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God’s Plan is Never Trumped

31/01/2017 0 Comment

Hodge continues, “The interpretation of Divine providence is indeed often a matter of great difficulty and responsibility. It requires humility and caution. Some of His dispensations are, as to their design, perfectly clear, others are doubtful, and others to us and for the present inscrutable.” Then Hodge comes out with evidence that he is willing to “go there” and try to bring some meaning out of the recently concluded great civil war.

Many Reformed and Evangelical Christians had to struggle ..

Praying Together (Book Review)

31/01/2017 0 Comment

“What Hill teaches is sound, biblical, and challenging throughout. Of course the book’s unique value is largely in its second half, for this is where she turns her attention from praying to praying together.”

It was a case of serendipitous timing, at least from my perspective. I began to read Praying Together just as our church began its annual week of prayer, a week of nightly prayer meetings. And really, the timing couldn’t have worked out better. We gathered night by night to confess our sin..

No Little Women: Choosing the Better Part

31/01/2017 0 Comment

“While women are not allowed to serve in church office, they are not second-class citizens in Christ’s kingdom, the church. We do dishonor to King Jesus and to women when we rob them of the privilege of learning the Bible and theology either purposefully or by not so benign neglect. Sister, have you chosen the better part?”

Women are not second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God ruled over by Jesus Christ. There are two errors which we can fall into when we consider the role of women’s minist..

When They Walk Away

31/01/2017 0 Comment

“This man had approached Jesus asking how he might obtain eternal life. When Jesus pressed the demands of God’s Law on this man, in order to show him his sinfulness and need for redemption, the man went away sorrowful because he was unwilling to part with his possessions. Jesus didn’t run after him.”

I recently had a friend tell me how distraught she was over the fact that someone she had been discipling wanted to be left alone. My friend was expressing the pain that she felt over this experien..

What Do We Mean When We Speak of the “Sanctity of Human Life”?

31/01/2017 0 Comment

“The words of Jesus have vital significance for our understanding of the sanctity of life. Here Jesus broadened the implications of the Old Testament law. He was speaking to religious leaders who had a narrow and simplistic grasp of the Ten Commandments.”

In biblical terms, the sanctity of human life is rooted and grounded in creation. Mankind is not viewed as a cosmic accident but as the product of a carefully executed creation by an eternal God. Human dignity is derived from God. Man as a fin..

Progressive Denominations Racing Toward Servitude

31/01/2017 0 Comment

“Apparently it’s okay to eat a meal with a pinch of deadly poison on your plate, as long as everything else is safe and edible. It must be okay because we’ve done it before and haven’t noticed very many ill effects. And after all, we want to have good relations with those who peddle poison, not scare them away, so we will smile and swallow what they eagerly give us.”

The Presbyterian Church USA and the Anglican Communion in Great Britain seem locked in a neck and neck race to see which denomina..

Preaching the Funeral of an Unbeliever

31/01/2017 0 Comment

“Whatever else you might say at the funeral of an unbeliever, do not leave out the Person and saving work of Jesus Christ. Preach the precious truths about the incarnation, the active obedience of Jesus, the passive obedience of Jesus, the atoning death of Jesus, the wrath propitiation of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus and the return of Jesus.”

Preaching at someone’s funeral is one of the most difficult aspects of pastoral ministry. It is all the more difficult when it is the funeral service ..

Self-control: the gateway to joy and peace

30/01/2017 0 Comment

Self-control: the gateway to joy and peace

Self-control is the fruit of the Spirit. It is the evidence of the Spirit’s work in the life of God’s people. This means more than just physical or mental discipline. Only someone who is born of the Spirit of God can practice biblical self-control. What this means is that self-control is the way to joy and peace in this life. Here is one biblically based definition of self-control:

“Self-control is the ability to say no to my wrong desires and yes to ..

Advice for Constructive Sermon Critique

30/01/2017 0 Comment

Try to be constructive and positive, especially if you are going to offer a criticism. It is easier for someone to hear criticism if they know you have goodwill towards them. Can you say something good about the introduction or the conclusion? (Don’t say “the best bit was the end!”) Were important words explained and illustrated? Was the structure based on the text and memorable?

In Puritan Reformed Seminary’s Practice Preaching class, a student preaches in front of his professors and fellow st..

Saying Farewell to the ESV

30/01/2017 0 Comment

After a flurry of articles and blog posts, Crossway announced that the 2016 ESV text would not be permanent. While many were relieved to read this, some of us noted that nothing was said about the controversial change to Genesis 3:16 and 4:7. Would that be changed? To date, nothing has been said regarding changing these passages back. I know that published text takes time to be changed. As such, I expected that the ESV Bibles published last year would reflect the “contrary to” translation. And t..