“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) The Basket Case Chronicles #51 “If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church” (1 Cor. 6:2-3). Paul says that before we should let unbelievers adjudicate our problems, we should …
The Holy Spirit’s Commonplace Book
If you can bear with me for a moment, I would like to ask you to read a short chain of verses, at the end of which I will make just a couple observations. “But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you” …
And If We Have a Thirst for God . . .
“A desperate longing thirst in the desert doesn’t turn every mirage into water. But surely it argues that there is such a thing as water” (The Deluded Atheist, p. 77)
Credentials That Bleed
“One of the chief evidences of authenticity is a willingness to suffer for what we believe. Paul spoke of his afflictions as his credentials” (Stott, Between Two Worlds, p. 271).
The Golden Rule Hermeneutic
Jesus gave us a fundamental way of measuring our treatment of others — do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matt. 7:12). Pretty straightforward, and who disagrees with that? Well, the point of His instruction here was not likely to elicit disagreement so much as various forms of non-compliance. As sinners, …
Beating a Couple Drums
As you may have noticed by the banner at the top, there is a big sale going on at Canon Press this week. And by big sale, I actually mean Big Sale. Now is the time to stock up on whatever it is they’re moving. And on the other side of the Atlantic entirely, our …
An Approach That Comes in Handy in Debates
“The problem is that Dawkins doesn’t seem to be aware that he is doing this. He is unaware of the fact that he is looking out at the world through his own eyeballs, and his worldview, freighted with all kinds of radical assumptions, is simply invisible to him. What he sees is simply what “is,” …
Sincerity in Two Places
“The sincerity of a preacher has two aspects: he means what he says when in the pulpit, and he practices what he preaches when out of it” (Stott, Between Two Worlds, p. 262).
America’s Unknown God
A city can be teeming with idols, as Athens was, and yet retain something in their history that provides a foothold for preaching the truth. This is what the apostle Paul did when he preached that their unknown god was in fact the true God (Acts 17:23). But the altar he took his preaching cue …
Reverence and Worship
Many worship services in modern churches tend to be informal. The model is often that of a concert or entertainment event, with a very “come as you are” attitude toward visitors. Consequently, when someone joins one of our churches Sunday morning for worship, often the most obvious difference in our worship approach (which is evident …