Tune and Prepare!

by Ryan Kelly - Crossway.org David’s life has been plagued by a steady stream of enemies, but in the end, the Lord has “delivered him from the hand of all his enemies” (2 Sam. 22:1). As David looks back in reflection on his life, he writes not a lament about how many enemies he’s had to face but a praise song for how much deliverance and faithfulness the Lord has shown. David’s praise is far from mild or timid. He describes God’s deliverances with extreme language: cracking open the earth, devouring with fire, riding on a cherub, shooting lightning like arrows, and so forth (vv. 8–20). Of course, David has in mind events that looked much less apocalyptic than this—like his getting out of Gath by acting crazy (1 Sam. 21:10–15; cf. Psalm 34). But he knows what kind of God it is who works in unseen ways. Thus, his praise for God is lively and lofty. Questions Let’s pause here to ask ourselves some questions: · When I reflect on my life, do I interpret things th...

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones könyvéből: "Autoritás/Fennhatóság" .. szeretném hangsúlyozni. Amikor Pál apostol... Korinthusba ment, egy bizonyos döntésre jutott. Bármi is volt az oka, Pál ünnepélyesen elhatározta Korinthusban hogy "nem ismerek közöttük semmit, csak Jézus Krisztust és őt megfeszítve" . Ez egy tudatos döntés volt, amelyet erős elhatározás erősített meg a részéről. Más szóval, Pál úgy döntött, hogy nem fogja az idejét azzal vesztegetni velük, hogy előfeltevésekről vitatkozik. Nem fog egy előzetes filozófiai vitával kezdeni, hogy aztán fokozatosan elvezesse őket az igazságra. Nem! Azzal kezdi, hogy tekintéllyel kihirdeti az Úr Jézus Krisztust. És a Galata levél iii. 1-ben még erősebb kifejezést használ; ugyanis emlékezteti a galatákat, hogy "kitette" eléjük a megfeszített Krisztust . Olyan volt, mint egy "plakát-ember", egy plakátot hordozó ember. Ott is kezdte : Jézus Krisztussal. Egyre inkább az az érzésem, hogy vissza ke...

by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones I want to emphasize that fact. When the apostle Paul (our great example in this matter of preaching, teaching and evangelizing) went to Corinth, he reached a certain decision. Whatever his reason, Paul determined solemnly at Corinth ‘not to know anything among them, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified’ , This was a deliberate decision, reinforced by strong determination on his part. In other words, Paul decided that he was not going to waste his time with them in arguing about presuppositions. He was not going to start with a preliminary philosophical argument and then gradually lead them on into the truth. No! He begins by proclaiming authoritatively the Lord Jesus Christ. And in Galatians iii. 1 he uses an even stronger term; for he reminds the Galatians that he ‘placarded’ Christ crucified before them. He was like a bill-poster, a man carrying a placard. There also he started with Jesus Christ. I have an increasing feeling that we must come ...

Andreas Köstenberger D  on't focus on the suffering of Jesus to the extent that you neglect the glory of the Cross in and through the Resurrection. Certain Christian traditions tend to focus almost unilaterally on the suffering of Jesus on the cross, on the incredible pain he had to endure, and on his humiliation and separation from God. This can be seen in cinematic depictions such as Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ , the Roman Catholic reenactment of his path to the crucifixion on the Via Dolorosa (the Way of Sorrows) in the stations to the Cross, and in quite a few sermons both of us have heard in the evangelical churches we attended (not to mention many of our favorite hymns).  Of course, the four biblical Gospels, especially Matthew, Mark, and Luke, concur that Jesus suffered a great deal for us as he gave his life for our salvation so that we could be forgiven of our sins. And yet, there is another aspect to the Easter story. It is best encapsulated i...

 We’re fighting our battles by God’s strategies. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:4 NIV). Apostle Paul wrote, “Strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf” (Rom. 15:30).  We have become too enemy-conscious. We need to be more God-conscious, so that we can laugh the laugh of faith, knowing that we have power over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). He has already lost control because of Calvary, where the Lamb was slain. Jesus said, “ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! ” (Luke 11:13).  “How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit . . .” We don’t have to deserve the Holy Spirit, but we do have to ask: “. . . to those who ask him!”  God is calling us into lifestyle prayer so that we experience lifelong power. B...