The Biblical preacher recites the revelation of God; he reads the Scriptures aloud to his listeners. The Biblical preacher then proceeds to bring the weight of that revelation to bear on his listeners. In light of what God has said, here is how we respond. In one sense, it really is that simple and uncomplicated. ... Continue Reading

We believe God changes hearts, and behavior. He gives his Spirit. He works in and through us to progressively conform us to the image of his Son. We expect more of officers in the church, and we should. And as officers in the church, we not only take up the mantle of leadership with sobriety,... Continue Reading

No longer the minister trying to imagine an unseen congregation (trusting they’ve all tuned in!) and thinking his way round their faces as he preaches to a camera. No more of not seeing those who worship with us. Or maybe not.     For many of us—depending on where you are—either you have been or you soon... Continue Reading

Looking for an authentic experience of God is a worthwhile pursuit. Indeed, is it not the highest and most rewarding of goals? This is however only successful when we encounter the Christ of Scripture, who is the living, reigning, saving, and judging, God over all things.     I first came across Gregorian Chants when... Continue Reading

Over the next few months, many of us will take dips in pools and head to lakes, rivers or any other body of water that we can swim in…but I also fear we are going to be prone to swim in the waters of assumption and judgments this summer, too. And the currents found in... Continue Reading

It was a small step, but it was the step that was needed to make Fuller and Carey’s sermons a reality. These two sermons were able to provide the foundation for the organizing of the Baptist Missionary Society. According to historian Christopher Smith, “Nothing less than a grand, God-glorifying, mission-oriented ‘theology of hope’ was entrusted... Continue Reading

Since there are several layers to this statement as a performative speech act, this article will not be able to handle all of them. The nature of discourse in our country is laden with propaganda and propagandizing speech acts. The nature of a speech act is not located in the meaning of the propositions used... Continue Reading

Many people think of God as “greater” than us but on our scale of being today. It is a problem, but the real issue lies with how we talk about God from the Bible. If history is our only context when we interpret Scripture (and not theology/metaphysics), then it is evident that we will only... Continue Reading

As I’ve thought about it this week, I think that this is the moment, as pastors’ families, that God has positioned us to be true ambassadors of optimism. It doesn’t mean that we can’t weep a little at what has been lost. But we can also look ahead with anticipation to what God has planned... Continue Reading

Paul also tells us exactly how this kind of edification in corporate worship takes place: edification in corporate worship takes place through order, not disorder.as we have seen over the past few weeks, there is one particular chapter in the New Testament that is entirely about corporate worship—1 Corinthians 14. Paul wrote this chapter specifically to address... Continue Reading