Expositor's Conference Live Feed
The Expositor's Conference is being broadcast live today. Dr. Steve Lawson and Dr. R.C. Sproul are lecturing on the holiness, grace. wrath and immutability of God. You can tune it here....
Keep Reading
Satan, Sin, and Biblical Proportion
The more we understand the relationship between Satan and sin--keeping them in biblical perspective and viewing them in light of the person and work of Christ--the better equipped we will be to put sin to death and to avoid the temptations that so easily ensnare us. ...
Improving in Preaching
Since the preaching of the gospel is the primary means by which God saves His people, ministers of the gospel should concern themselves with pursuing growth in their ability to skilfully communicate the truth of Scripture. Pastors should avail themselves of all the means of growth that are at their disposal. In so doing, we may never become the best preachers in the world, but we will--by God's grace--become more skillful in making known "the unsearchable riches of Christ." ...
Discernment Without and Within
With the potential for the entire world to stream into our minds and hearts by means of the internet, it is safe to conclude that there has never been a time when Christians needed discernment so much as at present....
When Satan is in the Church...
I sometimes fear that there is a willful naïveté in the church with regard to the presence and power of Satan. One doesn't have to look far into the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, or the New Testament Epistles to discover the reality of the spiritual forces of darkness and to develop a theology of the assault tactics of the evil one. But it might surprise some to see what exactly these tactics are in their more subtle forms. ...
The Shoulders of Giants, the Counsel of the Wise
If the church is to be rooted in the timeless truths of God’s word, it needs leaders who are standing on the shoulders of giants in whom the Spirit of God was at work. If pastors are to navigate the overwhelming challenges of an increasingly secular and antagonistic society–not to mention the internal attacks from strong willed and self-seeking individuals within the church–they need to counsel of older and wiser saints. ...
Cancelling the Weapons of "Cancel Culture"
In recent years, our society has rapidly embraced what has come to be known as the "cancel culture." If someone has said or done something--at any point in his or her life--that cuts across the grain of the suppose moral rectitude of society, he or she is swiftly excoriated to the point of irremediable social ostracization. An immediate sentence is determined by the masses and pronounced on social media in order to ensure its execution. There is no mercy, no call to repentance, and no hope of restoration...The rashness and widespread nature of the execution is, in part, the thing that makes cancel culture so brutal. The bitter and self-righteous speech of those pronouncing judgment gives the unremitting banter a veneer of justice. This is what makes cancel culture such a powerful weapon; yet, I suggest, a weapon to be avoided by Christians. ...
The Rarest Commodity
When we come to Christ, we learn to live in a way that is pleasing to God. We seek after His instruction and walk in His ways. Jesus is the rarest commodity–the eternal wisdom of God and sole source of righteousness and life. It is Him we must seek, find, and acquire more than any other commodities we may come to possess in life....
Singing Down the Blessing of God
There is a clear pattern in Scripture of the way in which God uses the praises of His people for their future deliverances and the evangelization of the nations. May we enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise, knowing that our God is enthroned on the praises of His people. We need His deliverance and the watching nations need His salvation....
The Self-Concealment and Self-Revelation of the Son of Man
By restraining wrong opinions about His person and work...
The Biblical Theology of the Pilgrim's Progress
The panel of Christ the Center recently interviewed Dr. Barry Horner with regard to the history and theology of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. As a lover of Bunyan's works, I have to admit that this was one of my favorite interviews. I learned quite a bit about the interpretation of Pilgrim's Progress from Dr. Horner (Horner did a doctorate on the theology of Pilgrim's ...
Keep ReadingThe Circumcision of Christ in Redemptive-History
Circumcision is not something you'll find most Christians talking about around the dinner table--and that's understandable. In addition to the societal awkwardness involved with speaking about cutting away the flesh from the male reproductive organ, there are several reasons why circumcision does not enter into many of our theological conversations. The first is the fact t...
Keep ReadingExodus: Symbols of Redemption
The audio from New Covenant's first three studies in the Book of Exodus are now online. ...
Keep ReadingFull Confidence Conference Live on ReformedForum.TV
Reformed Forum is pleased to be livestreaming Westminster Theological Seminary’s Full Confidence Conference Friday and Saturday from Church of the Saviour in Wayne, PA. The conference is focused on the doctrine of Scripture, and speakers include Carl Trueman, Lane Tipton, and Dave Garner. Details for tuning in to the stream are available at http://reformedforum.tv...
Keep ReadingListen Up! $1
This Wednesday (9/22) wtsbooks.com will be launching a 48-hour sale on an important booklet. Christopher Ash, the Director of the Cornhill Training Course in London, England, has written Listen Up!--a short (only 31 pages), accessible, pamphlet that addresses the way in which the people of God can gain the maximum benefit from listening to sermons. Mark Dever gives Listen...
Keep ReadingThe Son of Man in the Midst of the Lampstands (Rev. 1:9-20)
The audio and video from New Covenant's Sunday school series on the Book of Revelation is now online. The text was Revelation 1:9-20, and the title, "The Son of Man in the Midst of the Lampstands." You can listen here. You can watch below: http://vimeo.com/15129820...
Keep ReadingDriscoll on Tithing
While I wish that he had explained the distinction between the tithe and the offering (one obligatory, one voluntary), nevertheless, in the video below Mark Driscoll gives one of the most helpful presentations on biblical giving: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4oOkezxKuIfeature=player_embedded#!...
