The World Is Watching

Few places provide a better spiritual assessment than a funeral home. As friends and family mourn the loss of a loved one, it is usually easy to distinguish believers from unbelievers. If the deceased lived a Christian life that persevered until the end, there is a sense of joy that underlies the mourning and girds up the grief with hope.In...

Read more »

West Virginia Southern Baptist

The April edition of the West Virginia Southern Baptist is now available for download. Also, you can access it all month long using the button in the sideb...

Read more »

Tuesday Mornings with Augustine

Hosea 10:12Prayer and EffortReject those who say we need only our own free will and not prayer to help us keep from sin. Even the Pharisee wasn’t blinded by such darkness. For, although he mistakenly thought he only needed his own righteousness (and believed he was saturated with it), nevertheless, he thanked God that he wasn’t “like other...

Read more »

Generational Change

Ours is a world of change. As time passes, change will come to each of us. There is always a generation behind us who is looking for our leadership. And one day, they will assume our leadership—maybe even today. Today’s message is brought to us by Wes Lambert, our youth director at Brushfork Baptist Church.You can listen online or download...

Read more »

Crash! Speaking, Hearing and Not Doing

This is the final installment of Mountain State Baptist Association Director of Missions, Dr. Don Deel’s statistics he uncovered while researching his doctoral dissertation. As he wrote in his introduction, “These facts should cause a pastor, staff, wife and church to take notice.”Seventy percent of pastors do not have a close friend, confidant,...

Read more »

Deep Riches: The Primacy of Preaching

This week's musing on pastoral responsibility takes us to the subject of preaching. Click over to Deep Riches to read my thoughts on the primacy of preaching in pastoral minist...

Read more »

Pastoral Ministry, Part 8: The Primacy of Preaching

Preaching the Scripture to a prayerfully eager and receptive congregation is the most profound act of corporate worship. Because of its objective, propositional nature, the unambiguous central element of any worship service is the expository preaching of Scripture. Church time is far too valuable to miss the opportunity for people to benefit from the opening and explaining of God’s Word every time they meet. Tasteful and reverent...

Read more »

Martyrs Monday

Romans 8:35It was getting late, and the Soviet officer had beaten and tortured Paulus for many hours. “We are not going to torture you anymore,” he said, smiling brutally when the Christian looked up.“We will send you instead to Siberia, where the snow never melts. It is a place of great suffering. You and your family will fit in well.”Paulus,...

Read more »

This Week's Memory Verse

...

Read more »

Puritan Passages

John 14:13Better Things—William JenkynIt should be the Christian’s chief care to obtain from God the choicest mercies. The worldly are indeed easily put off with the meanest, because their inquiry is only who will show them any good.But O Christian! Let nothing please or satisfy you, but the light of God’s countenance and do so receive from...

Read more »

Beware of Intolerant Dogmatists!

What an intolerant dogmatist!Oh wait—you thought I was talking about Mark Driscoll, the “crazy” right-wing evangelical? Think again!The interview clearly shows that the “tolerant, anti-dogmatist” is the real intolerant one. Enjoy!“Healthy people do not…” = dogma…“Healthy people need to…” = dogma…“All the trouble in the world today is because...

Read more »

Spurgeon Saturday

Ephesians 3:19The love of Christ in its sweetness, its fulness, its greatness, its faithfulness, passeth all human comprehension. Where shall language be found which shall describe his matchless, his unparalleled love towards the children of men? It is so vast and boundless that, as the swallow but skimmeth the water, and diveth not into...

Read more »

Are We On Autopilot?

For those who haven't seen it, Tim Challies has written a great post dealing with a subject that falls in line with the what I posted yesterd...

Read more »

Friday with the Fathers

Matthew 5:11-12Sharing in Suffering—TheodoretThe greatest comfort for those who suffer from false accusations is given in the words of Scripture. When sufferers are wounded by the lying words of an unbridled tongue, and feel the sharp stings of distress, they can remember the story of Joseph. For Joseph was an example of righteousness while...

Read more »

Thrown Up Preaching

Ed Stetzer has been posting a series of snippets from his interview with Andy Stanley, pastor of the 22,000 member North Point Community Church on three Atlanta area campuses. Stetzer included a quote from Preaching Magazine about the process Stanley uses in planning his messages:All of our series planning begins with a team of people and...

Read more »

Ex Libris: Spectacular Sins

The prolific pen of John Piper continues to churn out worthwhile and extremely beneficial books, including Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ.Check out my review over on Ex Libr...

