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Are My Children Safe? A Christian Parent’s Response to the Boston Bombings
We saw blood where it should not be–on the sidewalk and in a convenience store. But perhaps the most heart-wrenching piece of news was what I heard last night: an eight-year-old boy waiting to hug his dad was among the casualties. The horrific sidewalk scene sobered me in another way. Just two days prior, I…
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How Is My Preaching? [Part 2]: Platform Mechanics and the Invitation
“Did you not see that a gentleman came forward at the invitation?” Sitting in a Chinese buffet, my friend David and I were in the middle of a painful sermon evaluation session. The way he asked that question gave me the suspicion that there was no good answer. I broke some clumps of sticky rice…
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How Is My Preaching? [Part 1] Why Preachers Need Feedback
Feedback Can Be Scary! I was nervous. I had asked a friend, David Pinkley, to give me honest feedback about my preaching. On Sunday I preached in our church’s morning service, and the following Thursday David and I were sitting in a greasy Chinese buffet. I couldn’t tell whether my loss of appetite was due to the…
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How Can We Teach Children About Worship?
I’ve been reading Worship by the Book (edited by D. A. Carson). This morning I came across a valuable insight for parents who wish to teach their children about true worship: Kids of that age [10-12 years, and presumably younger] do not absorb abstract ideas very easily unless they are lived out and identified. The Christian home,…
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Divine Sovereignty in John’s Gospel
John stresses the theme of divine sovereignty along three distinguishable, but closely related themes: divine sovereignty in salvation, divine sovereignty granted to the Son, and divine sovereignty in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Each theme carries a special significance. To summarize, The theme of divine sovereignty in salvation puts salvation completely out of the realm of…
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Rare Video Interview with Martyn Lloyd-Jones: Success in Preaching, Views on Fundamentalism, and Authority in Preaching
In this rare video interview of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the eminent doctor-turned-preacher answers questions about his success as a preacher, his views on Fundamentalism, and why his preaching appealed to young people. I was particularly struck by his answer to the question, “What do you believe would make a successful preacher?” Dr. Lloyd-Jones replied, “I really…
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Roles of Tongues-Speaking in Acts: Doxological, Eschatological, Missiological and Soteriological
There are only three instances of tongues-speaking recorded in the book of Acts: 2:1-13, 10:44-47, and 19:1-7. The most extensive instance, of course, is Pentecost. On one level, speaking in tongues at Pentecost played a doxological role since the apostles and others were were testifying to God’s mighty (salvific) works. The means (foreign tongues) and…
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Spurgeon: Keep to the Old-Fashioned Gospel
While re-reading some sections of Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students, I came across this stirring exhortation to keep Christ at the center of our preaching. I urge you to keep to the old fashioned gospel, and to that only, for assuredly it is the power of God unto salvation. Of all I would wish to say…
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Keller: Gospel Complexity Demands Gospel Contextualization
This post continues my “digesting” of Keller’s book Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City. Is the Gospel a simple thing? Yes and no. If by “simple” you mean “understandable,” then the Gospel certainly is simple. It was simple enough for me to understand when I was a preschooler. But there’s another sense in…
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Digesting “Theological Vision” in Keller’s Book, Center Church
Center Church, Timothy Keller’s recently published book, deals with a topic that is close to my heart. I love the church of Christ, and I am constantly interested in what the church should be and do. Because there is much to digest in Center Church, I have been working through it slowly. Keller’s first chapter…
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