“There are plenty of popular preachers, but not many powerful ones, who preach in the power of the Spirit. Is it because the cost of such preaching is too great? It seems that the only preaching God honours, through which His wisdom and power are expressed, is the preaching of a man who is willing …
Grit, Grime and Grease Are All Most Real
The heroin addict “was under the influence of the idea that some aspects of reality are more real than others: that the seedy side of life is more genuine, more authentic, than the refined and cultured side—and certainly more glamorous than the bourgeois and respectable side. This idea could be said to be the fundamental …
Automatic Economies
“Cotton Mather once commented that the faithfulness of the people begat prosperity, but the daughter devoured the mother. In some ways this irony is a perpetual one. When a man comes to Christ, and begins to obey Him, this means working with his hands and living [a] quiet life in all diligence. One of the …
Not the Right Color
“To father our wicked divisions upon religion is no other than to bring down the Holy Ghost in the likeness of a dove to be like a vulture or a raven” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 313).
Reformed Evangelism
INTRODUCTION: And we need to begin with the strong assertion that the title of this message—Reformed evangelism—is not an oxymoron. Sharing our faith with others is not optional. But at the same time, the way we understand that faith does have an impact on how we go about evangelism. THE TEXT: “Finally, be ye all …
Compassionate Conservativism Isn’t Either One
Darryl’s next chapter, “The Dilemma of Compassionate Conservatism,” provides a good overview of the recent interactions of the state and evangelicals, and the attempt to have the government provide help to various “faith-based” social agencies. Darryl does good work pointing out the corners that we have painted ourselves into, but his narrow conception of what …
Enjoying What You Have
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 131 “There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up” (Prov. 21:20). This is also a commonplace in Proverbs. The ability to say no to yourself is an …
How Jesus Said to Receive Him
In this portion of Scripture, we find the Lord teaching the disciples a lesson of enormous importance, and we find that Mark presents this lesson to us in a series of unforgettable contrasts. “And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them …” (Mark …
Preaching, Not Negotiating
“We are called to proclaim Christ, not to discuss Him” (John Stott, The Preacher’s Portrait, p. 110).
Dancing Solipsistically
“On the dance floor itself, a great seething mass of people move like maggots in a tin. With so large a number of people crammed into so small a space, it is astonishing that they is no social contact among them. Most of the pairs do not even look into each other’s eyes; because of …