In keeping with the journalistic tradition of looking back at the recent past, we present the top 50 stories of the year that were read on The Aquila Report site based on the number of hits. We will present the 50 stories in groups of 10 to run on five lists on consecutive days.  Here... Continue Reading

Paul had known the Christian movement from its beginning; first from the outside, as one of the chief agents in its persecution, and then from the inside, as the most active leader of its propaganda [note: the term did not yet have the negative connotation it does now]. He was familiarly acquainted with the Apostles... Continue Reading

Following the ascension of Christ in Section 33 [of “Messiah,”] which cites Psalm 24:7–10, [the following] sections outline the effect of Christ’s exaltation to heaven. This impact begins in heaven, but flows downhill, if you will, to impact all creation. On earth, the Messiah is bringing his kingdom by way of his Spirit and his Word... Continue Reading

These books left an imprint on me, causing me to think, feel, laugh, and hope while I read them and after completing them…I share this list, hoping that they do the same for you.   I always enjoy reading end-of-year book lists. As in past years, I’ve broken my list up into two categories, “Christian... Continue Reading

In our own day Reformed theology has almost become a brand unto itself—we have somehow convinced ourselves that there is a unique Reformed approach to all doctrine. Yet, our Reformed forefathers knew better—they benefited from the riches of their common patristic and medieval heritage. We should do likewise.   I can remember hearing a colleague... Continue Reading

Men, pay attention: don’t waste your marriage. Don’t settle for a life of comfort and consumption. You were made for more than this. Your marriage was made for more than this.   In today’s culture, marriage is little more than a mutual agreement to share a life and expenses while grinding away at work and... Continue Reading

The better we prepare to fulfill our calling as witnesses, the more consistent and effective we will be in this work that God has appointed to us. And the more we discover just how gracious and kind God is to have chosen us for this vocation, the readier we will be to step into His... Continue Reading

Jonah teaches us about the heart of God—a heart of mercy and grace for sinners. Jesus fulfills that lesson fully. The question for you is the same one that faced the Ninevites and the Pharisees: How will you respond?   Two summers ago, I preached through the book of Jonah. It remains one of the... Continue Reading

Jesus’ reign is unlike any other. It is marked by justice, peace, and sacrificial love. His dominion spans all nations and endures forever, firmly established by the zeal of the Lord of hosts. Rejoice Christian!   Isaiah 9:7 declares: Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of... Continue Reading

In keeping with the journalistic tradition of looking back at the recent past, we present the top 50 stories of the year that were read on The Aquila Report site based on the number of hits. We will present the 50 stories in groups of 10 to run on five lists on consecutive days. Here... Continue Reading

In verse 42, the thief said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” By acknowledging that Jesus has a kingdom, the thief affirmed Christ’s lordship… Beza observes that the Gospel accounts emphasize how the disciples scattered, with only John remaining at the cross. None of the Twelve spoke on Jesus’s behalf or testified... Continue Reading

Some scientists have proposed an underground location for the origin of life where molecular formation would be protected from water and atmospheric interference. But the underground locations available in the early earth would have been incredibly hostile to the formation of bio-chemical precursors, proteins and RNA. Just as problematic would be imagining a scenario in... Continue Reading

The Larger Catechism lists examples like “patient bearing of the hand of God,” “quietness of mind,” “charitable thoughts,” and the characteristics of love, compassion, and the forgiving of injuries. This gets at Jesus’ application of the heart (with reference to the Sixth Commandment) in Matthew 5:21–26 and Paul’s instruction in Romans 13:9, 10. True obedience... Continue Reading

Governments are still accountable to God’s demands in Genesis 9 not to murder the innocent. No immigrant, regardless of their legal status, should be abused or murdered. Yet this does not mean those here illegally cannot rightly be deported, as deportation has nothing to do with human dignity.    The topic of mass immigration, insecure... Continue Reading

Probably the most famed of the entire oratorio is movement 44, the Hallelujah chorus written entirely from Revelation 19:6, 16; 11:15. In John’s apocalypse, we are given eschatological glimpses of the will of God being done on earth as it is in heaven, “a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the... Continue Reading

