Costi Hinn on the Justice and Wrath of God

Justin Peters: The Sin of Partiality

Seven Steps to Die Daily

What then are the best means of preserving in a believer's heart that lively sense of justification which is so precious to the soul that knows it? I offer a few hints to believers. I lay no claim to infallibility in setting down these hints, for I am only a man. But such as they are l offer them.

1. To keep up a lively sense of peace, there must be constant looking to Jesus. As the pilot keeps his eye on the mark by which he steers, so must we keep our eye on Christ.

2. There must be constant communion with Jesus. We must use Him daily as our souls physician and high priest. There must be daily conference, daily confession, and daily absolution.

3. There must be constant watchfulness against the enemies of your soul. He who would have peace must always be prepared for war.

4. There must be constant following after holiness in every relation of life, in our tempers, in our tongues, abroad and at home. A small speck on the lens of a telescope is enough to prevent our seeing distant objects clearly. A little dust will soon make a watch go incorrectly,

5. There must be a constant laboring after humility. Pride goes before a fall. Self-confidence is often the mother of sloth, of hurried Bible reading, and sleepy prayers. Peter first said he would never forsake his Lord, though all others did; then he slept when he should have prayed; then he denied Him three times and found wisdom only after bitter weeping.

6. There must be constant boldness in confessing our Lord before people. Those who honor Christ, Christ will honor with much of His company. When the disciples forsook our Lord, they were wretched and miserable. When they confessed Him before the council, they were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

7. Last, there must be constant jealousy over our own souls and frequent self-examination. We must be careful to distinguish between justification and sanctification. We must beware that we do not make a christ of holiness.

Adapted from Our Great Redeemer: 365 Days with J. C. Ryle

Book Review: Think Biblically edited by John MacArthur and Abner Chou

A worldview is basically how a person looks at the world around them. All of us have a worldview of some kind depending on where you live in the world. Christians are ones that need to think and look at the world around them through the lens of the Bible. What this is means is that God's people are to have a Biblical worldview.

John MacArthur and Abner Chou has gathered writings from their fellow teachers at The Master's Seminary to speak on how we can view sin, mental health, creation, and other topics with a Biblical worldview in a book titled, Think Biblically.

The first part of the book deals with the Biblical foundation of forming a Biblical worldview which begins with seeing Scripture as the authority for the believer along being sufficient in life and godliness. Chou writes about Hermeneutics which is interpreting the Bible followed by other writers addressing gaining a Biblical worldview also looking at what the Bible says about sin, creation, having a right relationship with God, and looking at how God sees the nations.

The remainder of the book deals with the Biblical formulations. These chapters look at developing a Biblical worldview in various subjects such as our postmodern world, what it means to be a Christian man or woman, and looking at how we should view science in the light of scripture. There are even chapters on developing a Biblical worldview in mathematics, education, and even enjoying worship and music. 

I am thankful this book was released in a second edition because there is so much that has happened in the world that a book like this needed to be updated. Those who wish to seek assistance in gaining a Biblical worldview, this book will be a valuable resource for you and your church.

I received in this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.   

Tom Foord: The Finished Work of Christ

Phil Johnson: Jesus Calling

Book Review: The Word of God and the Fellowship of His Saints by Isaac D Worley

Ever planned a worship service for Sunday morning? It is not as easy as it looks and can be time consuming. Pastors and worship leaders come together to plan services weeks and even months in advance as the people of God come together for corporate worship. 

There are a few helpful tools our there for church leaders, but for the purpose of this review, I am happy to recommend The Word of God and the Fellowship of His Saints: A Reference Tool for Selecting Calls to Worship, Calls to Confession, Assurances of Pardon, and Benedictions for Corporate Worship by Isaac D. Worley as a very helpful resource to assist church leaders in planning their worship service. Worley is a pastor, so he knows a thing or two when it comes to planning a service. 

