What does it mean to be a spiritual leader? This article indicates that spiritual leadership is rooted in knowing where God wants people to be and taking the initiative to use God’s means to get them there. This understanding of leadership has two aspects to it: the inner circle and the outer circle.
Do you enjoy being a pastor? There are thirty reasons that make pastoral work great, and this article unpacks them.
In question and answer format, this article addresses the notion that complementarianism leads to the oppression of women. It shows that Christlike, sacrificial headship has the good of the wife in view.
This article provides the last five of ten benefits of reading the Bible: the Word is the key to answered prayer, the source of wisdom, warnings, and lasting joy, and the armour for defeating the devil.
This article provides the first five of ten benefits of reading the Bible, which include the strengthening of faith, the sustaining of life, and the giving of hope.
This article offers ten reasons from Scripture why it matters whether we believe the sovereignty of God.
Read this article to see how the author unpacks the glorious truth of Romans 9:23-24, and how it shows the glory of God and his mercy.
This article shows how the heretical teaching of open theism helps man conceal the idolatry of his soul, since it claims that God has no sanctifying purpose for our experiences of pain and suffering.
This article discusses seven characteristics of Charles Spurgeon that are enlightening for preachers who are called to preach through times of adversity.
The purpose of reading and studying the Bible is communion with God.
What was the state of historical criticism in Germany at the beginning of the 1980s? Piper surveys the developments in the historical-critical method of interpretation of the New Testament as it developed in Germany.
This is a review article of Gerhard Maier's book The End of the Historical-Critical Method. Piper focuses on the role of faith in our approach to Scripture as the main area of divergence between himself and Maier.
Piper responds to the views of Gerald Sheppard on canon criticism. He explains in what respects he cannot agree. Aspects Piper notes include the authority of Scripture and the problem of interpretation.
In this volume the author confronts the teaching of N. T. Wright on justification by faith. In the Introduction Piper portrays the view of Wright as “difficult to recognize as biblically faithful.” One of the major concerns is that Wright does not see justification as “how you become a Christian.” Piper formulates eight points in Wright’s reading of Paul that lead to a loss of the historic understanding of justification by faith.
In the first part of Chapter 1, Piper defines sanctification. In the next part he gives it a place in the order of salvation. He explains that sanctification has to do with being and becoming holy and this is nothing less than a sharing in the holiness of God.
The author brings forth important lessons from the Christian life of J. Gresham Machen. The godly values identified in Machen's life include honesty, building Christian institutions to preserve the heritage of the gospel, and unashamed confrontations with the ungodly teachings of our age.
What is the godly way of receiving your cancer? The authors, each of which has personally experienced cancer, explore the discipline of regarding your illness as a gift of God for the purpose of nurturing your faith in Christ and relationship with him and others.
Delight yourself in the Lord is a radical call to pursue your fullest satisfaction in all that God promises to be for you in Jesus.
God is not displeased with the strength of a horse and the legs of a man as good things that He has made. He is displeased with those who hope in their horses and in their legs.
Looking at Exodus 20:5-6, Exodus 34:6-7, and Leviticus 26:39, this article maintains that the Bible does not teach the concept of generational curses or generational sin. The Bible teaches that God punishes the sins of the fathers to their children when the children adopt those sins.
This article shows that a true understanding of the gospel and the sovereignty of God will lead to racial harmony. Looking at total depravity, limited atonement, unconditional election, irresistible grace, and perseverance of saints, this article shows how in all of these God works beyond race or color.
Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't.
Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God.
Prayer is a wartime walkie talkie for spiritual warfare, not a domestic intercom to increase the comforts of the saints.
Evangelism and missions are not imperiled by the biblical truth of election, but empowered by it, and their triumph is secured by it.
This article is about the Christian's place and position in society and culture. The author also looks at the influence of the Christian, Christian exile, and the relation of church and world.
The wisdom of Proverbs teach us to listen carefully to what people have to say.
How should Bible-believing Christians align themselves in the Jewish-Palestinian conflict? The Bible does not teach us to be partial to either the Jews or the Palestinians.
One of the duties of the Christian is to apply our minds in imagination. The mind is used for much more - observation, analysis, organization, memorization, etc. But imagination is different. Imagination helps explain what is not seen, but is out there.
Evangelism is witnessing about Christ, the light. Light is illumination itself. When you want someone to see the light, you don’t shine on the light; the light itself must be held up.
Saving faith has much to do with the trust that God will grant faith tomorrow. Trusting Christ today includes trusting Him not to leave you tomorrow. "Often we feel today like our resevoir of strength is not going to last for another day. The reality is, it won’t. Today’s resources are for today. We may have confidence that new resources will be given tomorrow."
We should never think too highly of ourselves. Humility befits believers. The remedy for pride is to take serious the fact that our faith is a gift of God alone through His Holy Spirit.
This article looks at the task of the Holy Spirit in directing attention and conviction toward the Word (Hebrews 1).
