On Sunday I began a series of sermons through the book of Acts. Part one is entitled "The Acts of the Risen Jesus" (1:1-5) and may be listened to HERE .

Work is good. There have been times when the church did not always affirm this. The work of the clergy was the only holy vocation. Worldly work did not carry the spiritual cache of religious occupations. At the risk of oversimplifying, it was the Protestant Reformation which recovered the notion...

This will probably be the last thing I post on Donald Miller's recent revelation that he does not attend church. No promises, mind you. Miller's two posts provide us with a rich source of understanding the bitter fruit of the consumer church. As such, reflection on this can be a fruitful endeavor...

I'm thinking about starting a support group for Calvinists who have been mistreated by Arminians, Mennonites, Amish, Mormons, Hindus, stamp collectors, and reside nts of New Jersey. More seriously, I do wonder what is behind the "Calvinists are meanies" posts to which we are treated routinely. Don'...

Sometimes I almost feel sorry for Rachel Held Evans. Almost . What keeps me from crossing that line are her own words. She continues to confound me with her strange approach to reason. In a recent article she displays her confusion over the nature of personhood. Doug Wilson offers help: Rachel Held...

One week from this Sunday I will begin preaching a series through Acts. I'm looking forward to it. The preparation has been rewarding as it is every time the opportunity comes to study and outline a book of the Bible. As is always the case, I cull through a lot of resources in the preparation time...

I knew Putin was a tough guy. Otherwise he wouldn't be constantly sending out all those shirtless pictures of himself fishing, riding a horse, washing his car, etc. But now he has gone too far. For the very manly leader of Russia to beat up a respected church historian from Philadelphia is too much.

On Sunday I preached on the subject of the gospel's centrality (1 Cor 15:1-4). You can listen to the sermon HERE .

There has been much debate concerning the so-called insider movement which advocates removing references in the Bible to Jesus as the Son of God. The debate is important. Obviously, Muslims are offended by any language that would refer to Jesus as anything other than a great prophet. And, since...

Phillip Cary is professor of philosophy at Eastern University and scholar in residence at Templeton Honors College. One of my favorite books of 2010 is Dr. Cary's Good News for Anxious Christians . One chapter deals with the sufficiency of Scripture and the nature of God's speech. The chapter is...

Thanks to John MacArthur for this great moment captured in one look: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCzkGQqvjSI] HT: Steve McCoy

The latest Mortification of Spin is up and running. What's the purpose of a sermon? Is it to inspire the congregation or just a means of transmitting knowledge? Or is the sermon something greater? Dead bones came to life when Ezekiel preached. Are the sermons you listen to that powerful? Listen to...

I am thankful to see faculty members of Westminster Seminary posting thoughtful pieces on abortion and the anniversary of Roe V. Wade. Take time to read them and pass them along: Tim Witmer Bill Edgar David Garner Scott Oliphint David Powlison

//player.vimeo.com/video/70454122?title=0&byline=0 Justification and Sanctification: What's the Problem? from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo ...

On Sunday I preached the first of three sermons on the church. It is entitled "What The Church Is For" and is taken from Ephesians 3:20-21. You can listen to it HERE .

I have been asked quite a bit recently if there are any devotional books that I recommend. So, if you are interested in what I think is a pretty good list of books, you can check it out HERE .

It's still there and it's still not a parody - Pastor Fashion .

One of my Christmas gifts was the new book "From Heaven He Came and Sought Her." I can tell you that it is living up to the hype. This is an outstanding book. I am happy to say that it is now back in stock at wtsbooks and available for 45% off the listed price. Be kind to yourself and get this one.

The latest Mortification of Spin: Bully Pulpit is up and running. What do you look for in a good church? Bouncy castles, a good social network, a place to land a good business deal? Those may be fun, but there’s more to it than that. Don't forget about good preaching and a robust confession. Listen...

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzSsnhXIRnk]

These days there is little else playing in my car than Ref Net , the online radio of Ligonier Ministries. It is an outstanding mix of preaching, music, conference messages, audio books, news, and Scripture reading. Among the preachers and teachers featured are R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, Al Mohler...

On Sunday I preached from Matthew 11:25-30. The sermon is entitled "Accepted by God" and can be listened to HERE .

Shall we make our daughters into soldiers? Brilliant counsel on pastoral leadership. My favorite new app.

Carl gets the finder's fee for pointing me to the following post. It seems that a certain well known CCM group from the 90's is going to be performing at a conference hosted by the Southern Baptist Convention. The only problem (although it does not seem to be a problem to some in the SBC) is that...