Hearing the Word vs. Listening to the Word
The Apostle John offers a simple test for discerning the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error: does a person listen to the apostles, or not? 5They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God. Whoever...Writing and Rewriting the Literal Words of God
There is much to commend in Peter R. Schemm Jr.’s article, “The Writing Pastor: An Essay on Spiritual Formation” in the recent issue of Themelios, but I especially found this passage thought-provoking: One practice for learning the ministry of words...Peter’s Hunger and Peter’s Vision in Acts 10
In Acts 10, where Luke records the story of Peter’s vision of the unclean animals descending in a great sheet from heaven, I always regarded the reference to Peter’s hunger as a superfluous detail. Luke writes: [9] The next day, as they were on their...Sunday Sabbath in the Old Testament
From David VanDrunen’s Living In God’s Two Kingdoms: One way in which the Old Testament pointed them to the coming of Christ was by giving them a second kind of Sabbath that was different from the ordinary weekly Sabbaths. For a couple of special occasions...Christmas and the Gospel for the Powerless
When Paul pleaded three times that the Lord would take away a thorn in his flesh, the Lord responded with a word of tender power: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9) Indeed, God works his most...“How Will This Be?” – The Faith of Mary
The faith of Mary in the story recorded in Luke 1:26-38 is so extraordinary that it almost escapes our notice, flying under the radar as we read through this story. When the angel Gabriel visits her to announce that she–a virgin–would conceive a child by...The Lord’s Supper and the Passover
On the night before Jesus was crucified, he observed Passover with his disciples. The timing of these events was not coincidental–Jesus wanted his disciples to see how the Passover of old had always pointed to his death at the cross. So, Jesus said to his...Preaching the Holy Spirit
I just finished a three-month sermon series on the Holy Spirit, and surprisingly, preaching the Holy Spirit was a far more difficult task than I imagined that it would be. In preparation, I read John Owen’s magisterial work on The Holy Spirit, quite a bit of...Public Worship is Better than Private Worship
From David Murray: If you had the choice between private Bible reading and prayer, or going to church, which would you choose? The Puritans would choose church. Surprising isn’t it. We all know the Puritans’ welcome emphasis on private devotion and personal godliness....Download My Free eBook
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