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Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
YESTERDAY I WAS IN CALIFORNIA once, Georgia once, Tennessee three times, and Virginia three times. It was a long day but not an unusual one. The great historian Paul Johnson, in his book Birth of the Modern, devotes a rather …Read More
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Restoration and Reformation
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matt. 4:17). What was the first word spoken by John the Baptist and by Jesus as they came preaching? Each of them …Read More
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Knowledge and Maturity
All else being equal, I’d rather have a mature Christian with simple theological knowledge than an extremely knowledgeable, well -read Christian without a lot of maturity. But, of course, neither situation is desirable. Let me explain. A Tale of …Read More
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Seeing the Gospel in the Word of God
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
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The Gospel and Prayer
Because I teach and write about spirituality, occasionally I’m asked to comment on scientific studies about the efficacy of prayer. The research always seems to include the assumption that one person’s prayers are essentially as acceptable as another …Read More
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The Gospel and Worship
There may be nothing in the realm of religion by whic h people vainly attempt to establish their acc eptability to God more than by acts of public or private worship. As a result, worship can degrade into one of …Read More
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The Deep Things of Christ
“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
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The Discipline of Serving
Thus far this year in Tabletalk, I have focused on the gospel and the personal spiritual disciplines of the Christian life. the discipline of serving comes next, and I know Most other disciplines sound much more interesting. Meditation on Scripture …Read More
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The Gospel and Stewardship
Stewardship is the care and management of that which belongs to another. while we often speak of things as “ours,” the reality is that all that we have and all we are belongs to another — God. As the Apostle Paul …Read More
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Peace by His Blood
In April of 1992, after four Los Angeles Police Officers were acquitted of any criminal act in the apprehension, beating, and arrest of Rodney Ki ng, the city of Los Angeles burst into some of the worst riots in its …Read More
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The Law of God
In giving a summary of what constitutes the true knowledge of God, we showed that we cannot form any just conception of the character of God, without feeling overawed by His majesty, and bound to do Him service. —John Calvin …Read More
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A Catechism on the Heart
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
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Holy People Are Happy People
So much could be said of the consequences of sin and impurity for the Christian. And we should speak of them — the Bible certainly does. David, in Psalm 32, described the misery of unrepentant sin as his bones wasting away …Read More
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Rest for Restless Hearts
Stroll into a bookstore these days and you will likely find a large area labeled “Self-Help,” “Motivation,” or “Personal Transformation.” Go ahead, browse the volumes found here. Some are curiously interesting, and some will just make you laugh. Several books …Read More
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Killing Anger
In marriage, anger rivals lust as a killer. My guess is that anger is a worse enemy than lust. It also destroys other kinds of camaraderie. Some people have more anger than they think, because it has disguises. When willpower …Read More