This is the third installment of the series, Blogging Beale, working through G.K. Beale's work, The Temple and the Church's Mission. From now on, the posts will be in Q&A format, summarizing Beale's arguments. Part one. Part two. Chapter 2: The Cosmic Significance of Temples in the Old Testament, Pt. 2 How does the priest's robe relate…
Blogging Beale | The Temple and the Church’s Mission | Chapter 2
This is the second installment of the series, Blogging Beale, working through G.K. Beale's work, The Temple and the Church's Mission. From now on, the posts will be in Q&A format, summarizing Beale's arguments. Chapter 2: The Cosmic Symbolism of Temples in the Old Testament Why do pagan temples resemble Israel’s temples? It is due, in part,…
Blogging G.K. Beale | The Temple and the Church’s Mission | Chapter 1
G.K. Beale's groundbreaking work, The Temple and the Church's Mission, is worth close interaction, even if you ultimately disagree with his conclusions. The book is massive and dense with Scripture. So slogging through all of the details is hard work. But I think it's worth it because Beale's book unlocks many things which were previously a…
Lead Better: Get Pure
Nothing will gut your leadership more quickly than habitual and enslaving sin, especially sexual sin. If you want to lead better, you need to get pure. Not only does sexual sin hamper our relationship with God, but the subsequent guilt and shame damage our leadership. Satan wants pastors sitting on the sidelines, feeling guilty and…
Lead Better: Get Healthy
Do you want to be a better leader? Then you need to get healthy. I’m not talking about getting spiritually healthy. I’m talking about getting physically healthy. The benefits of physical activity are enormous. You feel better. You have more energy. You can lead better. Read more over at Rookie Preacher.
Blogging the Institutes | 1.13.7 | The Son is God
The Son is God Before I go any further, I want to prove that the Son and Holy Spirit are God. Afterwards, we'll see how they differ from one another. When Scripture talks about the Word of God, it is silly to believe that it like a fleeting voice which evaporates into thin air. God's…
Blogging the Institutes | 1.13.6 | The Father is NOT the Son and vice versa
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. The Father is NOT the Son and vice versa Let's stop talking about mere labels and talk about…
An Effective Template for Preaching Christ-Centered Sermons
The "gospel-centered" movement has swept through many churches. This is a good thing. It's even impacted preaching as many pastors now strive to preach Christ in every message. The bankruptcy of merely preaching a message on how to be a "good" person has been exposed. But when you actually read the Bible, you are confronted with…
“The Benedict Option” by Rod Dreher–Reflections
Rod Dreher's new book, The Benedict Option, has been something of a lightning rod (pun intended) in current discussion. Some have taken an enthusiastic liking to it, while others have not been so favorable towards it. Much of the concern seems to cluster around the idea that Dreher is advocating for Christians to withdraw from the wider culture.…
Blogging–1.13.4–Ambiguity is the Lifeblood of Heresy
"Blogging the Institutes" is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin's work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List. Ambiguity is the Lifeblood of Heresy The novel use of theological terms (if you can even…
Raising Lazarus 