Topic Archives: Spiritual Growth

What Jesus wants most for Christmas is that his elect be gathered in and then get what they want most to see his glory and then savor it with the very savoring of the Father for the Son. What does Jesus want this Christmas? We can see the answer in his prayers. What does he […]

A Commitment to Integrity Our calling is to know and do what is right in all situations and relationships in our lives Recently I heard a report about a young man’s situation which moved me deeply. I believe that his story is perhaps the most powerful testimony to Christian integrity I can recall in my […]

IN THE MIDDLE OF WONDERFUL, YET CONFUSING TIMES A total of 811 persons attended the XVII Annual FIEL Leadership conference in Brazil. Adhering to the theme “Grace, marvelous grace” pastor Jim Orrick from Kansas City and author and pastor Brian Edwards of London brought sixteen challenging messages directed to the hearts of hearers who had […]

PRIDE AND THE REFORMED CHURCHES Of all the dangers that can overtake a Reformed church pride is surely the worst and most serious. There is, of course, a right kind of pride, a thankfulness to God for our history or heritage. But the pride I am thinking of is that ugly, self-righteous, self-preening brute that […]

O Lord, revive thy work. — Habakkuk 3:2 All true religion is the work of God: it is pre-eminently so. If he should select out of his works that which he esteems most of all, he would select true religion. He regards the work of grace as being even more glorious than the works of […]

‘Grace [is] “the last best word,” the only unsullied theological word remaining in our language’ (p. 232). So writes Philip Yancey in his book What’s So Amazing About Grace? Other words, like love and charity, for instance, have all but lost their original theological meaning, but grace has managed even through years of usage in […]

In a recent edition of the Spectator (28 July 2001) Anne Applebaum describes a visit to Vortuka, north of the Arctic Circle where roses do not grow. There are no daisies or lilies; no sunflowers or geraniums, just a few wild flowers which spring up in the very short, very hot northern summer. The grow […]

ONE While the true greatness of a preacher will only be revealed at Christ’s tribunal, I would join my opinion with those of many others who make the earthly judgment that Charles Spurgeon was the most effective and useful of preachers since the days of the Apostles. Yes, as highly as I regard Augustine, Luther, […]

The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded Declared and Practically Improved To be spiritually minded is life and peace. –Romans 8:6 Set your affection on things above. –Colossians 3:2. LONDON: 1681. Prefatory Note An Outline:– Preface Part One CHAPTER 1. The Words of the Text Explained: To be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans […]

‘Wise men store up knowledge…’ — Proverbs 10:14a One of the immense edifices on the skyline of Christian history over the last hundred years was the eminent leader, Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones (1899-1981). He is noteworthy not only because he was a great preacher and the pastor of Westminster Chapel of London, but also because […]

One of the most staggering verses in the Bible is surely Romans 8:28, ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who are the called according to his purpose.’ What is so breath-taking is the scope of Paul’s conviction, ‘in all things,’ and the unbounded assurance […]

For years before the Second World War and for another 15 years afterwards the one shop in the United Kingdom which stocked and distributed Reformed literature from the USA was the Evangelical Book Shop of Belfast. This was through the energy and vision of W. J. Grier, that holy happy pastor and one of the […]

In order for a Christian to live a life of God-glorifying worship, he or she must grow in the knowledge of God’s word. In other words, he or she must study doctrine. Let’s look at three reasons why sound doctrine is essential to true worship. Doctrine provides a right understanding of God’s person and character. […]

Maybe you have no idea what daily worship involves. Maybe it’s never been part of your life, and no one has ever explained it to you or modeled it for you. Let me describe my own involvement in daily worship. When I was growing up, my parents led us in daily family worship. Before breakfast […]

It’s what mothers’ worst nightmares are made of–the last thing Jason and Trina Baker expected as they headed out into a blizzard in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on January 2, 1999. And because it was so unexpected, it was all the more horrifying when it happened. As they headed out into the gathering storm for a […]