Sometime in the next 24, most of you should receive an evite asking you to pre-order the next hard copy of Credenda. Jump on that evite, I say. Jump on it, like a duck on a June bug. We are within a few days of sending this baby off to the printers, and although there …
Homemade People
My daughter Rachel has a great post up at the Resurgence. It turns out that home cooking is a great idea with people too. Click here.
Of the Increase of His Government . . .
“The prophet Isaiah had more on his mind than providing feel-good quotes for our Christmas cards” (Heaven Misplaced, 14)
And Hard Wood Burns Longer Than Kleenex
“The danger of formalism is real. Prayers and sermons that are read from a manuscript are usually stiff and unnatural and artificial. But the dangers of spontaneity is also great. If the heart is without passion, it will produce lifeless, jargon-laden spontaneity. And if the heart is aflame, no form will quench it” (Piper, Brothers, …
But What If . . .
“Of course, if it is not true, then it doesn’t matter how lovely it is. We have all had some pretty good daydreams. But if it is altogether lovely, then perhaps some might be persuaded to reconsider if it might actually be true” (Heaven Misplaced, p. 11)
The Point of Pastoral Pain
“No pastoral suffering is senseless. No pastoral pain is pointless. No adversity is absurd or meaningless. Every heartache has its divine target in the consolation of the saints, even when we feel least useful. How does a pastor’s suffering achieve the consolation and salvation of his flock? The context of Paul’s words suggests the following …
Co-Laborers With God
“What the preacher must be out to do as he exercises his pastoral office in the pulpit, is to be a co-laborer with God in making God’s people more spiritual so that their spiritual life may progressively dominate their natural life in all its earthly relationships” (Volbeda, The Pastoral Genius of Preaching, p. 43)
God’s Helicopters
“No Christian is pessimistic about final glory. But most Christians are pessimistic about the course of history prior to the Second Coming of Christ. In this view, the world is God’s Vietnam, and the return of Christ consists of the few lucky ones helicoptered off a roof during the fall of Saigon” (Heaven Misplaced, pp. …
Pastoral Ministry as Saving Grace
“For only by feeding on the Word can you grow, and only by growing can you persevere and attain final salvation. A steady diet of gospel messages which do not help the saints grow out of infancy only only stunts their character but also jeopardizes their final salvation” (Piper, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, p. …
Generation, Degeneration, Regeneration
One of the reasons the doctrine of regeneration is so important is because the doctrine of generation is so important. God fashioned man out of the dust of the ground in the first place, but it was the breath of God that established us after His image. “And the LORD God formed man of the …