Well, here it is. I finally draw to an end a series that could have run and run. Almost all my posts for the last month or so have been inspired by Article 4 of the T4G Statement, which is quoted in my post John Piper on Expository Preaching. As I have said, I am sure I will return frequently to this topic as it is, of course, never far from my mind — and in a way preaching is... Read more
We have been speaking about preaching and the importance of Christians understanding the message of the Bible. We are drawing near to the end of this extended series. I felt, however, that I should not leave the series without sharing a few resources with you that are still fairly new and will definitely help you to study the Bible yourself. The last year or so has been a great year for Christian publishing, with some fantastic books being published. The... Read more
I am drawing close to the end of my longstanding series on preaching based on the Together For The Gospel Statement, Article 4. This does not mean, of course, that the subject of preaching will disappear from this blog—far from it. Since this is a blog by a preacher, and many of my readers are preachers, this topic is never far away and will keep returning. Indeed, in many ways the whole blog is relevant to the subject of preaching... Read more
Steve Camp is well known within reformed circles, and yet in all my reading of the reactions to the “John Piper Hears The Voice Of God” article no one gets it more right than he does in a comment he has just left on my blog on the above post. Is he becoming charismatic? Or is it rather a simple case of leaving aside any fear concerning such labels and seeking the Word and the Spirit, or as he puts... Read more
Over on Pyromaniacs, the last three posts and their extensive comments sections have all been prompted by the differing reactions to the Piper piece on Hearing the Voice of God. This article by John Piper is certainly a piece that is well worth listening to, as well as reading. The following are the three resulting Pyro posts. Ecstasy Emotions? Sure. We got ’em . . . Voices in Our Heads I have commented extensively over there on each of these... Read more
John Piper has an interesting aside that several people have pointed out to me in connection with the quotes I have shared from Warren and Lloyd-Jones on the vital place of application. In it Piper argues that, rather than application, it is the inducing of “wonder” in the hearer that leads to transformation. I ask: Why does it have to be one or the other? I know that a state of wonder that is not then driven home by the... Read more
At the beginning of this year, Steve Weaver posted a multi-part series on expository preaching. I thought I would share a few quotes from this series for you — it is well worth a read if you haven’t already found it. “What role does prayer play in the preparation of an expository sermon? Prayer should both precede and permeate your study time. Whenever I open God’s Word I almost always pray, “Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things... Read more
Andrew Fountain has a great article today on the vital place of stories in shaping the way we see the world. Go and read the whole thing or listen to his sermon which was informed by this approach: There are four levels at which we operate: Behaviour Teachings Attitudes Worldview Behaviour can be altered to some extent by external pressure (although ultimately it flows from the underlying layers). Teachings can be taught. Attitudes are far more difficult and need to... Read more
I have been addressing the subject of expositional preaching for some time now. I shared a quote from Rick Warren about the vital need for us to learn to apply Scripture. It seems Martyn Lloyd-Jones agrees. This quote is taken once again from the excellent Logos ML-J library. “It is one thing to believe the truth, it is a very different thing to apply it. We did listen, and apply the truth, initially, otherwise we would not be Christians at... Read more
I am going to let Dr. Piper speak for himself today with no comment except to say that, to me, this whole article seems like one of the most arresting pieces of writing by any writer that I have ever read. You simply MUST follow the link and read it all. It is a message that is vital to every single one of us. “Let me tell you about a most wonderful experience I had early Monday morning, March 19,... Read more
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