Confused about where you stand on this difficult issue? Take this seven-question quiz and find out.       

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Listening to this debate on infant baptism reminded me how often paedobaptists appeal to Romans 4:11 to support their position. For an excellent baptist response to this argument, check out “From Circumcision to Baptism” by Dr. Greg Welty, professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I think you will find his insights to be incredibly helpful.       

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Good sermon illustrations do at least two things: they make key concepts in the sermon easier to understand and easier to remember. The primary way they do this is by turning that which is abstract into something concrete. As someone once said, they turn your listeners’ ears into eyes and help them see what you’re saying.   For example, I’ll never forget how Rick Holland compared the fleeting nature of human existence to the steam coming off the top of a cup of coffee (in Ecclesiastes), or how he described temptation as sugar-coated poison (in Proverbs 5). First I heard, and then I ... [read more]

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I am currently preaching John on Sunday mornings, which marks the first time I’ve ever preached through an entire Gospel. One thing I’ve learned is that a significant part of preaching narrative simply involves telling the story and telling it well. This came to mind the other night when I was reading an interview with one of my favorite authors, historian David McCullough. In the interview, McCullough was asked about his responsibilities as a writer of history, and at one point he said this:   If I can convey how interesting the past really was, how full of life those people really we... [read more]

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Every pastor is also a theologian so let me suggest a wonderful series of books that have blessed my teaching ministry over the past 2 years. NAC Studies in Bible & Theology  Titles include: Believer’s Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ (a great book) Future Israel Why Christian Anti-Judaism Must Be Challenged (another wonderful book) God’s Indwelling Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Old And New Testaments (from what i’ve read so far, great!) That You May Know : Assurance of Salvation in 1 John (I have not purchased this book yet) Enthroned on Our Praise: A... [read more]

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Application via exhortation is an important aspect of expository preaching.  One of the great challenges in preaching is trying to manage your time.  I rarely have enough time to say all that I want to say on a given passage.  One of the things i try and do from time to time is provide “application handouts” for my congregation.  These handouts typically go along with the morning message but sometimes highlight areas that i don’t have time to go into in great depth. Here is one such example. The Discerning Church: Ephesus Revelation 2:1-7 Part 3     There are two ... [read more]

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“Get me Pagitt!”       

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In 1985 Sting’s Cold War protest song “Russians” asked the question, “do Russians love their children too?” The implication is that cultural-political distinctions are meaningless when we ask searching questions about issues such as caring for our loved ones. How does such logic hold-up when applied to comparisons between atheists and Christians? A question I have heard in many conversations goes something like this: “How can a Christian worldview claim ethical/moral exclusivity when non-Christians do ‘good’ works all the time?” Simply s... [read more]

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I am hidden away deep in the Heart of Dixie working on a book about preaching NT narrative. This is different than the “narrative preaching” movement which I believe misses the mark in significant ways. The following is from, Fred Craddock, the godfather of narrative preaching. Discuss amongst yourselves. “Expository preaching or biblical preaching has been found guilty of archaism, sacrificing the present to the past. One should, according to this view, choose relevant topics for treatment. Scriptures can be read in the service for mood or atmosphere or to satisfy those w... [read more]

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