“The sermons of the apostles, of which there are so many fine examples in Acts (they make up one-fifth of the book), are not therefore, incidental additions to the account, chosen arbitrarily for the purposes of narrative ‘color’. These sermons are cited to emphasize the central role preaching played in the witness of the apostles …
Vile Affections/Romans 5
INTRODUCTION: Recall that we have learned that the wrath of God is revealed in the world, and it is revealed as God “lets go”of a culture, allowing them to run headlong into various suicidal and fruitless practices. In this text, we find a deepening expansion of the point Paul has already made. THE TEXT: “For …
Same Faith, Different Feet
Lane and I continue our discussion. First, on baptism. Lane wonders what “formally” means when we say that baptism formally unites a person to Christ. He then says that if this means that baptism “puts one into the visible community of the people of God.” Well, that is what it means, with this one proviso. …
The World is not God’s Hat on a Windy Day
The word providence comes from the Latin pro and videre, meaning “to see beforehand.” Our word provision comes from the same source. We know that God sees everything before hand. So as we turn to the Bible’s teaching on this subject, we will see that there is a very close connection between God’s providence over …
Now That’s Odd
“It is rather remarkable to realize that neither the preaching of Jesus himself, nor the sermons of the apostolic preachers in the Book of Acts have been extensively considered or analyzed as models for developing methods and practices for preachers in our day” (Roger Wagner, Tongues Aflame, p. 15).
Blogging and the Task of Teaching
The authorities in Jerusalem were peeved with the apostles because they had filled Jerusalm with their doctrine (Acts 5:28). A central means assigned for the accomplishment of this is of course preaching and teaching. But of course, as the New Testament itself demonstrates, another significant way to fill the joint up with your doctrine is …
And Because They Felt Like It
Once upon a time, there was a secular nation that wanted to forget about Christmas. They did not even like the smell of it. And so they had their scholars and think tank johnnies try to get people to use CE for Common Era and BCE for Before Common Era. It was intolerable, you see, …
The Glory of the Obvious/Romans 4
INTRODUCTION: God the Father is prominent in the first three chapters of Romans. God the Son figures largely from the middle of three to the end of five. And then the Holy Spirit is central from chapters five through eight. We have the wrath of the Father, the propitiation of the Son, and the liberating …
Don’t Force It . . .
Lane and I continue on. First, Lane says, “The instrumentality of obtaining the glorified state was works in the first covenant, and faith in the second covenant. This is non-negotiable.” Suppose I were to say something like this — would Lane find it acceptable or not? I am honestly asking. “The instrumentality of obtaining the …
The Old Corn of the Land
“Trials drive us to the realities of religion. You may feed on chaff until you have real work to do, or real grief to bear; but then you want the old corn of the land, and you must have it, or else you will faint and fail” (Charles Spurgeon, An All-Round Ministry, pp. 384-385).