Christians are individuals who have been born again by God’s great mercy (1 Peter 1:3). This new life will conclude in an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading (1 Peter 1:4). This inheritance is kept, protected and preserved by the power of God (1 Peter 1:5). How else does Peter describe what Christians have? Here…
Purpose: To offer encouragement to Christians who are undergoing suffering Author: Peter Audience: Jewish Christians who were driven out of Jerusalem and scattered throughout Asia Minor (think modern day Turkey) Date written: Around A.D. 62-63 Setting: Peter is probably in Rome and during this time Christians were being persecuted and undergoing suffering. This persecution…
Our elders are currently reading through Dr. Schreiner’s book The King In His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments, which has served for great discussion and personal edification (that’s the plug for you to go purchase the book!). In my study of Scriptures, in particular the Gospels, there are few accounts…
Once again, the title of this post is from Jared Wilson’s latest book The Pastor’s Justification: Applying The Work Of Christ In Your Life And Ministry. I resonated with many truths Wilson shared in his book and several were painful to admit. His words on biblical shepherding compared to often domineering shepherding that goes on…
D.A. Carson: God is the sovereign, transcendent and personal God who has made the universe, including us, his image-bearers. Our misery lies in our rebellion, our alienation from God, which, despite his forbearance, attracts his implacable wrath. But God, precisely because love is of the very essence of his character, takes the initiative and prepared…
I just finished Mark Dever and Greg Gilbert’s book Preach: Theology Meets Practice and overall I enjoyed the book. Their book is not intended to be a work encompassing all the finer points of what preaching is, constructing a sermon or delivering a sermon, etc. Rather, it’s a glimpse into their habits of preparation, how they…
Listen Up! A practical guide to listening to sermons is a short, yet insightful book that was given out at T4G last year. If you’re looking for a good tool to teach your church on how to listen to a sermon this is a great resource. You can access a short summary here.
Several weeks ago I preached through 1 Corinthians 4:14-21 on “Exemplifying Spiritual Parenting.” In weeks past as I preached through 1 Corinthians there were some very “heavy” words delivered by Paul to the “church of God that is in Corinth” (1 Cor 1:2) and subsequently words I shared with my church family (Oak Park Baptist),…
This Sunday I’ll be preaching on 1 Corinthians 4:14-21 where I’ll discuss (among many things) what does it mean to be a spiritual father. Paul was a spiritual father because he started the church in Corinth; he literally was the instrument God used to lead many Corinthians to faith in Jesus and therefore, was their…
If you run in conservative Christian circles you’ve probably heard the phrase “preaching the gospel to yourself” a lot. In fact, I believe a lot of people hear it and do not comprehend what that phrase actually means. The bottom-line is many Christians fail to see their need for the gospel on a daily basis.…
Theology Along the Way 