Puritan Thomas Watson said that gospel tears are one mark of a godly man. Here are his reasons why a godly man weeps. A godly man weeps because of his indwelling sin, his sinful nature which he knows is at enmity with God. A godly man weeps because his corruption clings to him, and he … More The Tears of the Godly
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). I think and talk … More The Love of Christ Controls Us
Good Friday. It seems that nothing less than your spiritual best can qualify you to worship on such a day. A day of gory splendor such as this calls for heartfelt pangs of conviction and heartwarming expressions of gospel praise. Dressed in white robes or with the flashing brightness of the angels, you may come. … More Good Friday
Satan is the great accuser of the saints. Jesus is the great defender of the saints. They are in heaven waging a relentless courtroom battle for our souls. On one side stands Satan as “the accuser of our brothers… who accuses them day and night before our God” (Revelation 12:10). On the other side stands … More Satan and Jesus in God’s Courtroom
The apostle Peter was not shy theologically. In 1 Peter 1:3-5, writing to intensely suffering Christians, he paints an enviable picture of the invincibility of our inheritance in Christ. He describes our inheritance in a multitude of ways in these three verses, but there is one particular string that stands out for its staccato structure of phrases describing the … More Our Invincible Inheritance
Most Christians are familiar with the powerful Pauline phrase, “you were bought with a price.” It renders a hammer-blow to our constant notions of personal rights and privileges and reminds us quite forcefully that we belong to Christ and not to ourselves. You were bought with a price, and this purchase has implications. In 1 … More Bought with a Price
I just returned from the 2008 Bethlehem Conference for Pastors in Minneapolis. The title of the conference was “The Pastor as Father and Son.” My dad graciously paid my way and we enjoyed three intense days of biblical preaching, singing, and fellowship. D. A. Carson was the keynote speaker and spoke three times on biblical themes of fatherhood and … More 2008 Bethlehem Conference for Pastors: Greg Livingstone
Here are some approximate quotes from John Hannah’s lecture on Jonathan Edwards’ 1757 work The Great Doctrine of Original Sin Defended. The technical term for the doctrine of sin is “hamartiology,” from the Greek word hamartia). If there’s one doctrine that we instinctively revile or at least ignore, it’s this one. It devastates our perceived … More Wit and Wisdom from John Hannah (15)
(Before you read too far, it might be good to answer the question for yourself. It’s worth thinking about.) This was the question I asked at a recent student leadership meeting. There were various answers given, and all had fair (yet different) reasons for their answers. I don’t think the answer is simple, though I do think it’s … More Should Everyone Be Passionate About Missions?
From time to time I find it personally helpful to type out a variety of thoughts that seem worth recording at least for my own personal benefit. Usually they are fairly disconnected except for the fact that every element of life is intertwined when related to God and His purposes. I record them together because there’s … More Some Recent Thoughts on Life, Eternity, Sacrifice, and Giving
Before, during, and after our recent three-week trip to Uganda, I’ve had a lot of thoughts about missions. So many, in fact, that most people think that Cindi and I are locked into being career missionaries (which isn’t true; we’re still deciding that). A lot of those thoughts coalesced a few days ago during a … More Thoughts on Missions and Missionaries
I prefer to write instead of linking, but when a spiritual hero shares his day-old journal entry about the death of his father, linking is better than writing. You will be better for reading it. Perhaps, by miracle and by grace, I might be a father like “Daddy” and a son like John.
Part 1 – Monday’s quotes Part 2 – Tuesday’s quotes Part 3 – Wednesday’s quotes Part 4 – Thursday’s quotes Part 5 – Friday’s quotes Part 6 – Saturday’s quotes Part 7 – Quotes from biographical lectures (1) Part 8 – Quotes from biographical lectures (2) Here are some more lecture quotes by John Hannah as … More Wit and Wisdom from John Hannah (9)
I’ve highlighted To Every Tribe Ministries before, but thought I’d pass along this list of missions opportunities through their ministry. David Sitton is an intense, experienced, well-respected tribal church planter who is theologically sound. He’s been a family friend since I was very young and recently spoke at John Piper’s Bethlehem Conference for Pastors. If the Lord is driving your … More To Every Tribe Ministries – Opportunity
The other day I heard that a friend’s relative was dying and would likely die soon. Later that morning I heard the news that he had died. He did not believe in Jesus. As hard as it is to know that someone is suffering physical misery in this life and as much as we may end up desiring … More The Hopelessness of Hell
“The message is always the same, but the methods can change.” That seems to be a mantra of contemporary evangelicalism. As with most Christian mantras, there’s a lot of truth to it. Otherwise it might’ve been rejected out of hand. And as with most Christian mantras, there’s a lot of danger in it. Otherwise it … More Message and Method
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