“When I say zeal I mean that a preacher must always convey the impression that he himself has been gripped by what he is saying. If he has not been gripped nobody else will be” (Lloyd-Jones, Preachers and Preaching, p. 87).
Baptism and Salvation
Matt Yonke, the young man who posted a blog piece on how the FV affected him in a Rome-ward direction, has posted a follow-up question on baptism. Someone else has reasonably asked for a contrasting response from an FV person. So this post is my response to Matt. His question is here: “Here is an …
The Cosmos: God’s Breath on a Cold Morning
God is greatly to be praised. He is worthy of all honor and praise. Our ability to praise Him falls short of necessity, and yet we are still summoned to it. But unlike the failures of sin, there is a glorious failure in praising God. Who can even begin to do it justice? Rejoice in …
Not Your Own Man
“The second element I would emphasise is a sense of authority and contol over the congregation and the proceedings. The preacher should never be apologetic, he should never give the impression that he is speaking by their leave as it were; he should not be tentatively putting forward certain suggestions and ideas. That is not …
Three Words
This psalm is categorized as one of the penitential psalms, but the heading lists it as a maskil, a teaching. In one of the other penitential psalms (51), David vows that as a result of his forgiveness, he will teach sinners the way (51:13). It is quite possible that this psalm is a fulfillment of …
Preaching Headlong
“The first is that the whole personality of the preacher must be involved. That is the point, of course, that was brought out in the well-known definition of preaching by Phillips Brookes, that it is ‘truth mediated through personality’. I believe that is right, that in preaching all one’s faculties should be engaged, the whole …
FV As the Death Star
Just a quick point for the record. In partisan politics, spin doctors will seize on any event and work it to fit with the agenda, the talking points, and the memo that they got just before going on the air. In a presidential debate, a candidate could perform at about the level of Miss South …
The Preacher and His Notes
“Our Lord God wishes himself to be the preacher, for preachers often go astray in their notes so that they can’t go on with what they have begun. It has often happened to me that my best outline came undone. On the other hand, when I was least prepared my words flowed during the sermon” …
The Rule of What You Can’t See
“It is remarkable that God has committed to us preachers the ministry of the Word for the ruling of men’s hearts, which we can’t look into. But this is the office of God, who says to us, ‘Preach! I shall give the increase. I know the hearts of men.’ This should be our comfort, even …
Living with Actual People
Learning to live in genuine community is one of the central goals that we have set for ourselves. And, to be honest, we did not set the goal—it is set before us in Scripture as one of the basic elements of the Christian faith. We are one in Jesus Christ, and this is not to …