that you have given us and forget who has given us the gifts.

In recent days Christianity Today’s editor-in-chief Mark Galli published an editorial calling for the impeachment and removal of President Trump from office. Before I wade into the debate, I want to distinguish two important issues that Mr. Galli raises in his article. First, there is his call for President Trump’s impeachment.

One of the casualties of the modern theological curriculum is the division of the different theological disciplines. In the nineteenth-century theologians created the fourfold division of theology: biblical studies, church history, theology, and practical theology.

Over the years I have had many students come into my office and ask me about pursuing doctoral studies. One of the first questions I ask them is, “Why?” I ask this question because many students don’t know that pursuing doctoral studies is a long, difficult, and burdensome path.

Someone recently contacted me to ask about good resources for doing further study in church history. There is, of course, an ocean of literature on the subject but I’ve found the following books particularly useful in my own study of church history, both for personal edification and preparing for courses that I have or presently teach.

As Christians we commit ourselves to the truth of God’s word—we profess to worship and believe in the truth incarnate, Jesus Christ, and we devote ourselves to the study of God’s written truth, namely, his word. We regularly seek the truth of God’s word each and every Lord’s Day as we go to church and draw near to Christ through the means of grace—word, sacrament, and prayer. We walk away from a worship service and give thanks to God when one of his faithful ministers heralds the truth and preaches the gospel of grace. But as dedicated as we are to knowing and living the truth, many of us fear it.