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Dec 2014 31 Dec 31, 2014
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In the previous two articles I listed and provided a brief introduction to the first 13 of the 14 best books of 2014. We’ve now come to what I consider the best book of the year. I’m sure you’ll be surprised by my choice. Continue reading . . . In the previous two articles I listed and provided a brief introduction to the first 13 of the 14 best books of 2014. We’ve now come to what I consider the best book of the year. I’m sure you’l...Read More

Dec 2014 30 Dec 30, 2014
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In the previous post we looked at numbers 14-8. We now turn to numbers 7-2. Continue reading . . . In the previous post we looked at numbers 14-8. We now turn to numbers 7-2. Number 7 Paul Ryan, The Way Forward: Renewing the American Idea (New York: Twelve / Hachette Book Group, 290 pp.). This is the only book on my list this year that directly argues for a particular political position. I am a huge fan of Paul Ryan and I hope that he enters the presidential race for...Read More

Dec 2014 29 Dec 29, 2014

This year’s list of the best books I’ve read was difficult because of the vast number of excellent volumes released. A dozen of them are in some way related to biblical and theological themes, with two coming from different genres. I’m sure that you will be somewhat surprised by the book that I found to be far and away the best book of the year. So let’s begin, working our way from number 14 to number 1. Continue reading . . . [Since it’s y...Read More

Dec 2014 26 Dec 26, 2014
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Hebrews 10:14 is a remarkable and extremely important passage. There we read: “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Continue reading . . . Hebrews 10:14 is a remarkable and extremely important passage. There we read: “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” I want to draw your attention to something that most people ignore or fail to see. This is y...Read More

Dec 2014 24 Dec 24, 2014

The hymn writer tells us that it was a “silent” night, a “holy” night. But it was also a cold night, as the shepherds huddled together seeking warmth from the fire. Continue reading . . . The hymn writer tells us that it was a “silent” night, a “holy” night. But it was also a cold night, as the shepherds huddled together seeking warmth from the fire. To them it seemed like every other night. The crackling of wood, the occa...Read More

Dec 2014 23 Dec 23, 2014
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This past Sunday, December 21, 2014, I preached on John 3:16 and titled my message, “God so Loved the World: John 3:16 as the True Message of Christmas.” Continue reading . . . This past Sunday, December 21, 2014, I preached on John 3:16 and titled my message, “God so Loved the World: John 3:16 as the True Message of Christmas.” In my sermon preparation I read John Piper’s sermon from May 10, 2009, “For God so Loved the World, Part 2&...Read More

Dec 2014 22 Dec 22, 2014
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I’m excited to tell you about a new website that is exclusively devoted to the subject of biblical eschatology, especially that view of God’s redemptive purposes known as amillennialism. Continue reading . . . I’m excited to tell you about a new website that is exclusively devoted to the subject of biblical eschatology, especially that view of God’s redemptive purposes known as amillennialism. As you know, my book Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Al...Read More

Dec 2014 19 Dec 19, 2014

We’ve been looking closely at Hebrews 10:23-25 and the importance of Christian community in the context of local church life. The exhortations we find here are clear enough, but what reasons does our author give for why we should be so urgent in responding to them? Continue reading . . . We’ve been looking closely at Hebrews 10:23-25 and the importance of Christian community in the context of local church life. The exhortations we find here are clear enough,...Read More

Dec 2014 18 Dec 18, 2014

So what are the three things mentioned in Hebrews 10:23-25 that we are to accomplish on those occasions when we gather together or assemble ourselves? Continue reading . . . So what are the three things mentioned in Hebrews 10:23-25 that we are to accomplish on those occasions when we gather together or assemble ourselves? “23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one...Read More

Dec 2014 17 Dec 17, 2014
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In the previous article I mentioned the necessity of all Christians being embedded in community in a local church. We find this in numerous biblical texts, but our focus here is on Hebrews 10:23-25. Continue reading . . . In the previous article I mentioned the necessity of all Christians being embedded in community in a local church. We find this in numerous biblical texts, but our focus here is on Hebrews 10:23-25. “23 Let us hold fast the confession of our h...Read More

Dec 2014 16 Dec 16, 2014

Gina Welch is a graduate of Yale University, teaches English at George Washington University, and is the author of the book, In the Land of Believers: An Outsider’s Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church (Metropolitan Books, 2010). Here is the description she provided of herself: “I am a secular Jew raised by a single mother in Berkeley, where we took a day off school in October for Indigenous Peoples, not for Christopher Columbus. I c...Read More

