- Spiritual Formation and the Reformation: Comer, Willard, Calvin. Is spiritual formation that moves beyond the practices of the Reformation what we need to help with our disillusionment with evangelicalism? Michael Horton discusses the contemporary spiritual formation movement most notably associated with John Mark Comer and heavily influenced by the late Dallas Willard, and compares its emphases to the hallmarks of Reformation piety.
- How to Let Scripture Interpret Scripture. Benjamin Gladd and Nancy Guthrie outline principles for making sound biblical connections, tracing themes in the text, and avoiding common pitfalls of biblical interpretation.
- FOREVERGREEN. Enjoy the Academy Award nominated animated short film with a gospel message. The thirteen-minute film was directed by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears. Read Brett McCracken’s interview with Engelhardt and Spears about the making of Forevergreen, how Christian artists tell stories, and what they think of AI’s disruption in the arts.
Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
- More interesting article links
- Favorite Quotes of the Week
- Five Escapes From Dry Devotions. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “My question comes out of APJ 1713: ‘John Piper’s Ministry in One Bible Text.’ In that episode you mentioned habits of ‘observation and analysis and text querying’ that were extremely fruitful and irreplaceable for you when you studied in Germany. You said they formed a ‘habit of mind’ that made you impatient with the gamesmanship that stayed at the grammatical-logical-historical level but never pushed beyond the words to the realities behind them. My question centers on those habits. What are they, specifically? Do they differ from standard seminary classroom hermeneutics? And what do you mean by pushing beyond the grammatical-logical-historical level? As an aspiring pastor, I have been taught the grammatical-historical method. Is this method insufficient?”
- Your Main Calling in the End Times. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the questions “In our Matthew 24:3–14 reading today, Jesus describes signs of the end times, such as wars, famines, earthquakes, and false prophets. As you see events in the news, natural disasters, political unrest, or the spread of fake news and deception online, do you think of this passage and its warning? How does this text shape your understanding of world events? Jesus calls these ‘the beginning of the birth pains,’ reminding us that such troubles are part of the world’s history before his return. When you encounter these signs in the media, do they deepen your sense of urgency to live faithfully and share the gospel?”
- What Bible Translation Should I Use? Thomas Keene answers this question on this episode of Wisdom Wednesday.
- Everything Happens for a Reason. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “Pastor John, how does Paul’s promise in Romans 8:28that ‘all things work together for good’ reframe our understanding of suffering, inviting us to trust God’s providence even during pain and hardship? When facing difficult circumstances, how does embracing God’s comprehensive sovereignty foster patience and hope rather than despair? I’m just beginning to make these connections and would love to hear your thoughts.”
- How Has Your Study of the Holy Spirit Influenced Your Ministry? Sinclair Ferguson explains how his study has affected his own life and ministry.
- Your Only Roadblock to Heaven. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “In Romans 10:12–13, one of our readings today, Paul clearly affirms that salvation is available to all, regardless of background or ethnicity: ‘For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”’ That’s the NASB translation. So, does this mean that anyone can get saved?”
- Stop Waiting for a Sign. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question that reads in part “Should I really be planning to pack my bags for overseas missions unless I get some supernatural stop sign from God? Or is there a more balanced way to discern whether God is actually calling me to missions work specifically?”
- How Can The Heavens Declare God’s Righteousness? What does Scripture mean when it says that “the heavens declare the glory of God”? Robert Godfrey reflects on this phrase from the Psalms and considers how creation testifies to God’s glory and righteousness.
- Made Lonely By Holiness. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “When I look at my peers, young Christians, I see such nominal faith. From Scripture, shouldn’t we see believers pursuing personal holiness? And yet I rarely see this. I feel this loneliness in my life when it comes to entertainment. I’m often the only one offended by vulgar pop lyrics or crude video clips, while diversions consume too much of many Christians’ lives anyway. When I see what my supposed brothers and sisters find meaningful, I think, ‘There is nothing for me here.’ How do I handle the isolation I feel when my convictions seem so different from other believers, and when I feel increasingly isolated from friends over this?”
- How Does Reformed Theology View the Future of Israel Compared to Dispensationalism? How does Reformed theology understand the future of Israel? And how does this view compare to the theology of dispensationalism? From one of Ligonier’s live events, Derek Thomas and Stephen Nichols discuss God’s great plan of salvation.
- Dying to Live. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “In Romans 12 to 15, Paul offers practical guidance for Christians living in response to God’s mercy. He begins by urging believers to offer their bodies ‘as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,’ in Romans 12:1, which seems like a rather obscure and radical calling. What does this mean to live as ‘a living sacrifice’ in our daily lives? Paul also calls us to ‘not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind’ in Romans 12:2. How does this transformation manifest in a Christian’s thoughts, decisions, and actions, especially when we face fierce social pressures to conform to anything but Christ?”
- The Last Reformed Blogger. Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra offers this profile of Tim Challies, a blogger I have read every day for several years.
- What About the Children? The Disaster & Consequences of Obergefell — A Conversation with Katy Faust. On this episode of Thinking in Public, Albert Mohler speaks with founder and president of Them Before Us, Katy Faust. Mrs. Faust also spearheads the Greater Than Campaign, a coalition dedicated to overturning Obergefell and defending the rights of children in the law and society at large. The Greater Than Campaign and its related issues are the topic of this conversation.
- Welcome Back Church Planting. Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra writes “In 2021, signs of a new church-planting party began to appear.”
- A believer, at death, will be the happiest loser and the happiest gainer. He will lose his sins; he will gain glory. Thomas Watson
- Pray when you feel like it. Pray when you don’t feel like it. Pray until you feel like it. H.B. Charles Jr.
- Beware of both undevotional theology and untheological devotion. Michael Reeves
- Our culture tells us that the problem is outside us and the solution is inside us. The gospel tells us that the problem is inside us and the solution is outside us. Dane Ortlund
- No one has ever lived above the need for God’s rescuing, forgiving, accepting, transforming, empowering and delivering grace. No one. Paul Tripp
- Be merciful to yourselves. Seek the Lord early, and so you will be spared many a bitter tear. J.C. Ryle
- His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners after great lengths of time and then gives great favors and great privileges and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God. Charles Spurgeon
- Faithful preaching is the essential mark of the true church, because if a church faithfully preaches the Word and allows its life to be shaped by it, everything will eventually fall into its proper place. H.B. Charles Jr.
- When God begins a fresh work, He sets His people to praying. Matthew Henry
