“We have to take care that we do not combine our historical Protestant antipathy for the excesses of ascetic monks with our modernist compromises with every current sexual gospel, and then as a result conclude that the Bible could not possibly commend a life of celibacy. Most modern evangelicals know that the apostle Paul was …
When the Whole Man Fights
“The man who serves his God with his whole heart is apt to forget his surroundings, and to fling himself so completely into his work that the whole of his nature comes into action, and even his humour, if he be possessed of that faculty, rushes into the battle” (Spurgeon, Eccentric Preachers, pp. 75-76).
Enough of Them Already
The advocate of mere Christendom, in which category I place myself, must at some point address the question of whether or not we should have an established church. And, if so, which one? We already asked the Holy Ghost Lightning Tabernacle, but they declined. There are layers to this, making it a fun activity, like …
Just Getting Started
Right around the seven minute mark of this video, Kevin DeYoung says something that I would like to take note of. There are many good things said in the course of this clip, especially about the necessity of basic gospel proclamation, and basic disciple-making. That really is foundational. It is fundamental. But I think Kevin …
Little Known Verbs
As some of you know, I have a band that I throw together once or twice a year called The Jenny Geddes Band. Most of the time, we have barely enough time to find out what key we are in, but that’s another sob story for another time. Well, some of us are actually practicing …
Ensconced in the Establishment
Assuming an anabaptist start, the project started to go off the rails early. Not only did Gentiles start to come into the kingdom in the first few decades of gospel preaching, but so also did some of their rulers (Acts 13:12). And there is no sign or hint of Sergius Paulus having to step away …
Mischief in the Midst of It
INTRODUCTION:In all of Scripture, David was one of God’s most favored servants. He was also one of the most tested and tried of all His servants, and there is a connection between the two conditions. It is through much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of heaven, we are told, and this does not mean …
All of Christ for All of Life
When Adam sinned, and the human race fell into a condition of sin, the name of that condition was death. God had told Adam that the day he ate of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, he would surely die. But he didn’t die physically that very moment. So what …
Already Accepted
We gather at this Table because we are accepted in Christ Jesus. We cannot pay in order to come here, and we cannot earn an invitation in any way. This Table is a table which is based entirely and solely on grace. This is why we can eat and drink—grace from top to bottom, and …
The Scalpel of Affliction
Father, we are taught the true nature of our sinfulness by many means, but among those means we experience the scalpel of afflictions, as administered by Your wise and steady hand. We pray that as we confess our sins now, we will do so as those who have learned from this what we ought to …