Re-published from February 17, 2008. Colin raised this question a while back on Unashamed Workman. He asked for comments and, as Mike had just touched on this during the WSC “Missional and Reformed” Conference, I piped up:
preaching
Office Hours: Hywel Jones on Preaching the Doctrine of Regeneration (You Need to Hear This)
Of course I always want you to listen and subscribe to Office Hours but I especially want you (and everyone) to hear this interview with the Rev Dr Hywel Jones on preaching the doctrine of regeneration to Christian congregations. We’re discussing Hywel’s . . . Continue reading →
Herman Witsius on Preaching Law and Gospel
Herman Witsius (1636–1708) was a significant figure in the period of High Reformed Orthodoxy (c. 1640–1700). He attempted to build a bridge between the Cocceians and the Voetians, traditionally understood as two competing camps within Dutch Reformed orthodoxy. The debate between the . . . Continue reading →
Isaiah 54-55 and the Well-Meant Offer of the Gospel
Hywel Jones is a dear friend but more importantly he is a dear preacher of the Gospel. In chapel on Tuesdays he’s been preaching through Isaiah 55 focusing on the well-meant, sincere, offer of the gospel. Here’s a recent message. Here are . . . Continue reading →
Proclaiming, Warning, and Teaching
The Rev. Mr. David Strain spoke again this morning to the students and faculty from Colossians 1–2. This time the focus was on the relations between proclaiming, warning, and instructing in preaching. It has been a great joy to have David on . . . Continue reading →
Calvin as Theologian of Consolation (Pt 5)
Part 4: Consolation And Pastoral Ministry IV. Consolation Preached In part one of this series we considered Calvin’s interpretation of several biblical passages on consolation. In part two we looked at how he harvested a theology of consolation from his exegetical work. . . . Continue reading →
Idolatry Isn’t Just An Ancient Superstition
The evolutionary tendency in modern thought has inclined the church to think of idolatry as a superstitious habit of primitive peoples which has no place in the scientifically sophisticated modern mind. A lack of technological development is often mistakenly equated with a . . . Continue reading →
Is the Gospel Preached or Lived?
An HB Classic
Colin raised this question a while back on Unashamed Workman. He asked for comments and, as Mike had just touched on this during the WSC Missional and Reformed Conference, I piped up: Hi Colin, This business of “living the gospel” is one . . . Continue reading →
Preaching Genesis 1
We’ve been blessed by the ministry of pastor Chris Gordon at Escondido URC. He’s also the proprietor of the Gordian Knot and the host of the Abounding Grace Radio program, currently broadcast in the Pacific Northwest, Phoenix, and San Diego. Recently, he . . . Continue reading →
Advice To Young Preachers
Time was that church historians also taught church polity and what is sometimes called pastoral theology. This was, I suppose, because we used to recognize that the study of the history of the practice of the church gives a certain insight into . . . Continue reading →
Ministers All?
The uniqueness and centrality of the official preaching of the Word is diminished when we equivocate between the official, public, ordained administration of the Word and the unofficial witness to the gospel by the laity. The tendency among evangelical is to describe all . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: The Basic Principle In Application
The basic principle in application is to know whether the passage is a statement of the law or of the gospel. For when the Word is preached, the law and the gospel operate differently. The law exposes the disease of sin, and . . . Continue reading →
The Attraction Of Legal Preaching: The Interview
As a follow-up to the post on legal preaching Chris Gordon and I sat down in the Abounding Grace Radio studio to talk through the issue of the attraction of legal preaching. Once again, neither the post nor the episode is a . . . Continue reading →
This Christian Life
Next to The White Horse Inn, one of my favorite radio programs is This American Life starring Ira Glass. I stumbled across this show several years ago, and for a while I did not understand why I was so attracted to it. Glass does not . . . Continue reading →
Beza On The First Use Of The Law
There then is the first use of the preaching of the law; to make known our innumerable faults so that in ourselves we begin to be miserable and greatly humble ourselves; in short, to beget in us the first degree of repentance . . . Continue reading →
What Is True Faith? (9) Its Gospel Agency
In part 8 we saw that the source of true faith is the sovereign, powerful, re-creating work of the Holy Spirit. Ordinarily, however, he works through what the classic Reformed writers, including Calvin, and the Reformed churches call “the means of grace” . . . Continue reading →
Sometimes A Miracle Is Just A Miracle
When it comes to Mary’s Magnificat, I find that I cannot take away the messages often proffered. Both the mode and content of her revelation will never be afforded me in any sense whatsoever. God will never speak directly to me, and . . . Continue reading →
Preaching The Third Use And Encouraging The Saints
What about preaching and the third use of the law? Preachers often end their sermons with a moral application of the text. This practice has a long and honorable history in the Reformed and Presbyterian churches. Certainly pastors should preach the third use . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Wisdom In Preaching
Our Lord Jesus worked miracles but he was also a preacher. He came “preaching the Gospel of God and saying ‘The time is fulfilled,’ and ‘Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the gospel’” (Mark 1:15). People marveled at his . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Preaching The Whole Counsel Of God
If you are a regular listener to Office Hours then you are probably a regular listener to sermons. If not, perhaps we should talk about that. You might be a preacher of sermons. Either way, at least 52 times a year, for . . . Continue reading →