John Piper’s Final Pastoral Sermon – God Raised Your Great Shepherd from the Dead

April 3, 2013 By 3 Comments
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John Piper preached his last sermon as the Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist church this Easter. And he very appropriately pointed to the Great Shepherd, who is the true pastor of us all. Surely this was a fitting end to a pastoral ministry with massive impact all over the world but its depth was felt most at Bethlehem: It’s Easter. And it’s the last day of my office as shepherd in this flock. We could not have chosen a better day to finish. God raised your Great Shepherd from the dead!The … [Read more...]

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John Piper on George Herbert

February 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Surgeons can do their works without words. Pastors can't. But the great aims of our work are not decisively brought about by our word but by God. But the way we use words matters. The content clarity and spirit in which we use words are critical. George Herbert emphasised the poetic nature of much of God's communication in the Bible. Paul planted. Apollos watered. God gave the growth. The way you plant and water makes a difference. Herbert chose preaching in a small church rather than an … [Read more...]

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John Piper on healing

January 30, 2013 By 5 Comments

John Piper has been getting us all in the mood for his pastor's conference next week by speaking about the gifts of the Spirit in short videos shared online.  Today I want to share the one on healing.  Here are some excerpts from it: "I dont see any reason that any [of the gifts] should in principle be eliminated from present experience, at least the possibility of God giving it at any time. So I would say, yes there is a gift of healing . . . the Holy Spirit gives them according to his … [Read more...]

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John Piper on prophecy

January 29, 2013 By 1 Comment

John Piper has been sharing a series of short videos on him speaking about the gifts of the Spirit. The first was on tongues. I now want to share what he had to say on prophecy. Here are some excerpts to whet your appetite: "I have been significantly influenced by Wayne Grudem's book on prophecy . . .I think our tendency is to despise what the New Testament treats as prophecy . . . Prophecy in the New Testament doesn't seem to have the same scripture quality, inerrant, inspiration and authority … [Read more...]

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John Piper on speaking in tongues

January 29, 2013 By 3 Comments

In a few days I will be braving the freezing cold of Minneapollis (or more likely sheltering inside all week!) to attend the Desiring God conference where my pastor, Tope Koleoso will be one of the main preachers. I hope to meet some of you there.  Piper has released some video of him speaking about spiritual gifts.  The first is on tongues, here are some extracts of what he says: "If you don't talk about these things they tend to fade into the background . . . I don't buy the pentecostal … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Gifts of The Holy Spirit, John Piper 3 Comments

Disagreeing with Frank Viola on Baptism with the Holy Spirit

November 13, 2012 By 13 Comments
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I love Frank Viola and really rate his writings, but it surprises me how often it seems to me like people I totally respect seem to apply different rules of interpretation to usual when it comes to issues connected with the Holy Spirit. So far in his first post on baptism with the Holy Spirit he begins by mentioning people being coached to "speak in tongues" which is surely something everybody can agree is totally wrong! Secondly he seems to assume that everyone who believes in the baptism … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1 and 2 Corinthians, John Piper 13 Comments

Evangelicals – Heirs of the Reformation

October 31, 2012 By 1 Comment
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I wish you all a Happy Reformation day. This video below from John Piper explains why almost 500 years later Evangelicals should still grateful to God for the Reformation, and very much recognize ourselves as heir of that move of God. Much as I love my Catholic friends, and as much as they have indeed themselves reformed (especially since Vatican II) I am very much a Protestant. To me, the Reformation very much lies at the heart of the Evangelical movement. Of course Catholics can be … [Read more...]

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Still Not Professionals: hear Tope Koleoso at Desiring God

October 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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I am thrilled that John Piper has announced the line up for his 2013 conference Still Not Professionals, and my pastor Tope Koleoso will be one of the main speakers. I plan to accompany Tope, so I hope to look forward to meeting many of you there.     … [Read more...]

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John Piper on the passing of another year and our glorious future

December 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This is a great video of the Piper family, it was created by Carolyn McCulley and is well worth a visit. … [Read more...]

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John Piper on self promotion vs being influential for Jesus

September 8, 2011 By 1 Comment

In keeping with my theme this week of self-examination, I thought I would highlight two things I found on Justin Taylor's blog. The first was a post on self-promotion by Dane Ortlund. This really hits the mark and is a great provocation to us. Like many such pithy thoughts it is of course, however, one sided. There is nothing wrong with that as sometimes we do well to allow a truth, in this case "do not promote yourself" to hit us full in the face without nuancing it in that moment. If in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Discipleship, John Piper, Leadership 1 Comment