Articles
Articles from Sola 5 Pastors
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn: Finding Joy through Godly Sorrow
When Jesus began his public ministry, what did he choose to speak about first? Not spiritual warfare, not the end times, not even finding your spiritual gifts. Instead, he spoke about Christian character. In the Sermon on the Mount, he opened with the beatitudes—a...
Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit: The Happy Humility of God’s Kingdom
Human flourishing. Life fulfilment. The abundant life. A happy existence. What ancient philosophers called the “good life.” This has been humanity’s relentless pursuit since creation itself. Many have attempted to define what such an existence looks like. Some...
The Sermon on the Mount: A Call to Radical Difference
The Sermon on the Mount stands as perhaps the most profound section of Scripture ever delivered. Saint Augustine described it as “the perfect standard for the Christian life,” while Dietrich Bonhoeffer based his classic work The Cost of Discipleship on its exposition....
Life is Tough but Jesus is Tougher: How Christ Enables Us to Respond Better to Suffering
The book of Job presents one of Scripture’s most profound explorations of human suffering. Job maintained his righteousness through unimaginable loss—his children, his possessions, his health, and even the support of his wife and friends. He grieved yet worshipped. He...
Life is Tough but Jesus is Tougher: How Job Responded to Suffering
In our overview of the book of Job, we have explored why he suffered and how he suffered. Now we turn to a crucial question: How did Job respond to his suffering? Consider this statement: “It is because of how I suffered that I am what I am now.” Imagine three...
Life is Tough but Jesus is Tougher: How Job Suffered
Life is tough, but Jesus is tougher. This truth becomes strikingly evident when we examine Job’s sufferings, a man whose trials were so severe that James 5:11 holds them up as an example of patient endurance. While we explored previously why Job suffered, we must now...
Life is Tough but Jesus is Tougher: Why Job Suffered
Life is undeniably tough. If there is one thing we can know about any person we meet, it is that they have suffered. Simply being human in this fallen world guarantees suffering. Ecclesiastes reminds us that life is short and full of sorrows—external sorrows, internal...
Responsible Church Membership: How Churches Exercise the Keys of the Kingdom
Many years ago, I encountered Jonathan Leeman’s insightful book on church governance, Don’t Fire Your Church Members. It reinforced my conviction that each church member plays a vital role in congregational health. The local church thrives when every member exercises...
When God Speaks: A Guide to Listening to Preaching
Preaching—and therefore listening to preaching—is integral to Christian corporate worship, yet, if we are honest, many of us struggle to engage well with preaching. Christopher Ash’s Listen Up offers valuable guidance, encouraging church members to evaluate how they...