He shows what verses are good with calls to worship, calls to confession, benedictions, etc. He gives a brief introduction in each section followed by scripture reference that are printed in the book using the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB). Granted what Worley is showing is what can be used mostly for liturgical worship rather than a contemporary service although I think a church that does contemporary worship can benefit from this book in planning their worship service. 

For those wondering about what songs would be appropriate to use with each passage in the service, Worley gives some suggestions in Appendix 3 of the book. He gathers the songs from the Psalms and Hymns to the Living God which is published by G3 Press who also published this book, which makes these two resources a perfect contribution in assisting church leaders in planning a worship service. 

I received this book from G3 Press in exchange for an honest review. 

Brad Klassen on the Omnipotence of God

John MacArthur's Final Sermon

Father, You know that we could dig deeply into each of these, but sometimes just the sweeping elements of divine grace granted to unworthy sinners is more powerful than any one single grace. For all these gifts, all these promises, we thank You. And they’re not something that we will receive other than heaven; they are something we have received. It’s all ours already. The only thing awaiting us is that final heaven of heavens. But life for us in Christ and with Christ in us is certainly a heaven on earth. We thank You for the love that granted us such great and precious promises. We offer You our thanks in Christ’s name. Amen. 

This was the closing prayer to John MacArthur's final sermon preached on November 24, 2024, which was titled, "The Unfailing Promises of God:"

George Lawson: The Inspired Q&A On Justification

John MacArthur: The Resurrection Gospel

R.C. Sproul on the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

The Time I Attended John MacArthur's Church

I am sure many of you have been sadden with the passing of beloved pastor and Bible teacher, John MacArthur. There have been many posts, blog entries, and videos in tribute to man who has dedicated to preaching the Word of God not only to his church, but also the saints all over the world.

I would like to share about my one and only time, I visited John MacArthur's church. I was on a mission trip with our church's Youth Ministry back in 1993, when we attended the Sunday evening service at Grace Community Church. I had no idea at the time where were or who was preaching. I do not remember how the service started, but I will never forget the greeting we received from MacArthur.

As he was welcoming everyone in the service, he asked if this was anyone's first time visiting Grace. Of course, I raised my hand along with everyone in our group. MacArthur acknowledged a large gathering of hands being raised and mentioned our church by name stating we were in California on a mission trip. 

We never got to meet MacArthur in person, but with his acknowledgement of our presence, although I cannot speak for everyone, made us feel welcomed. What I know of MacArthur from various stories, that is who he was. He made have preached hard things, but he was hospitable. 

There are many pastors who can learn a thing or two from MacArthur's hospitality. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of pastors who practice hospitality even though that is a requirement from an elder according to 1 Timothy 3. 

MacArthur will indeed be missed by many including myself, but the most who will feel his absence the most are his family, his close friends, and his church. We must pray for God to comfort his family and friends. We must also pray that God will give the elders of Grace Community Church wisdom as they their church to continue to preach the gospel faithfully and unashamedly. 

Derek Thomas: Justified by Works?

CCM Needs Reform - Part 5

As I mentioned in a previous post, I attended church with a Contemporary Christian musician during my years in Houston, TX. For those wondering who it was, it was Wayne Watson known songs such as Watercolor Ponies, Giants in the Land, and Home Free. Whenever Wayne was not on the road, he would be in church with his family. At times, he would sing with the church choir or one of his songs as a solo. He performed a concert for the Youth Ministry. 

Not many in the CCM industry are involved in church. Thankfully, we do have some who are regularly part of a local church, but a lot of them do not even mention their church life. 

I truly believe that those in the CCM industry really needs to commit themselves to a local church not just for their family, but for their own spiritual growth. These singers need the preaching of the Word as much as the business executive who desires to glorify God in their place of business. 

Being part of a church gives a CCM artist and anyone in the industry access to other believers who can hold them accountable, pray with them, serve with them, and have fellowship. 

Pastors can be a really be helpful to those in the CCM industry to equip them and help them have resources as they engage their listeners. 

