Christian Living / Practical Theology

  • Relevant, Old Paths by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2013

    My dad was fifty-two years old when I was born. When I was thirteen, he asked me if I was embarrassed that he was so much older than my friends’ dads. I told him I wasn’t embarrassed but that …Read More

  • Dealing with Lust by Joseph Pipa Jr.

    FROM TABLETALK | February 2013

    They are as close as our skin, the troika of lusts described by the Apostle John: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life (1 John 2:16). These inordinate and forbidden …Read More

  • Going Outside the Camp by James Coffield

    FROM TABLETALK | February 2013

    It began as a friendly family game of Monopoly. I informed my son that he had landed on Park Place. His mind stuck on the words and started to spin: “Park Place, Park Place…” Over and over he repeated the …Read More

  • Sight, Place, and the Presence of God by R.C. Sproul

    FROM TABLETALK | December 2012

    A great debate and controversy over what is proper worship before God is going on in our time. As I have wrestled with this question, I keep going back to the Old Testament. I know this is a dangerous practice …Read More

  • Worship as a Body by Bob Kauflin

    FROM TABLETALK | November 2012

    The psalmist declares, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” (Ps. 122:1; emphasis mine). Worldly distractions, bad theology, or indwelling sin can cause us to lose sight of why …Read More

  • A Great Inheritance: An Interview with Conrad Mbewe by Conrad Mbewe

    FROM TABLETALK | November 2012

    Tabletalk: How did you come to faith in Christ, and when were you called to pastoral ministry? Conrad Mbewe: I was brought up in a church-going family. Upon finishing high school at the end of 1978 (I was in boarding …Read More

  • The Call to Ministry by Geoffrey Thomas

    FROM TABLETALK | November 2012

    Who will possibly stay in a relationship with a girlfriend or boyfriend “until death us do part” unless there is a deep devotion to that one person above all others, a commitment that is based on comprehensive knowledge and respect …Read More

  • A Hopeful Offense by John Starke

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2012

    In my neighborhood, there are almost thirty Jewish synagogues. These congregations include Reformed, Orthodox, and Hasidic Judaism. And, of course, our city is full of secular Jews who have long left any traditional form of their faith. So, on any …Read More

  • How to Stay Christian in Seminary by David Mathis

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2012

    “The point is this.” I love it when Paul says that in 2 Corinthians 9:6. He makes sure he has our attention and tells it straight. Behind the reasoned prose and the rhetorical flourishes, here’s what he’s …Read More

  • Indispensable Apologetics: An Interview with Ravi Zacharias by Ravi Zacharias

    FROM TABLETALK | August 2012

    Tabletalk: How did you become a Christian?
    Ravi Zacharias: I became a Christian while a teenager in India, the land of my birth. I had struggled with many issues—especially those of failure and disappointing my family. There was a …Read More

  • Faith of Our Founders: An Interview with Tom Ascol by Tom Ascol

    FROM TABLETALK | July 2012

    TT: How did you first hear the call to ministry, and how long have you been a pastor? TA: I was sixteen years old when I first sensed God calling me to pastoral ministry. It was through the preaching of …Read More

  • Evangelism for God’s Glory by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2012

    To borrow a theme from John Piper’s classic book Let the Nations Be Glad!, evangelism isn’t the ultimate goal of the church: worship is. Evangelism exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not evangelism. Evangelism isn’t …Read More

  • The Pastor’s Example of Evangelism by Steven Lawson

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2012

    In his final letter, Paul charges Timothy, his son in the faith, to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5). By these words, the aged Apostle establishes the timeless standard for pastoral ministry, not only for young …Read More

  • Evangelism: Naturally Speaking Good News by Will Metzger

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2012

    Foundational to speaking of Christ naturally is a strong assurance of your identity: “I am a new creation in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17, NIV here and throughout). Supernaturally, you are a new person credited with the righteousness of Christ …Read More

  • The Church and Idolatry by Jared Wilson

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2012

    “Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God” (1 Chron. 22:19). All sin is idolatry because every sin is an exercise in trust of something or someone other than the one true God to satisfy …Read More