à Brakel, who was a pastor during the Second Dutch Reformation, wrote a four-volume systematic theology called The Christian’s Reasonable Service. Thus far, as I have been reading, it has been living up to its reputation as being one of the most practical and pastoral systemic theologies ever written. The following quotation is from his …
Continue reading Reflecting on the Word | Wilhelmus à Brakel
Iain Duguid's short book, The Whole Armor of God, has been a wonderful read. While studying over the belt of truth, I included one quotation from his chapter on the same subject, but here are a few others that are equally worth sharing. In Ephesians 4:21, Paul contrasts Christianity to the pagan approach to life …
Tozer concludes his marvelous little introduction to the attributes of God, The Knowledge of the Holy, with a chapter titled “The Open Secret.” Below are the opening three paragraphs. Notice particularly as you read how he declares that the need of the church to know God must begin with the individual. Do you wish to …
Continue reading The Most Critical Need of This Hour | A. W. Tozer
Thus far, Gurnall's The Christian in Complete Armor has not disappointed, although I have been reading it slightly out order as a I preach through the same passages in Ephesians. The following quotation is the fourth warning Gurnall gives to all who would presume to go unarmed and without armor into the spiritual warfare around …
Continue reading Friendship with Sin & Satan | William Gurnall
The three volumes of William Gurnall's The Christian in Complete Armor have been sitting on my shelf for several months, waiting to be read alongside the final segment of my study through Ephesians. Thus far, it has certainly not disappointed. The quotation below is a kind of sidebar word of encouragement that Gurnall makes to …
Continue reading A Word of Encouragement to Wrestlers | William Gurnall
A couple of weeks ago, I shared some of my notebook scribbles that I jot down via Evernote. Although the following nuggets of wisdom also derive from one of my Evernote files, they more importantly come from great minds and zealous hearts throughout church history. These are quite simply a handful of some my favorite …
Although every volume of The Gospel for Life Series has been sitting on my office bookshelf for around a year, I read my first one (The Gospel & Marriage) only two weeks ago. Each book is small (about 100 pages) and follows the same structure of five chapters answering the same five questions: What are …
Continue reading The Vocation of Parenting & the Local Church
Since I’ve been reading much about marriage for the purposes of studying Ephesians 5:22-33, it only fits to share a longer quotation from one of those readings. In both of my previous sermons to wives and husbands, I’ve already cited Ray Ortlund’s book, Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel, and I plan to end …
Continue reading Ray Ortlund on the Ancient Design for Modern Marriage
Although I already shared a quotation from Peter Jones' The Other Worldview two weeks ago, his description below of true spirituality is a fitting complement to the yesterday's sermon over being filled with the Spirit, particularly through singing and giving thanks. Also, here is a quick explanation of two terms below that are essential to …
Martyn Lloyd-Jones delivered two sermons about cults while expositing Ephesians, one titled Cults and the other Counterfeits. These are easily two of the best sermons I have ever heard, and I strongly recommend listening to them (or reading them, since his sermons on Ephesians were compiled into an eight-volume set). The following is a quotation …
B. C. Newton 