The Preacher

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 …

Understanding Union with Christ

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 …

Why is it so tough to read the Bible?

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 …

Christ In Affliction

Dear Believer, I am writing to you about something you may be well acquainted with: affliction. (I originally wrote most of this booklet as a letter to myself several decades ago while going through deep affliction. Later, I revised it so that it could serve as a generic letter to …

Meditation on Heaven

For the Puritans, probably the most important theme for meditation was heaven—the place where God is supremely known and worshiped and enjoyed, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and where the saints rejoice as they are transcribed from glory to glory. “Meditation is the life …

Christian Meditation

Spiritual growth is intended to be part of the Christian life of believers. [This booklet is adapted from Joel R. Beeke, “The Puritan Practice of Meditation,” in Joel R. Beeke and Mark Jones, A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2012), 889–907.] Peter exhorts believers to …

Plant Godly Convictions

For years we care for our children like birds care for their nestlings. We shield them from danger, bring them good things to eat, and attend to all their needs. Every father and mother, however, will face the day when their precious children leave the nest and fly on their …

Ministry to Children

Practical Guidelines for Ministry to Children in the Church Let us consider next how the church should minister to children in our midst. We will not focus upon Christian parenting so much as the church’s ministry, although that ministry has many implications for Christian parents, since they play a unique …

What Is Faith?

We are often prone to use words without contemplating their meaning. Think of the word grace. We all speak of grace, declare that we are saved by grace, and say that our hope is in grace. But do we ever think about what grace means? I recognized this problem again …