If you’re a Christian, chances are you’ve heard John 3.16 or Psalm 23. The other day I asked myself, “If I could choose 5 passages that would instantly cement themselves in the mind of my church members which ones would I choose?” For the next 5 Fridays I’m going to share one a week. I’m sure that if I created this list 5 years from now I’d likely choose 5 different passages, so in a …
Month: January 2016
The Poverty of Prayer: Sermon by Dr. Richard Gaffin
“26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work …
How to Meditate: George Müller and Scripture as Food
For years I would read my Bible then move directly into prayer. While my time in the Word seemed profitable my prayers more often than not seemed dry, cold, and unfeeling. Many times I would finish prayer more anxious than when I had started. About 2 years ago I made a change. Instead of reading the Bible then jumping to prayer, I began to insert meditation between Bible reading and prayer. What a change! Now …
Commentaries for New Bible Students
I constantly get asked by church members about resources for Bible study. Most of them read their Bibles daily, but would like to have a resource or two from trusted Bible scholars. A problem arises when they step into a book store and realize there are commentaries on every book of the Bible that range from pamphlet size up to several hundred pages. Which one should they buy? Which one can they trust? Which one …
How to Meditate: Luther’s Garland Prayer
5 centuries ago Martin Luther’s barber asked him how to pray. Luther responded with a 40 page letter entitled A Simple Way to Pray that has been read and practiced by Christians ever since. Last night I shared one of Luther’s methods for meditating on God’s word with our church. It’s called garland prayer.
As a garland is made by intertwining multiple strands of greenery, Luther teaches us to weave a 4 strand prayer. …
What are Spiritual Disciplines?
Growing up as a left handed person can be a real challenge. At times it feels as if everything in the world is made for right handed people. Have you righties noticed that your desks in school had an extended support for your forearm when you write? Lefties don’t have that. Have you ever realized that doors typically open toward your right? The English language, written from left to right, means that left handed people …
20 Questions to Gauge Your Bible Reading
It’s the middle of January. How’s your Bible reading going? How can you know how it’s going. These certainly aren’t the only questions you’d want to ask to gauge your Bible reading. There’s a host interpretive questions I’ll post later. For now, ask some penetrating questions about your Bible reading, and share some thoughts in the comments.
- Do I believe the Bible is primarily about me or Jesus?
- Do I primarily read the Bible to
What is Discipleship?
What is discipleship? Read 10 different books on the subject and you may get 10 different answers. Discipleship means many things in many contexts. When hearing the word many people think of the spiritual disciplines: prayer, Bible study, Scripture memorization. Others think of a class or course of study; a set of facts that once learned make the student a disciple.
At our church we often use a slogan to explain discipleship. I’m sure we …
The Upside Down, Inside Out Gospel
Melissa Kruger reminds us that the Christian life is entirely paradoxical. She wrote the following in a recent blog at Ligonier:
…He who gains the most trinkets and toys does not win contentment in the game of life. When the world is gained, it may provide momentary happiness, but it is impossible for lasting joy to be sustained from temporary pleasure.
In contrast, the upside down way of the gospel leads us to deny
Recommended Resource: Prayer by Tim Keller
I recently finished Tim Keller’s new book, Prayer. Per usual, Keller has found the balance between writing accessibly while leading the reader through deep waters. His book on prayer will be my go-to book (outside of the Bible, of course) to recommend to Christians who want to learn to pray. Keller spends the first half of the book explaining what prayer is, why it’s important and why we should want it. In the second …