Spiritual Growth

  • Pray the Scriptures by Scotty Smith

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2012

    I am a recovering self-centered pragmatic pray-er — a believer who spent many of my first years in Christ thinking of God more as a sugar daddy than the sovereign Father. Prayer, for me, had more in common with programming a …Read More

  • Soft Hearts, Solid Spines by Joe Holland

    FROM TABLETALK | February 2012

    The Internet allows unprecedented opportunity for communication between Christians from different theological traditions. The results have not been pretty. Comment threads are the Devil’s playground and blogs his amusement park. And even if we exclude online media, theological bickering …Read More

  • A Catechism on the Heart by Sinclair Ferguson

    FROM TABLETALK | January 2012

    Sometimes people ask authors, “Which of your books is your favorite?” The first time the question is asked, the response is likely to be “I am not sure; I have never really thought about it.” But forced to think about …Read More

  • Public Disciplines by Donald Whitney

    FROM TABLETALK | December 2011

    As important as the personal spiritual disciplines are to godliness, the interpersonal ones are just as important. In other words, the Bible teaches gospel believers to engage in some spiritual habits that are private and some that are corporate; some …Read More

  • Problematic Analogies and Prayerful Adoration by Carl Trueman

    FROM TABLETALK | November 2011

    Ask any children’s Sunday school teacher what the most difficult thing to teach is and he will almost certainly tell you: “The doctrine of the Trinity, that God is one but exists in three persons.” Ask them how they …Read More

  • In Defense of Words by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | November 2011

    What is a pastor? I was asked this question not too long ago by a teenage girl who apparently didn’t know the meaning of the word pastor and was curious to learn. I must admit that I was somewhat …Read More

  • The Gospel and Solitude by Donald S. Whitney

    FROM TABLETALK | September 2011

    When my grandparents married in 1919 and began farming, solitude was a way of life. my grandfather spent most of his days alone in the fields, and my grandmother spent her time alone (until the children came along) in the …Read More

  • The Deep Things of Christ by Nicholas Batzig

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2011

    “Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity” (Heb. 6:1). I recently spoke with a good friend and fellow minister (who is laboring in a spiritually barren part of the country) about how …Read More

  • Seeing the Gospel in the Word of God by Donald Whitney

    FROM TABLETALK | February 2011

    Surely no one reading this article needs to be convinced of the importance of feeding upon the Word of God. As Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of …Read More

  • Truly Spiritual Disciplines by Donald Whitney

    FROM TABLETALK | January 2011

    As you’ve surely noticed, everyone is “spiritual” today. I saw a USA Today survey that found even a majority of atheists consider themselves “spiritual” people. Come to think of it, I’ve never heard anyone say, “You know, I …Read More

  • The Sinkhole Syndrome by Donald Whitney

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2010

    You know the story. A man has been a believer in Christ for decades. To all outward appearances he’s a man of Christian faithfulness and integrity. He has maintained a reputation as a fine example of public and private …Read More

  • Dealing with Differences by Roger Nicole

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2009

    We are called upon by the Lord to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 3). But that does not necessarily involve being contentious; it involves avoiding compromise, standing forth for what we believe, standing forth for the truth of God …Read More

  • With Malice Aforethought by Kris Lundgaard

    FROM TABLETALK | January 2007

    When Genevieve told Liz she was wearing her blouse inside-out, Liz was mortified. The verb mortify comes from a Latin word for death, so it fits Liz: she wanted to die. Nowadays we rarely use the word in any other …Read More

  • The Practice of Mortification by Sinclair Ferguson

    FROM TABLETALK | January 2007

    The aftermath of a conversation can change the way we later think of its significance. My friend — a younger minister — sat down with me at the end of a conference in his church and said: “Before we retire tonight, just …Read More

  • Our Identity in Christ by Kevin Struyk

    FROM TABLETALK | December 2006

    Remembering all the personal identification numbers, passwords, login names, ID cards, and the like that are a part of my everyday routine gets tiring. In order to conduct any business on the Internet, enter my residence, pay bills, access email …Read More