Andy Crouch is a writer for Christianity Today and a former Harvard campus minister with Inter-Varsity. Last year he wrote a book entitled Culture Making. One of his tasks was to record different postures toward culture among professing Christians. They are as following: Condemn, Critique, Copy, or Consume. In his mind, all of these postures [...]
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Pastor's Notes
Voices from the Past: Samuel Rutherford
We need to hear from the dead guys. Samuel Rutherford was a Scottish Presbyterian pastor and theologian in the early 1600s. He is remembered mainly for two books he penned: Lex Rex, where he presented an idea of limited government, and his Letters.
Of the latter collection Charles Spurgeon, the 19th century Baptist said, “When we [...]
Laziness Quotation
The following is a lengthy excerpt from Repentance and the 21st Century Man by C. John Miller. I read it some weeks ago and the bold section has stayed in my mind since.
Branch-sins are those faults which others most quickly see in us. They are the sins which most obviously get in the way of [...]
A Postcard and a Psalm of Ascent
Upon arriving at church recently, I found a postcard in our mailbox from a counseling center. They want to help more and more people, and are sending notices to that effect.
On the front of the postcard is a couple obviously in love. Obviously? Well, yes—both, bronzed by the sun, are wearing all white as he [...]
Koinonia
I wish to summarize in a brief series of notes the New Testament’s presentation of Koinonia. This Christian partnership is 1) based on shared belief 2) has tangible advantages 3) comes with its own protocol and 4) is a discreet concentration in practicing the Christian religion.
But those four points can be illustrated by a family [...]
A Few Short Thoughts
“I pray that your [koinonia], which arises from your faith, may lead you effectively into a deeper understanding and experience of every blessing which belongs to us as fellow-members in the body of Christ” – slightly modified O’Brien’s paraphrase
“Yet thus life rolls away with too many of us in a course of shapeless idleness. Its [...]
God’s People are Christ Believers!
Where is God working? Of course this question assumes that God exists, and that He starts and brings to completion, and the question hopes that what He is working will turn out to the good. We assume and hope all that.
But we also believe that some things will turn out miserably. That some people will [...]
An Important Question
There are many different terms used for the elect people. The sacred writers to emphasize something particular used these distinctive terms. Paul uses one in Romans 4 in addressing the question, ‘Who are the children of Abraham?’
“Children of Abraham” -I don’t have to tell you the problem with taking time to listen to Paul. The [...]
Church Renewal
Martyn Lloyd Jones; 20th century pastor in Britain: Following are his suggestions for specific prayers for renewal in the church.
1) Ask for the certain assurance of His presence. Moses, in Exodus 33:12-17, knew that he was in God’s care, but he desired more. He wanted to see God Himself. He wanted to know, without a [...]
All Things For Good
“There are two things which I have always looked upon as difficult. The one is, to make the wicked sad; the other is to make the godly joyful.” So begins Thomas Watson in his great Puritan classic, All Things for Good. If you have not read this book, I highly suggest that you do so [...]
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