It is not the number of days  lived in this world that signals holy wisdom, but the days, and even the moments of eternal consequence, spent in humble, adoring, obedient, active faith in the living God – time that is saturated with Scripture and filled with ongoing prayer or prayerfulness.  These moments, infused with eternity,... Continue Reading

Jesus, in the incarnation, took a human nature upon the deity, but without mingling or mixing the two. It brought no change upon who He is as God. The human nature did not change the God nature, and the God nature did not change the human nature. Yet, at the same time, these two natures... Continue Reading

With religious diversity as with many other forms of diversity, we are dealing with an “Irishman’s Two Stoves” problem. From a Christian standpoint, indeed, it might at first seem that the truly ideal polity would be one that was 100% Christian. But we know that this side of the eschaton, even the church itself will... Continue Reading

In keeping with the journalistic tradition of looking back at the recent past, we present the top 50 stories of the year that were read on The Aquila Report site based on the number of hits. We will present the 50 stories in groups of 10 to run on five lists on consecutive days. Here... Continue Reading

‘Cultural Sanctification’ by Stephen O. Presley. In this excellent book of cultural apologetics, Presley argues that the church today must look back to the doctrine, practices, and priorities of the early church to properly navigate life in a culture hostile to Christ and Christians.   Daily Doctrine by Kevin DeYoung  This is my pick for... Continue Reading

The fact that people can listen to Messiah and miss what’s being said tells us that musical works on their own, no matter how inspired they might be, don’t always communicate what people need to hear. It’s not far removed from the people of Ezekiel’s day who likened his prophetic judgments to “one who sings... Continue Reading

The message seems clear: the national leadership can communicate as it wishes, while the rest of us should practice restraint. For commissioners who care deeply about the EPC’s future, this feels less like a call to unity and more like an attempt to avoid dealing with the real issues. It is an approach that risks... Continue Reading

Christianity bears the brunt of modern criticism. It was oppressive to me—too limiting and too judgmental. I strived to resist it at all costs, believing “Bible thumpers” the most viciously opposed to my identity as Andrea, even more so than the strangers shouting mean comments in the streets. But then I was transformed.    “It’s... Continue Reading

It’s not always people who appear good, beautiful, and powerful by worldly standards who truly know God. (After all, Jesus didn’t look glorious on the cross.) “One deserves to be called a [true] theologian,” Martin wrote, “who sees God even in suffering.” The Bible says that even broken and weak sinners can know God if... Continue Reading

I discovered that I had some gifting in public ministry. This was confirmed by the people whom I served. Theologians refer to this dynamic as the “external” call, that is, the confirmation by others that this might be what the Lord has in store. Of course, the consummation of the external call is the confirmation... Continue Reading

We must guard ourselves against looking to the Bible for confirmation of our longings rather than looking to the Bible for truth that may contradict our longings. Elisabeth Elliot’s admonition is an appropriate one: “We must quit bending the Word to suit our situation. It is we who must be bent to that Word, our... Continue Reading

The First Hymn might have sounded melodically similar to something a Westerner would hear today. However, finding pieces of ancient music like this is not entirely unusual. What set The First Hymn apart was its theological message: that one true Lord proclaims this hymn — is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This mention of... Continue Reading

When God’s Anointed King appears, He will not accomplish salvation by divine fiat, nor will He conquer the world with a battlecry and simply declare the deliverance of His people. Rather, His appearing will be subtle, almost obscure, like the slow growth of a young plant or a root out of dry ground (Isa. 53:2).... Continue Reading

Fulfilled prophecies and testimonies, not beliefs “governed by passion,” are the proofs that ground Christian conviction. Justin also goes on to cite, almost in its entirety, the amazing prophecy of the Suffering Servant from chapters 52 and 53 of Isaiah. “[H]ear what was…said by Isaiah,” Justin writes, “‘Because they delivered His soul to death, and... Continue Reading

 While one might think of the Christian life as a journey, what is important is that one makes certain the path on which the journey takes place is the right path—the straight and narrow according to Jesus. However, as the extract of Douglas A. Sweeney’s The Essential Evangelicalism Dialectic shows: “In the fifty years since... Continue Reading