Keep ReadingDavid Gooding: A Theologian Worth Knowing About
When I first came to Savannah, Ga to plant New Covenant, I was introduced to the theological writings of Dr. David Gooding. A local pastor here mentioned that he had learned of Gooding from a reference made in Alec Motyer's commentary on Isaiah. Goodings' books are available for free in PDF format online. His True to the Faith is one of the best theological works I have co...
Keep ReadingPhil Ryken Installed at Wheaton
Today, Dr. Philip Graham Ryken was installed as the eighth President of Wheaton College, in Wheaton, IL. Dr. Ryken served as the senior minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, PA for the past 10 years. Here is what Donald Meyer, a trustee and co-chairman of the Presidential Selection Committee, had to say about the prospect of Phil's ministry at Wheaton: â...
Keep ReadingStipulations for Mercy Ministry?
Having had the privilege of growing up around such men as Dr. John H. Skilton, the late professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological seminary,--who selflessly opened his home in the Vietnamese section of Philadelphia to minister to missionaries, homeless and social outcasts--mercy ministry has been something exemplified and deeply impressed into my thinking from m...
Keep ReadingA Heartfelt Farewell
Last Thursday I had a distinct honor and privilege. I had the opportunity to be with my mother as she entered into glory. Readers will remember from my post "Startled by Grace?" that my mom had spoken with me and my wife on a Saturday night a week and a half ago shortly after she had been relocated from the local hospital to the area rehabilitation center. My m...
Keep ReadingCampbell on Israel and the New Covenant
Recently PR Publishing reissued Roderick Campbell's study Israel and the New Covenant which can be obtained here. While I am not a postmillennialist myself, it is always good to read books and articles from other perspectives to keep one's mind sharp and alert. This volume has an introduction by Oswald T. Allis, former professor at Westminster Theological Seminary ...
Keep ReadingThe Mark of Real Gospel Preaching
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, at the beginning of his commentary on Romans 6, made the most profound and important statement about the true preaching of the Gospel. The grace of God is so free, and so abundant, that it brings salvation to the ungodly apart from anything we do. It is not our "works of righteousness that we have done" that brings about this salvation. It is the gr...
Keep ReadingCleansed By Christ Alone (John 13:1-20)
The sermon audio and video from the Sunday morning service at New Covenant Presbyterian Church is now available online. I deviated from our regular series through the book of Acts, on account of it being a baptism service, to preach a sermon on John 13:1-20. The title was, "Cleansed by Christ Alone." You can listen to the audio here. You can watch the video below: http:...
Keep ReadingThe Impact of 9/11
I vividly remember the morning of September 11. 2001. I was living in Flat Rock, NC, just south of Asheville. I remember hustling into the Country Club where I worked as a cook, trying not to lose my job because of my prodigal lifestyle. At some point, the head chef ran out and sat the staff down. We all huddled around a small, portable, black and white television and list...
Keep ReadingThis Reformed Life: Finding Joy in the Contemporary American Religious Climate (part 1)
I grew up as a pastor’s kid. I’ve remained a committed Christian despite the fact. And having spent the better part of the last fifteen years looking for the perfect church I’ve finally committed to the reformed expression, jumping in with both feet. In this four part series I hope to sketch out some of the highlights of this long arduous process, anti...
Keep ReadingThe Unadulterated Enjoyment Of Christ!
Jonathan Leeman writes: One of the greatest ironies of the postmodern West might be this: that great symbol of pleasure in our culture for which it (consciously or not) most emphatically rejects God - sex - is the very thing God has given humanity so that it might have an analogy, a category, a language for knowing what the unadulterated enjoyment of him will be like in g...
Keep ReadingPromises, Promises
The audio and video of the sermon from the Sunday morning worship service at New Covenant Presbyterian Church is now online. The text was Acts 13:13-52, and the title, "Promises, Promises." You can listen to the audio here. You can watch the video below: http://vimeo.com/14740517...
Keep ReadingChristianity and War
Our friends at Crossway Publishers have recently published this new book entitled War, Peace, and Christianity: Questions and Answers from a Just War Perspective which can be obtained here. It is authored by Timothy J. Demy and J. Daryl Charles. Given the state of the nation and the world this is a timely offering. Readers will be interested to know that th...
Keep ReadingStartled By Grace?
Today has been an emotionally draining day. Today I visited with my mom and dad and continue to see the signs of aging multiply before my eyes. My mother has been having health problems off and on all her life and during these last few years they have been more on than off. Last winter she entered the hospital with a life threatening condition. Thankfully t...
Keep ReadingThe Transmission and Identification of the Inerrant Text of Scripture
I was very blessed to have grown up around such men as Cornelius Van Til, John H. Skilton, Theophilus Herter and Milton Fisher. The Lord shaped my thinking on what Scripture is, and how God preserved it, from my earliest days. After I was converted, I began to diligently study the doctrine of inerrancy, the canon, and the apocryphal books. I had many questions, and was det...
Keep ReadingExpository Preaching- Youth Ministry Style
Jon Nielson has an excellent post, over at the Gospel Coalition Blog, about the benefits of modeling an expository ministry to the youth in the church. You can read it here. I could not agree more....
Keep Reading