Saturday Links
Truthfully, I don’t know that it’s possible for someone who truly believes what the Bible says to worship The Bible doesn’t allow for that, because it continually points us to the only one who is worthy of our worship—that is, our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. And I’m not sure that it’s possible to have too high a view of that which reveals Him to us.
Don't Settle for Your Mediocre Preaching
Ministry mediocrity in any form is always an issue of the heart. If this describes you, then run in humble confession to your Savior and embrace the grace that has the power to rescue you from you, and in so doing, give you back your awe.
The Pastoral Practicality Of Law-Gospel Theology
Explaining that we are a law-gospel community, I showed how pastorally this means we believe God uses his law to crush hard hearts and his gospel to cure broken hearts. The law is God’s first word; the gospel is God’s final word. And when we rush past God’s first word to get to God’s final word and the law has not yet had a chance to do its deep wrecking work, the gospel is not given a chance to do its deep restorative work. Sinners never experience the freedom that comes from crying “Abba” (gospel) until they first cry “Uncle” (law).
The Man Alive: Irenaeus Did Not Teach Self-Fulfillment
Reviewing conversations with Christians over the past half-century or so, I am impressed by how often I have heard quoted a line from Irenaeus of Lyons: "the glory of God is man fully alive" … Irenaeus is not talking about "human fulfillment."
John Frame’s Advice: 30 Suggestions for Theological Students and Young Theologians
[Question]: Finally, what advice would you offer to theological students and young theologians as they face a lifetime of theological work?
[John Frame’s answer]: Well, here are some thoughts, in no particular order.
- Righteous Anger Reacts against Actual Sin.
- Righteous Anger Focuses on God and His Kingdom, Rights, and Concerns, Not on Me and My Kingdom, Rights and Concerns.
- Righteous Anger Is Accompanied by Other Godly Qualities and Expresses Itself in Godly Ways.
How to encourage Radically simple, beautiful prayer
Pray simply. Use normal language. And keep your prayers short. Pray for a specific request, thank God that He showed up, and move on.