In defining accommodation, we want to consider three significant matters: first, its basic meaning; second, its reflection of God’s character; and third, how it can be applied in our experience. First, the basic meaning of accommodation is difficult both to perceive and practice, for (1) our natural inclination is to …
The Bible itself turns out to be the best guidebook on how to contextualize and accommodate in evangelism. Here are a few points we can draw from this: Jesus is Paul’s pattern for a kind of freedom that becomes the servant of all in order to save. In this mindset, …
A weary and discouraged pastor who sees the title of this chapter might be tempted to stop reading, thinking, “I was zealous once. But now I’m ill-tempered and just plain tired! Zeal means trouble. Zeal causes pastors to be burned out, cussed out, or thrown out by the sheep or …
Our Reformed and Puritan forebears were fond of calling the Lord’s Supper a feast. They viewed it as a feast given by the Lord of hosts, the faithful, covenant-keeping God, who, in Christ Jesus, is the author, founder, master, and divine host of this feast. He provides this feast “of …
Coping with criticism in the ministry requires a healthy reckoning with reality. Perhaps this strikes you as a strange point for us to make at the beginning of a section on practical principles for handling criticism. What does reality have to do with properly receiving verbal critique? There is an …
A healthy church is one that is shaped by the gospel. Our people need to see the beauty of Christ. Nothing will enable them to lovingly and humbly give and receive constructive critique more than heart-searching, expository gospel preaching. This is our great task and privilege as ministers—to proclaim Christ. …
Prayer is amazing, glorious, delightful work. Yet apart from faith in Christ, prayer is also difficult, demanding, and in many ways impossible. There is not a believer on earth that cannot sympathize with that. So, though I may have bordered on the idealistic in this closing chapter, my aim is …
Deep within us, we know that it is impossible to solve prayerlessness by our own strength. The sacredness, gift, and efficacy of prayer are far above human means. God’s grace is necessary for prayerful praying. Yet grace does not passively wait for God to strike us with revival. We must …
Albert Bailey rightly concludes that Calvin’s theological beliefs about the Psalter helped unite the Reformers and Puritans around the conviction that “only God’s own Word was worthy to be used in praising Him.” Psalm singing was important to Calvin and the Puritans, however, not only because it is biblical and …
I ask you in love, and I ask myself, What does our Sabbath-keeping look like? Do you look forward to it? Do you awake on Sunday morning with the first thought in your mind, “What joy, because it is the Sabbath today. I get to go up to God’s house. …
