Desiring God this week published a brief essay I wrote on the missionary zeal of the Reformers. This is a popular introduction to what I have written on more extensively elsewhere. The misconception that the Reformers had little interest in missions and evangelism lingers despite the evidence, so I hope this little article can be …
A couple of weeks ago I preached on Psalm 97 at my home church, FBC Jackson, on Psalm 97, titling the sermon, “Rejoice the LORD is King.” The psalm calls us to joy rooted in the fact the Yahweh reigns, that He is supreme and sovereign over all. Sadly, too often the doctrine of God’s …
I’m really enjoying Sinclair Ferguson’s book, The Whole Christ. Among other things, it is a very helpful exposition of grace and the free call of the gospel to all people. In the section below Ferguson is discussing the trouble of legalism and pastoral ministry. I think it is a wonderful portrayal of a pastor. This will …
Continue reading ‘A Godly Pastor is a Grace-filled Pastor’ »
The latest issue of the Southeastern Theological Review came out today, and it focuses on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. You can see the cover to the left, but it contains articles by Nathan Finn, Malcolm Yarnell, Stephen Eccher, and myself. Nathan’s essay and mine come from presentations given at the REF500 event at …
Continue reading ‘New Article on Missions in the Reformation’ »
Yesterday I had the privilege of preaching on Romans 3 for Reformation Sunday at First Baptist Church, Jackson, TN. I tried to make clear the problem of humanity before a holy God and the only hope we have in the atoning work of Jesus. This clip from a TV show powerfully illustrates our need for …
Over the weekend The Gospel Coalition posted an article I wrote titled, “8 Lessons Calvin Teaches Us About Preaching.” As we approach Reformation Sunday this coming weekend, it is a good time to reflect on various ways we can learn from this significant time in church history. My article draws from the time I …
Over the years many scholars have suggested that the Reformers had little interest in the task of world missions or evangelism. I have countered this idea concerning Calvin at this site and in several different publications (one, two, three). Here I’d like to address Luther. I have not encountered among lay people as much the …
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of travelling around Scotland with four students as the culmination of our class on aspects of Scottish church history. It was a great time, and I hope to comment more on it. One thing we did was visit several great book shops, chief among them James Dickson …
Today is the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, so I am reposting an item from 4 years ago in honor of the heroic efforts of Scottish Baptist pastor John Harper. Today is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. This terrible tragedy was also the occasion of some very heroic …