Applied Theology
There is a sense in which godliness grows. The Apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians that he planted the seeds of faith among them, Apollos watered those seeds, but, ultimately, God caused their faith to grow (1 Corinthians 3). The basic concept of a sticky sermon is to plant biblical ideas in the minds of your... Continue Reading →
"He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Rev. 2:7). I am a football fan. And I am a Christian. Therefore, as any good Christian ought, I cheer for the Saints! The Apostle Paul blesses the churches at Ephesus and Colosse because of their love for... Continue Reading →
As noted in the first part of this article, Christ taught His original followers that persecution would continue on account of Him (Mat 5:10-12). We have seen that the presence of Christ provokes persecution now just as it did when Christ walked the streets of Jerusalem (and was eventually nailed to a cross). What we... Continue Reading →
Few evangelicals would argue against the primacy of preaching Christ in Christian ministry. We evangelicals preach Christ. As we preach Christ, we do so with an expectation of benefit to our hearers. Through the preaching of the Word of Christ, the lost are saved. Paul tells us that this is in fact the way sinners... Continue Reading →
In response to a couple of posts of late, I offer below two examples of well-known preachers who have made overtly political statements. The first is Bishop E.W. Jackson who calls upon black Christians to leave the Democrat party. It's a short, simple, and powerful video. The second example comes from John MacArthur. You can... Continue Reading →
Below is the beginning of a research proposal I wrote, but I never submitted it. Instead, I wrote my dissertation, which was, basically, a New Testament perspective on persecution. I would like to pursue the relationship between preaching and persecution. Is that a good topic? Or, would it be helpful for more to be said... Continue Reading →
Especially Preaching: The Ordinary Means of Grace and Christian Spirituality – The Gospel Coalition Blog. The blog conversation linked above is a great one for us to follow because it addresses issues which we take for granted. If we are serious about following God's Word, we will always be willing to check our traditions at... Continue Reading →
Why did our church change from grape juice to wine at our celebration of the Lord’s Supper? And, why did we choose to change now, after I have been here more than 9 years? These are the main two questions I have received since orchestrating a change in our Lord’s Supper observance. So, I will... Continue Reading →
GetReligion has a review of the news media's coverage of Steve Anderson, the Arizona pastor who hopes (and prays for) Barack Obama to die. Just to be clear, the pastor does not seek to kill the president, and he is not advocating violence against the president; rather, he is hoping God will cause the president to... Continue Reading →
Gregory C. Cochran 