Read more »

Coffee With Calvin

Hebrews 9:15The Only Haven of SafetyIt is now easy to understand the doctrine of the law: God, as our Creator, is entitled to be regarded as a Father and Master and should, accordingly, receive fear, love, reverence, and glory. For indeed, we are not our own, to follow whatever course passion dictates, but are bound to obey him implicitly...

Read more »

MacDaddy--MacArthur Goes Hip-Hop

First we discovered that Alistair Begg's accent isn't what it seems... and now this discovery about John MacArthur--well-respected Bible expositor turned gangsta-gospel rapper.Where have all the heroes gone? If you can't beat the contexualizers, I guess you have to join them!(Thanks to Eddie Eddings at Calvinistic Cartoons for this hilarious...

Read more »

What Will True Revival Look Like?

Since our generation has seen no great revival, we might well ask, “What would a flood of God’s Presence really look like?” Historic descriptions are absolutely mind-boggling. If America were to see another Great Awakening, between twenty and thirty million new converts would explode into churches within three to five years! Based on historic...

Read more »

Edwards Wednesday

Psalm 21:12The Crown and the CrossThere is something else in Christianity besides self-denial or restraining our inclination. There is a crown as well as a cross. And though we are so strictly required to restrain and keep within our bounds our animal inclinations, yet God does not desire we should set any bounds to spiritual and gracious...

Read more »

Plan the Work, Part 3: Defend the Plan

When a leader knows, through prayer and the confirmation of God’s people, that he is in the will of God, he must defend his plan against ungodly opposition.The manuscript of Sunday evening’s sermon from Nehemiah 2:19-20 is available here. You can listen online or download the .mp3 audio file or podcast from the player at the bottom of this...

Read more »

Jim Comments on John Commenting on John Commentaries

After I saw this post from Desiring God come up in my RSS reader, I was eager to compare the books I’m using with the books John Piper is using. Piper started preaching through the Gospel of John a few weeks after I did, but has been on writing sabbatical for a few weeks. I am eager for him to pick up where he left off in chapter 2. You can...

Read more »

Tuesday Mornings with Augustine

Matthew 6:7Groans and TearsIt isn’t wrong or unprofitable to spend much time in prayer as long as it doesn’t hinder us from doing other good and necessary works duty calls us to. For to spend a long time in prayer isn’t, as some think, the same thing as praying “with much speaking.” Multiplied words are one thing, but the sustained warmth...

Read more »

Word or Wonders?

Why do you believe Jesus? Do you believe Him only for the miraculous things He is able to do for you? That’s why the Galileans welcomed Him and He marveled at their unbelief.The manuscript of Sunday morning’s sermon from John 4:43-45 is available here. You can listen online or download the .mp3 audio file or podcast from the player at the...

Read more »

Crash! The Home Built on Sand

Dr. Don Deel, the Mountain State Baptist Association Director of Missions, has uncovered some disturbing statistics in his doctoral dissertation research. As he wrote in his introduction, “These facts should cause a pastor, staff, wife and church to take notice."Eighty percent of pastors’ spouses feel their spouse is overworked.Eighty percent...

Read more »

Pastoral Ministry, Part 7: A Pastor’s Love for People

The pastor has a love for people that is deep-seated, compassionate, and selfless. It is not a self-conjured love, but is rather a gift of the Holy Spirit. His love is displayed in his desire to see them grow as Jesus did—in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and man. He shows no partiality or favoritism and his love manifests itself in the desire he has for their personal and spiritual growth. The pastor does not judge the...

Read more »

Martyrs Monday

Genesis 22:12“I feel as if one of my arms has been cut off,” said Dr. P. P. Job. It was the most difficult sermon of his life: the funeral for his own son. His voice was heavy with emotion. “But with whatever I have left, I will continue to serve Christ’s kingdom.”Dr. Job directs The Voice of the Martyrs’ work in India and often risks his...

Read more »

This Week's Memory Verse

...

Read more »

Puritan Passages

Song of Solomon 1:13Holy Fidelity—Richard VinesIf you are married to Jesus Christ, you like Him and His love better than all the world. Therefore, it is said, “His love is better than wine,” that is, than all the excellency of the creature; that there is not any other grape that yields such sweetness and comfort as His love; no grape of pleasure,...

Read more »

In a Galaxy Not So Far Away...

Romans 13:7-8HT: The Pearcey Rep...

Read more »

Logos Bracketology

March Madness has taken over Logos Bible Software! Here is the word from their Bracketology website:It is NCAA tourney time, and we thought we’d join in the March Madness with our own little tournament. Between now and April 6th, we’ll be hosting the first ever Logos March Madness book tournament.The premise is simple–we’ve selected 64 titles...

Read more »