This is a meditation on Revelation 3:5. What does it mean to have your name written in the book of life?
The sluggard creates imaginary circumstances to justify his laziness. He imagines danger to camouflages his reluctance to work hard. (Proverbs 22:13)
Marriage does not have a purpose separate from God. Its purpose is to magnify the beauty and greatness of God.
The Holy Spirit gives and creates love through our faith and trust in the promises of Jesus. Love in our hearts is never separated from the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Spirit and Christ are not to be separated.
Every moment of our lives should be governed by the glad affections of gratitude and faith.
Scripture often speaks of doing something for the sake of the name of God, which means virtually the same as doing it for His glory. The goal of human history is the glory of God.
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in who He is.
This is a statement on divorce and remarriage after divorce.
This article draws a connection between the passion of Christ and the suffering of the Jews in concentration camps.
We who have not seen Jesus on earth are not at a disadvantage, for we can see Him through His Word. This is all we need in order to believe and be saved. How do we see Jesus today in His glory?
This article outlines three exhortations against racism.
In this article, both the Old Testament and the New Testament are examined to discover the whole spectrum of the meaning of love in the Bible.
This article is an exegesis of 1 Corinthians 7:3–5. In marriage, couples are called to serve each other, also when it comes to sexual intimacy.
What is the innermost meaning of Jesus' crucifixion? What problem was God solving through the death of Christ? This article on Romans 3:25-26 maintains that the most basic purpose of the death of Christ is to demonstrate God's righteousness and justice.
The glory of the return of Christ is portrayed in Matthew 25:31-33.
A wrong understanding of self-worth can be damaging for our faith. How should we value ourselves as images of God?
This article is a beautiful story of the liberation of one person from homosexual desires through God's grace.
A growing cultural phenomenon is present in many Western countries: "adultolescence" - the postponement of adulthood into the thirties. Here a possible response of the church to this cultural phenomenon is given.
Why did the Israelites have to slaughter the Amorites? This article discusses why the Israelites had to destroy the Canaanites.
The letter of Jude teaches us something about the value of knowing the history of God's salvation plan for his people.
What does it mean to have a pilgrim lifestyle as a Christian?
This is a response to possible obstacles that may prevent people from being more actively involved in mission work.
Presented here is a discussion that took place at a meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society on relations between Christians and Muslims. Under discussion was the Yale Response to A Common Word.
God has a right to call down judgment on his enemies. God hates unrighteousness. In the Psalms, the people of God express this judgment in their songs and prayers. This has nothing to do with personal vindictiveness, but rather foreshadows God's final judgment and is a call to return to God, who judges in righteousness.
False expectations can turn a good relationship into a bad one. This is also true in our relationship with the Lord. When we hear Jesus say, “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst”, one might jump to the conclusion that once you come to Jesus all your longings are satisfied then and there. As if there will be no more dissatisfaction of any sort. But in this article, John Piper emphasizes that Christians should expect some dissatisfaction in this life.
This article on Colossians 4:2-4 is an encouragement to pray and persevere in prayer.
Why do saved believers also have to be present at the last judgment? What does this final judgment mean for believers? This article discusses Revelation 20:12-15 in relation to this.
Living a pure life to the glory of God includes spiritual warfare against very specific temptation. This article on Matthew 5:28-29 discusses resisting sexual temptation in particular.
It is a real danger that we sin so long and so grievously that the Lord will not grant repentance?
The importance of good theological training in shaping the faith and theology of churches, denominations and missionary enterprise cannot be overemphasized. Prayer for the seminary is necessary!
What does it mean to be worldly? Has the Church become too dependent upon the world? This article on 1 Samuel 13:19-23 addresses these questions.
Throughout the history of the church, heretics often protested against orthodox confessions on the ground of the so-called "non-scriptural language" of the orthodox creed. They pointed out that phrases such as “of one essence with the Father,” and “one substance with the Father” were not to be found in Scripture. Heretics often used the argument “no creed but the Bible” precisely so that they could use biblical language to evade biblical truth.
Jesus instructed His disciples to pray for workers in His kingdom. That instruction is then immediately followed up Him sending out the very ones who were praying (Matthew 9:38). This article discusses the task of praying for missionaries.
This author discusses two reasons why he believes in Jesus' resurrection.
People have more anger than they think. The reason is that anger disguises itself. The control of anger is imperative in all types of relationships.
This article is a very broad overview of the history of Christian mission work up to the 16th century.
Spiritual leaders know where God wants people to be and take initiative to get them there, relying on God's power and using God's methods.
Prayer for those in the Christian ministry is indispensable. (1 Thessalonians 5:25)
The life of the apostolic church testifies to the reality that the church may flourish even (and sometimes especially) in a context of persecution.
What does it mean to be "filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18)? Paul says that those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5). And what are these things of the Spirit?
This article highlights reasons why abortion is wrong.