Dec 2014 15 Dec 15, 2014

Remember this: Work is not the purpose of your life. That would be idolatry. The nature of your work and your success in it must never be the measure of your worth as a person. Your identity and value are grounded in the gospel, not your productivity. Work is not a way for you to “prove” yourself, but a means by which you glorify God. Continue reading . . . Remember this: Work is not the purpose of your life. That would be idolatry. The nature of your work a...Read More

Dec 2014 12 Dec 12, 2014

In the previous two articles we looked at some helpful insights from Tim Keller and Wayne Grudem. I want to follow up on that with some comments of my own concerning those who can work but for whatever reason choose not to. Continue reading . . . In the previous two articles we looked at some helpful insights from Tim Keller and Wayne Grudem. I want to follow up on that with some comments of my own concerning those who can work but for whatever reason choose not to. Ma...Read More

Dec 2014 11 Dec 11, 2014

In the previous article I drew some conclusions from Tim Keller’s book, Every Good Endeavor, about the relation between faith and our work, our jobs, our careers. Here I want to turn to some observations drawn from Wayne Grudem’s short book, Business for the Glory of God. Continue reading . . . In the previous article I drew some conclusions from Tim Keller’s book, Every Good Endeavor, about the relation between faith and our work, our jobs, our career...Read More

Dec 2014 10 Dec 10, 2014

[I recently finished reading Tim Keller’s excellent book, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work (New York: Dutton, 2012), as well as Wayne Grudem’s short but insightful volume, Business for the Glory of God: The Bible’s Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2003). Following are some insights I gleaned from both books regarding the goodness of labor, business, and how to integrate our faith with our ...Read More

Dec 2014 9 Dec 9, 2014
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Our focus in both the previous article and this one is the remarkable statement found in Hebrews 10:17 where God declares that “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more” (Heb. 10:17). Continue reading . . . Our focus in both the previous article and this one is the remarkable statement found in Hebrews 10:17 where God declares that “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more” (Heb. 10:17). It’s important f...Read More

Dec 2014 8 Dec 8, 2014

I’m going to begin by asking a series of questions, to each of which, in my opinion, there is one simple answer. Continue reading . . . I’m going to begin by asking a series of questions, to each of which, in my opinion, there is one simple answer. What is the single greatest and most imposing obstacle to your enjoyment of God?What, more than anything else, keeps you at arms’ length from your heavenly Father?What is it that makes you hesitant to dra...Read More

Dec 2014 5 Dec 5, 2014

I posted this brief announcement a couple of weeks ago and decided it would be good to do so again. I’m referring to the Desiring God 2015 Conference for Pastors (with Bethlehem College and Seminary) for which registration is now open. Continue reading . . . I posted this brief announcement a couple of weeks ago and decided it would be good to do so again. I’m referring to the Desiring God 2015 Conference for Pastors (with Bethlehem College and Seminary) for...Read More

Dec 2014 4 Dec 4, 2014
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In the previous article we looked at how Jesus invited Matthew to give up everything and follow him. Continue reading . . . In the previous article we looked at how Jesus invited Matthew to give up everything and follow him. “13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose ...Read More

Dec 2014 3 Dec 3, 2014

How do you react when Jesus doesn’t live up to your expectations? Continue reading . . . How do you react when Jesus doesn’t live up to your expectations? Now, don’t give me any of that pious bologna about how Jesus has always fulfilled even your highest and most outrageous expectations. Has he always answered every prayer in the way you thought he should have? Has he always orchestrated your life according to your schedule? Did he always teach the doc...Read More

Dec 2014 2 Dec 2, 2014

Yes, I know that it’s December and the Thanksgiving holiday is in the past. But thanksgiving must remain a daily reality for all Christians, especially when we consider the free love and sovereign grace that God has shown us. Take a few minutes, endure the Puritan prose, and think and thank deeply in light of what Jonathan Edwards has written. Continue reading . . . Yes, I know that it’s December and the Thanksgiving holiday is in the past. But thanksgiving ...Read More

Dec 2014 1 Dec 1, 2014

It’s been a few days now since most of us gathered with family and close friends to eat more than we should have and give thanks less than we ought to. So I thought it would be instructive and challenging to consider some thoughts that appeared from John Piper on the Solid Joys daily app on November 28. Continue reading . . . It’s been a few days now since most of us gathered with family and close friends to eat more than we should have and give thanks less ...Read More