There was a recent announcment from Grace to You that as of November 5, 2008, they will be opening up the entire archive of John MacArthur’s sermons for free download at their home page. Dr. John MacArthur has been a faithful expositor of the Word of God for over four decades. His sermons are always [...]
Archive for October, 2008
Announcement from Grace to You
Posted in Uncategorized on October 29, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The Task of Seeking God’s Mysterious Will – by Sinclair Ferguson
Posted in Christian Life on October 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I recently came across an article by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson on seeking the will of God. Being on the cusp of some major decisions in my life, I found this article surprising simple… but thoroughly encouraging. In it, he reminds us of a pithy statement from the old Puritan writer John Flavel, “The providence of God is like [...]
Deliverance from Overwhelming Enemies – Psalm 59
Posted in Christian Life, Psalms on October 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Life is hard. We all experience difficulties in this life. Contrary to what many “health, wealth and prosperity” teachers will tell us… Scripture teaches that “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (II Tim 3:12.) Paul says that we must enter the kingdom “through many tribulations” (Acts 14:22.) [...]
New 9 Marks Audio Interview and E-Journal
Posted in Biblical counseling, Ecclesiology, Pastoral Ministry on October 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
9 Marks has posted their November/December e-journal. The topic is “Counseling in the Church.” I haven’t read it yet, but their e-journals are always edifying. You can find it here http://www.9marks.org/
9 Marks has also posted a new audio interview with David Powlison. I listened to it yesterday and it was quite interesting and informative. You can download it [...]
Should We have an “Altar Call” in Church?
Posted in Evangelism / Missions, Gospel, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, Regeneration, Worship on October 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
For various reasons (most importantly my understanding of regeneration), I do not give an altar call at the end of worship services where I am presiding as pastor / preacher. I often invite people to speak with me after the service if they have questions regarding anything in the sermon… not simply issues of salvation… but [...]
Should the Sermon Be Shorter???
Posted in Ecclesiology, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching on October 18, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I have always struggled with preaching short sermons. I do not deny this. I find it incredibly difficult to say anything meaningful from the Word of God in a short period of time.
One of the great joys of preaching is soaking in the Word of God. I know preachers who are far more organized than [...]
Church Growth Amish Style
Posted in Children's Ministry, Discipleship, Family, Homeschooling, Pastoral Ministry on October 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Dr. Gene Veith recently posted some interesting facts about growth among the Amish (they have grown 84% since 1992.) The majority of this growth is the result of high birthrates (on average, each Amish family has 5 children with 85% of these children remaining Amish.) The thrust of his post is the weakness among evangelicals [...]
Developing a God-Centered Church from New Believers
Posted in Ecclesiology, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching on October 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Mike McKinley over at the Church Matters blog has posted 5 suggestions from Mark Dever on how to develop a God-centered church when all you have is new believers:
1) Pray.
2) Set an example of God-centeredness.
3) Preach the Word of God (it is surprisingly God-centered!!!)
4) Be patient.
5) Be confident (Jesus will build His Church!)
Read the whole [...]
Does the Bible need to be “brought to life”?
Posted in Hermeneutics, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, Scripture on October 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Lionel Windsor over at the Sola Panel blog commented today on the tendency among evangelicals to speak of “bringing the Bible to life.” In response to this common statement, Mr. Windsor cites Hebrews 4:12-13…
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of [...]
Loving One Another – John 13:34-35, 15:12-14, 17
Posted in Christian Life, Gospel of John, Jesus Christ on October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The following is a sermon preached on Sunday morning October 12, 2008, at Sunnyside Baptist Church.
How has Jesus loved us? How has He demonstrated His love toward us? The prophet Isaiah, writing hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, gives us one of the clearest and most powerful descriptions of the love which Jesus [...]
