“We shall never see much change for the better in our churches in general till the prayer meeting occupies a higher place in the esteem of Christians.” So wrote Charles Spurgeon in his famous address, “Only a Prayer Meeting.”[Only a Prayer-meeting (Ross-shire: Christian Focus, 2000), 9.] By “the prayer meeting” …
The Puritans often addressed the question, What is the place of the Law in the Christian life? We must consider the Puritans on the nature of the Law, the knowledge of it by man, and the relationship between the Law and sin. Law Is God Exercising His Right to Command …
If you are a true believer, Satan hates you because you bear the image of Christ, because you are the peculiar workmanship of God created in Christ Jesus unto good works, and because you were snatched from his power. You deserted Satan and fled his territory. By grace, you acknowledged …
The Heidelberg Catechism (Q. 31) says Jesus is called the Christ because Christ means “anointed,” and He was ordained by God and anointed by the Spirit for His work as our prophet, priest, and king. What is perhaps more startling is the way the Catechism applies this to us in …
Consider that in Christ, God promises us wise and tender correction through affliction. This is because we undergo trials not as enemies of God, but as children of God through our saving relationship with Christ. Keeping this in mind will help us face our troubles with the view of how …
Consider the plan of Christ. Highly exalted, there is no name like His. At His name, every knee will bow (Phil. 2:10). The eternal plan lying behind all His affliction was eternal glory—not only for Himself, but also for you. He returned to His Father differently than He came. He …
John Calvin embraced a high view of preaching. He called the preaching office “the most excellent of all things,” commended by God that it might be held in the highest esteem. “There is nothing more notable or glorious in the church than the ministry of the gospel,” he concluded. [Institutes …
How do we view ourselves as ministers of the Word? Why are we in the ministry? What does our work consist of? The Word “An apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God” (1:1) As an apostle, Paul was called to serve Jesus Christ as His authorized representative or …
Union with Christ is an essential and most wonderful component of the gospel. The believer’s security and acceptance with God depend on his association—indeed, his union—with Jesus Christ. Because believers and Christ are mutually united—believers in Christ (Col. 3:3) and Christ in believers (Col. 1:27; see also 1 John 3:24 and 4:13)—all …
Here are three big reasons: The Bible is big. In fact, it’s huge! It’s more like a library than a book. It is a library of books: sixty-six of them. That’s a lot of books! Some of you may not even own sixty-six books. The Bible I was using when …
