by Aaron Lavender
Psalm 139 is an excellent resource for cultivating a biblical worldview regarding race relations. The entire chapter is devoted to God’s omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence.
Restoring Sound Theology & Relevance to African-American Preaching
by Aaron Lavender
Ever since the catastrophic events in the garden of Eden, God’s Word has been distorted. God explicitly forbade Adam from eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, telling him, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen 2:17). God’s Word to Adam was precise and well-defined. Adam presumably, in turn, was responsible for communicating God’s Word to Eve in the same manner it had been communicated to him—word for word without any additions or subtractions.
The Church Is the Gospel Made Visible
Christians face lots of practical questions when it comes to life in the local church:
- How is the gospel displayed in our lives together?
- What are we supposed to do and believe?
Different followers answer differently—even as they preach the same gospel! What should we think about such differences? A church’s life, doctrine, worship, and even polity are important issues. Yet they are so rarely addressed.
The Church is Mark Dever’s primer on the doctrine of the church for all who see Scripture alone as a sufficient authority for the doctrine and life of the local church. He explains to the reader what the Bible says about the nature and purpose of the church—what it is, what it’s for, what it does.
Indeed, Scripture teaches us about all of life and doctrine, including how we should assemble for corporate worship and how we’re to organize our corporate life together. God has revealed himself by his Word. He is speaking to us, preparing us to represent him today, and to see him tomorrow! A congregation of regenerate members, fulfilling the responsibilities given to us by Christ himself in his Word, regularly meeting together, led by a body of godly elders, is the picture God has given us in his Word of his church.
When an EF-4 Tornado Struck Union University
by David Dockery
Leadership is always challenging, but there are certain times when leadership is even more challenging than normal, especially during trial, suffering, and setback. The important and helpful book in Catastrophic Crisis: Ministry Leadership in the Midst of Trial and Tragedy contains powerful leadership lessons learned at key times in the midst of real-life experiences, lessons that are often beyond our ability to fully grasp in the moment. Usually, it is only on reflection that these lessons can be communicated to others. The chapters in this book communicate those reflections in ways that we hope will provide guidance and instruction for others when their moments of challenge arise. The authors of this project, Allen England and Steve Echols, are to be commended for their vision and desire to provide such a useful resource.
In his book The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis says that God often uses the experiences of suffering as a megaphone to awaken us. According to Lewis, suffering and pain are often the essential means by which God brings about dependence, fortitude, patience, and forgiveness in His children, while also arousing acts of mercy and compassion among others. On February 5, 2008, the campus of Union University, where I served as president, suffered massive damages from an EF-4 tornado. Bringing destruction to almost all aspects of our residential area and to several other key buildings on campus, the $45 million hit has been declared one of the worst disasters in Southern Baptist history.
That morning we had over 3300 students in class, and nearly one-half of them were on campus when the tornado arrived at 7:02 that Tuesday evening—a night that we will never forget. That night we took 51 students to the hospital. Almost a dozen were seriously injured, and a few had lengthy hospital stays. Everyone who saw the campus during the first 48 hours was overwhelmed by the fact that the lives of all of the students who were on campus on that Tuesday evening were spared. For God’s providential protection we remain grateful.
The Need for Studying the Doctrine of the Church
by Mark Dever
For too many Christians today, the doctrine of the church is like a decoration on the front of a building. Maybe it’s pretty, maybe it’s not, but finally it’s unimportant because it bears no weight.
Yet nothing could be further from the truth. The doctrine of the church is of the utmost importance. It is the most visible part of Christian theology, and it is vitally connected with every other part. “Christ’s work is the church’s foundation. . . . Christ’s work continues in the church; the fullness of the mystery of God in redemption is disclosed among his people.”1
Recommended Commentaries on Ephesians
by Benjamin Merkle
Throughout this volume of the Guide, reference is made to a number of commentaries on Ephesians. Eight of these commentaries receive special attention as they are based directly on the Greek text.
Learn How to Mentor from Augustine
by Edward L. Smither
Twenty-first-century Christian leaders ought to consider seriously Augustine’s thoughts on mentoring in a trinitarian community of Christian friends. The peoples of the Western world are largely in a hurry to accomplish and pack more into their schedules. This race, aided by the speed of increasing technology, tends to squelch human relationships. The church, particularly evangelical Protestants, seems to be in a similar hurry; and discipleship ministries, though well programmed and efficient, are often entirely lacking Augustine’s notion of community.
Though his monasticism should not necessarily be imposed on the modern church, the church would do well to slow down and place more emphasis on quality relationships in which there is spiritual depth. Would it be too radical for mentors and disciples to eat an unrushed meal together and talk about their spiritual lives? Could two peers shut off their cell phones and pursue theological dialogue over coffee? What about pausing at some point in the day and praying with a fellow disciple?
7 Reasons to Sing the Psalms
by Douglas Bond
1. If you wish you prayed better, with more heart, with words worthy of God, learn the psalms.
What is it we do so poorly in our Christian lives? Most of us would admit that we pray all too infrequently and badly at our best. This is true in large part because we are so unfamiliar with the content and eloquence of the psalms. The psalms are often prayers—inspired ones that ought to enrich, deepen, and inform our own praying.
4 Ways to Fulfill the Great Commission
by Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey
There are four ways to fulfill the Great Commission.
1. Go
The Great Commission cannot be fulfilled without intentionally pursuing the lost. Just as He was sent by His Father, Jesus has sent us out in a deliberate quest to win nonbelievers to faith in Christ (John 20:21, 31). Those who are sent are disobedient until they go.
What Are the Benefits and Dangers of Expository Preaching?
by Tony Merida
Expository preaching is an approach that is founded on certain theological beliefs, such as the role of the preacher according to Scripture, the nature of the Scripture, and the work of the Spirit. Therefore, many of the benefits for doing exposition are hard to measure. However, nine practical-theological benefits are worth noting.
Build Credible Relationships for Evangelism
by Will McRaney
A significant part of evangelism in a postmodern context is building credible relationships with those to whom you are attempting to communicate the message of Christ.
This involves building bridges, befriending lost people, and living a credible life. [Read more…]
D. A. Carson on the Power of the Gospel
by D. A. Carson
We tend to overlook how often the gospel of Christ crucified is described as “power.”
Paul is not ashamed of the gospel, he declares, “because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16). Writing to the Corinthians, Paul insists that “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18). He takes painstaking care not to corrupt the gospel with cheap tricks like manipulative rhetoric, what he dismissively sets aside as “words of human wisdom”—“lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (1:17). The “incomparably great power” that is working in those who believe is tied to the exercise of God’s mighty strength when He raised Jesus from the dead (Eph 1:19–20).
