Yearly Archives: 2010

Yes, it is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he who will bear the honour and sit and rule on his throne. Thus, he will be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices. (Zechariah 6:13) One of my favorite books is entitled […]

‘But, Mum, you don’t know how hard it is to be a Christian today.’ ‘Oh, Dad, things were much simpler in your day.’ Every generation of Christians thinks it is more difficult to be a Christian in their day than in the past. Well, the present generation now has the New York Times on their […]

J Graham Miller (1913-2008) was the son of a Presbyterian minister and his wife who had emigrated with their parents from Scotland to New Zealand when they were children. After graduating in law from Otago University and studying theology at his denomination’s Knox College (where he discovered that the professors were undermining confidence in Biblical […]

Luke 12:16-21: ‘And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there […]

It was good to be at the Westminster Conference again at the American Church in Tottenham Court Road. 1 Our first session, chaired by Phil Arthur, was taken by Garry Williams from the John Owen Centre, on the subject The English Reformation – Revise, Reverse or Revert? 1. Revise Historians like Christopher Haigh (English Reformations) […]

You know what Christmas is about. A very special baby was born. That special baby is God himself, the Son of the Father. It’s not about Santa is coming to town, it’s about God is coming to town. Sometimes God seems far off, but he came down to be with us. Isn’t he kind? But […]

. . . often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented thus far). (Rom. 1:13) Steve Johnson, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills, dropped five passes recently [Nov 28, 2010] in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The most damaging drop, however, occurred in overtime when he dropped a perfectly […]

Achill Island lies off the west coast of Ireland. It is a small place, now reached by a bridge from the mainland. In the mid-nineteenth century this island was the scene of a remarkable work of God’s grace in which hundreds of islanders were drawn to saving faith in Christ. The ethos of the island […]

The subtitle of this conference is ‘Building Biblical Churches for the 21st Century’, which is a summary of the nature of the conference. It is directed to all Christians who are actively working in their local churches to bring glory to God. This year the theme was Confronting the Culture, and the addresses were all […]

This book is a series of sermons preached by R. B. Kuiper in 1919. His aim is to encourage Christians to be ready for the return of the Lord Jesus. He looks at eight signs that the Bible says will take place before the Lord’s return and asks “are we seeing this sign fulfilled in […]

Genesis 15:7-21: He also said to him, ‘I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.’ But Abram said, ‘O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I shall gain possession of it?’ So the LORD said to him, ‘Bring me […]

Although I, being an ex-Roman priest, ‘know all this stuff’, I still found this book fascinatingly presented. And although I have a copy of the first edition, I didn’t find this second edition a let-down. It has been brought up-to-date well, with references to the latest difficulties to have surfaced within the Church of Rome […]

He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of […]

2 Corinthians 13:5: ‘Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?’ It is much easier and it is certainly more pleasant to judge other people than ourselves. The so-called ‘super-apostles’ were demanding proof […]

Robert Strivens is Principal of London Theological Seminary. This article is based on the lecture he gave in April, 2010, at the opening of the new site of the Evangelical Library. It is in the present [November 2010] edition of In Writing, the magazine of the Evangelical Library. It has also appeared in Reformation Today. […]

I hope never to forget the night the Lord brought my soul out of bondage into the glorious liberty of the gospel. It was on a Lord’s Day evening. I went in the morning to the house of God in a very distressed state of mind, and remained so all day. The preaching only tended […]

[Canadian pastor Robert Widdowson has in the past decade made a journey from being an unregenerate liberal minister to believing and preaching the doctrines of grace, and in a recent interview with John Van Dyk, the editor of Christian Renewal, he described the steps of this long pilgrimage (Christian Renewal November 24, 2010).] The United […]

Audrey Isabella Riche, for 44 years a member of the church at Bethel, Luton, and formerly at Hanover, Tunbridge Wells, passed away on September 4th, aged 81. The following is her own account of her early days, written in May 1986. Sometimes I am asked: ‘How did you come to go to chapel?’ and I […]

William Knibb was not only a great preacher but he also played a great part in the abolition of slavery. In fact in 1988, on the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery he was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit by the Jamaican government. On 7th September 1803 William Knibb and his twin sister […]

Although John Newton is best remembered as a hymn writer, many believe that his greatest gift was as a letter writer. This wonderful book strengthens that point of view. It consists of 83 letters written to Pastor John Ryland Jr. between 1771 and 1803. The editor, Grant Gordon, has not only unearthed dozens of letters which had […]

The Word of God has much to say to us about ‘the deceitfulness of sin’ (Heb. 3:13). The evil that is sin will do all it can to persuade you to taste its wares, to embrace its offers, to sit at its table and eat its food. I would like in this pastoral letter to […]

The translator’s ‘Introduction’ to Faith Unfeigned – Four Sermons concerning Matters Most Useful for the Present Time with A Brief Exposition of Psalm 871 by John Calvin. The last half-century has seen a steady growth of interest in Calvin’s work as preacher. The Reformer’s sermons place us at the centre of his pastoral and theological […]

This interview is with a retired minister of the Free Reformed Churches of North America (FRCNA), the Rev Henry Van Essen and his wife, Engelina. It took place in their home on Thursday, August 11, 2010. Rev and Mrs Van Essen live in a ‘granny suite’ that’s part of the home of Walter and Marsha […]

Again he measured a thousand cubits, and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water has risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded. (Ezek. 47:5) I have travelled countless times over the dam at Jinja, Uganda, the source of the Nile River, on my way […]

The Dutch scholar Erasmus quipped ‘When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.’ But perhaps you may feel like the author of Ecclesiastes: ‘Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.’ How should the Christian approach the topic […]