“I always find I can preach best when I can manage to lie a-soak in my text. I like to get a text, and find out its meaning and bearings, and so on; and then, after I have bathed in it, I delight to lie down in it, and let it soak into me. It …
For He Is Small/Amos 8
INTRODUCTION: When we come to chapter seven of Amos, we shift from poetry to prose, from woe-oracles to narrative. The theme and the message are the same as throughout the rest of the book, but the form in which it comes is quite different. In the first six chapters, Yahweh has been the main speaker; …
Some Preachers Have Marvelous Skill in Missing
“We must preach as men to men, not as divines before the clergy and nobility. Preach straight at them. It is of no use to fire your rifle into the sky when your object is to pierce men’s hearts. To flourish your sabre finely is a thing which has been done so often that you …
Our Reformed Fighter Jets
Just a quick answer to two points raised on Green Baggins. The first is a reply to Lane’s question, what do we mean by “hyper-specialized terminology in the regular teaching and preaching”? All technical vocabulary will be specialized, and there is no way to avoid it. I believe that trying to avoid it, especially in …
Preach the Communion into Communion
“Try to make church fellowship full of life and love by preaching and living the gospel of love and brotherhood” (Charles Spurgeon, An All-Round Ministry, p. 108).
In Every Generation
This word of exhortation is addressed to our young people, to those of you who have been growing up in the covenant. Most of you are in a very different position than your parents—they have been on a pilgrimage from unbelief, or from other, very distinct expressions of Christian faith. For them, as a matter …
NFPV(s)P for Short
Zowie. The RPCNA has adopted a report that speaks in loud, muffly tones. The emphasis is mine. The skylarking afterwards is also mine. 1. That Synod DECLARE that we stand in solidarity with our Reformed and Presbyterian brethren in rejecting as contrary to the Scriptures as summarized by our confessional standards the theological views that …
Clam Chowder and the Future of Africa
I am in Austin for the ACCS conference, and while on the plane coming here, I spent some time listening to N.T. Wright on Jesus and the victory of God. His treatment of the parable of the sower was profound, and seeing the prodigal son as Israel in exile is clearly the foundational way to …
Saying a Few Amens With Scott Clark
Just a quick response to Scott Clark’s comment about faith and obedience. This is also part of my continued interaction with Lane, since Lane handed this round off to Scott. There are a number of places there where I could cultivate my differences with Scott, as though they need cultivating, but let me take this …
The Secret Motor
Over the last few years, I have learned a lot about the secret motor that makes pretty much everyone go down the road. But God gives more grace, as James would say. Here is a set of messages where I try to condense into manageable form some of what I have learned about this.