The word aischrotes means filthiness, which is how it is rendered in Ephesians 5:4. In this context, it appears to be applied as a sin of speech. In the previous verse, Paul has addressed certain sins of the flesh that ought not to be committed (and therefore not named in their midst), and then in …
Egg the Pudding, But Don’t Overegg the Pudding
“It is well that there should be a goodly number of illustrations in our discourses. We have the example of our Lord for that: and most of the greatest preachers have abounded in similies, metaphors, allegories, and anecdotes. But beware of overdoing this business” (Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, p. 136).
Credotainment
“The American monomyth is giving rise to new forms of confessional faith . . . we conclude . . . with the notion of ‘credotainment,’ confessional movements based upon entertainment products” (Lawrence and Jewett, The Myth of the American Superhero, pp. 12-13).
The Hidden Wellspring of Disputes
“When Saul had made great breaches between God and his soul and in his own conscience, then he grew to be of a very froward spirit towards every man. Before his apostasy he was a of very meek and quiet spirit, but this soured his spirit and made it grow harsh, rugged, and cruel. This …
If You Can’t Say Anything Nice . . .
You have all heard the saying that is attributed to pretty much everybody’s grandmother, right? “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” So in that spirit, I thought I would try to say at least one positive thing about every remaining presidential candidate. So that I don’t come near the end …
Friendship Evangelism
INTRODUCTION: For various reasons, evangelism is a difficult subject for many Reformed Christians. Some die-hard Calvinists may have glanced at the title of this message—friendship evangelism—and asked, “What’s evangelism?” Or, if they are really die-hard Calvinists, perhaps they asked, “What’s friendship?” But this attitude is not what the Bible teaches, not what the tradition of …
Fruitless Bloodlust of Sodom
When Herod issued the order for the boys in the vicinity of Bethlehem to be killed, he was not just being murderous personally. There was a corporate, covenantal statement being made as well, which was that Israel had become Egypt, and the tetrarch over the Jews had become a Pharaoh. Pharaoh had murdered the children …
Christ the Lord of the Covenant
The Word of God teaches us how we are to understand the relationship between the Old and New Testament, which relates to the relationship between the Jews and Gentiles. If we let go of certain preconceived ideas, that relationship is not difficult to grasp. “For if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also …
Dirtymoney
Peter tells us that ministers ought not to be motivated by aischrokerdos, by filthy lucre (1 Pet. 5:2). A related term (aischrokerdes) is proscribed for ministers in 1 Tim. 3:3,8 and Titus 1:7 (cf. Tit. 1:11). It is one word, which, if we did it this way, would come out like dirtymoney. Now what is …
Not Taxing Their Patience
“In order to maintain attention, avoid being too long. An old preacher used to say to a young man who preached an hour, — ‘My dear friend, I do not care what else you preach about, but I wish you would always preach about forty minutes.’ We ought seldom to go much beyond that — …