Those in the CCM industry should be in the church because of they are part of the body of Christ, and we need each other. Those in the CCM world are not exempt from being part of the church just because they tour all over the world singing about Jesus. 

Brad Klassen on the Sovereignty of God

Ryan Rippee - A Royal Priestly Bride

This message is from the Coram Deo Conference 2025 at Trinity Bible Church in Morgan Hill, CA:

CCM Needs Reform - Part 4

For nearly 40 years, I have been a fan of the legendary Christian rock group Petra. I have enjoyed listening to their music whether I was sitting in my room or in the car. My youth group played them from time to time before our midweek service. 

One thing that I admire about them was their commitment to make their songs based on scripture.  I remember reading the lyrics to their songs and seeing scripture references to those songs. The same can be said of Steven Curtis Chapman. Almost every song he wrote, has a scripture reference attached to it. 

Commitment to the Bible and being Biblically literate is another area that need reform in the CCM industry. If these singers are going to be singing songs about God, they need to know who He is as He revealed Himself in His holy Word. 

Sadly, there some singers who cannot even answer basic questions about God and even what His Word has said about certain areas of life. When CCM singer Lauren Daigle was asked on iHeart Radio if homosexuality was a sin, her answer showed how Biblically illiterate she is. Her answer was, "I don't know. I am not God." Yes, she is not God, thankfully, yet God has shown us in His Word that homosexuality is a sin. 

For reform to happen in the CCM industry, we need people in the Word.

CCM Needs Reformed - Part 3

What needs to happen for Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) to have reform. As we have seen in the last post that Christians should be the ones singing these songs which made me realize that that it's not just the singers who need to be Christians to be in CCM, but also the writers of these songs and those who produce their albums. 

I mentioned in the last post about a comment Alisa Childers made that there some songs in the CCM industry that are written by non-Christians. It makes me wonder how anyone can, who is not a Christian, write a song about a God they do not even know. Why write about songs that is contrary to what they believe? Do we expect Muslims to write a Christian song about Christ? The same with Mormons and any other world religion.

The CCM industry should be one where God is glorifies as His people use their gifts for His glory and edify the church at large. We cannot and should not expect this from those who do not know Christ. They will be focused more on image and making songs that sound like something you will hear on any non-Christian music station, if you still listen to the radio rather the streaming music on your smart phone. 

Christian record labels need to have people who profess Christ as Lord and seek to honor Him.

Book Review: The Nicene Creed by Kevin DeYoung

This year marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, which says:

We believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

begotten from the Father before all ages,

God from God,

Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made;

of the same essence as the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation

he came down from heaven;

he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,

and was made human.

He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered and was buried.

The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.

He ascended to heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again with glory

to judge the living and the dead.

His kingdom will never end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the giver of life.

He proceeds from the Father and the Son,

and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.

He spoke through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.

We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,

and to life in the world to come. Amen.

This creed has been accepted by not just Protestants, but by Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox.  In fact, there a vote in last year's annual meeting for the Southern Baptist Church to be incorporated into the Baptist Faith and Message, which was defeated. 

This creed has been studied by many in the church over years and there have been a few resources available on what the creed teaches. Kevin DeYoung has taken the task to write a brief commentary on the creed titled, The Nicene Creed: What You Need to Know about the Most Important Creed Ever Written.

DeYoung does a good job writing on each of the key elements of the creed without making the reader feel like he was going over their heads. I personally think his writing on the church being "one holy catholic and apostolic church" because the word catholic tends to be associated with the Roman Catholic church which is not a true church. 

When addressing the subject of Baptism, obviously DeYoung is going to speak from a Paedo Baptist perspective which makes it the weakest part of the entire book. One issue I did have with this chapter was DeYoung said that he believes a baptism from the Roman Catholic church was actually valid. Seriously? The Roman Catholic church believes that child is saved, incorporated into the church, by baptism. This is non-biblical, however, the fact that DeYoung said this was a valid baptism really makes his teaching on baptism not worth reading, which has also made the book less desirable to read or even use as reference.

I received this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.