Scripture

The Apostles' Creed: The Holy Spirit

Stephen Unthank
Mar 22, 2019
Walking up to his pulpit before preaching, Charles Spurgeon would often repeat to himself that great line of the Apostle’s Creed, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” For Spurgeon this was no doubt a reminder that any fruit which would come from his preaching would be fruit attributed only to the...

Preaching Christ: the Hope of Redemption

Mark Johnston
Mar 15, 2019
It can be easy to become atomistic in the way we handle the Bible. By this I mean that we can unwittingly break its message down into its component parts in a way that fails to appreciate its organic unity. Even though, as the Westminster Confession of Faith indicates, it does indeed have many ‘...

A Horror of Theology

Nick Batzig
Mar 15, 2019
The noisy gongs of acerbic and judgmental discernment bloggers, podcasters, vloggers and conference speakers are scattered throughout our social media feeds...and they're here to stay. The uncharitableness with which such individuals speak online immediately ought to leave a bad taste in the mouth...

How to Listen to Sermons

Jeffrey Stivason
Mar 9, 2019
As we approach the Lord’s Day on any given Sunday, let alone one on which many of us will lose an hour of restful preparation due to the resetting of our clocks, how shall we listen to the sermon? Added to the question’s difficulty is the author of this article. Some will say, “Wait, don’t you...

Taking Sermon Notes

Persis Lorenti
Mar 7, 2019
One of the joys of gathering with my local church on Sundays is sitting under the ministry of the Word. This is especially dear to me after having been un-churched for many years. I was spiritually malnourished by the time God providentially led me to the church I now call home. Hearing sound...

Mastricht, Bavinck and the Efficacy of Scripture

Bruce Baugus
Mar 7, 2019
The general contours of the doctrine of Scripture are familiar. Orthodox Protestants confess that Scripture has God as its primary author and is self-authenticating, supremely authoritative, necessary for this age, clear enough to be understood by the masses, and sufficient as a rule of faith and...

The Unction of the Holy Spirit

David Smith
Mar 6, 2019
What is faithful preaching of God’s word? How does one know whether one has heard, or is hearing on a regular basis faithful preaching of God’s word? The central importance of these questions and their answers hits us when we recognize that the Second Person of the Trinity is identified by the...

Preaching Christ: as the essence of God’s Revelation

Mark Johnston
Mar 5, 2019
Every preacher knows – at least in some sense – that we are called to ‘preach Christ’ as we expound the Scriptures. We heard it in our homiletics classes in Seminary and we’ve been challenged about it in the numerous seminars, conferences and workshops on preaching we attend in the course of our...

Study and Preaching

John Hartley
Mar 4, 2019
I am not sure where I first heard this wisdom, but I have heard it several times: a pastor does not need an office, he needs a study. Spot on. The bulk of pastoral work is not management behind a door labeled “office,” it is bookish work behind a door labeled “study” – reading, research, writing,...

Theology on the Go in Pittsburgh!

Jonathan Master
Feb 19, 2019
Join us in Pittsburgh, PA for a special evening with Jonathan Master The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals invites you to an evening gathering to hear Dr. Jonathan Master speak on "Wisdom: The Need of Our Contemporary Age." Dr. Master is the Alliance editorial director, co-host of the Alliance...