I am reading J.D. Grey’s Epitaphs for Eager Preachers. It was written before I was born – in 1972. I recently saw it on the pastor's shelf where I was preaching. And the title caught my attention. The late Dr. James David Grey was the pastor of First Baptist Church of New Orleans for 35 years and president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention in 1951-52. At forty-four, he was the youngest person ever elected to the SBC presidency. Beyond that, he apparently went by initials. Way cool. Early in the Epitaphs, Grey quotes an anonymous...

Once when Swiss theologian Karl Barth was asked what he thought was the most important word in the New Testament, he asnwered, "Huper." Huper is a preposition meaning "on behalf of" or "in place of." So when Barth called huper the most important word, he meant that the most important of all truths is that in salvation Jesus takes our place to bear the punishment for our sins so that "in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21). - James Montgomery Boice, Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace?, p. 102

"It is impossible to overestimate the importance of Christ's Cross. For whether we are thinking about the necessity of the Cross, the meaning of the Cross, the preaching of the Cross, the offense of the Cross, or the way of the Cross - however we may think about it - in every case what we are saying, and must be saying, is that the Cross is central to Christianity. Indeed, we are saying more. We are saying that without the Cross of Jesus Christ there is no true Christianity at all." - James Montgomery Boice, Whatever Happened to the Gospel of...

Jesus sensed their ambition for power. He said, 'Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts 1:8). This power will not be military or economic or political. You will not have titles of office. "Ye shall be witnesses." You shall have a testimony. Testimonies are more important than titles. A title is a rank, office, or an attainment bestowed by people. These titles and offices may be canceled by the act of people. Testimonies are more important than titles. Pharaoh had a title, Moses had a testimony. Nebuchadnezzar had a title, Daniel had a...

An antichrist is a religious teacher who proclaims a Christ who is not the Christ of the Bible. He may be a Christ who is not quite God and never quite saves (as the cults teach), a Christ who offers health and wealth (as proclaimed by many television evangelists), a Christ who is repeatedly sacrificed in the mass (as Roman Catholicism teaches), or a Christ whom you invite into your life to make you feel good (as so much of modern evangelicalism teachers). For all their variations, those are the teachings of religious antichrists. We need to be aware of...

I am reading Journeying Through a Jungle by Sandy F. Ray. The late Dr. Sandy F. Ray, who served the Cornerstone Baptist Church in New York for 31 years, was regarded as one of America’s most dynamic pulpiteers. He was also president of the Empire State Baptist Convention and vice-president of the National Baptist Convention. I have known of Dr. Ray vicariously. He and my father were colleagues. I have heard that Dr. Ray and my father had similar preaching styles. But I have never been exposed to the preaching ministry pastoral biography of Dr. Ray until now. Dr. Ray...

Humor has its place: We use it to slice open hypocrisy, to keep our audience awake, to disarm our critics. But its place is always subordinate. We are funny to accomplish some end other than being funny. We are missionaries, not comedians.- Sue Nichols, Words on Target: For Better Christian Communication, p. 13

Eternal and almighty God, who by thy providence dost conduct and govern all creatures in this world, suffer us not to enterprise anything but what is agreeable to thy will and pleasure, that we, altogether discontented with ourselves, may wholly depend upon thy blessing; and that our only care may be that thou mayest be glorified in us and our posterity, through Jesus Christ, thy Son. Amen. - Prayers on the Psalms: From the Scottish Psalter of 1595, p. 131

The following quote is from Doug Wilson's book, Heaven Misplaced. I really enjoyed reading this book. I did not agree with many thing in it. But it did force me to think about what I believe. I believe this quote is a powerful statement about the operation of faith in the study of scripture: "We sometimes assume that sound exegesis of the Scriptures is a scientific operation, one in which a believer or an unbeliever - providing they know "the rules" - can come way with a right understanding of what the Bible is saying. Of course, there is an...

Almighty God, the help and defense of all them that fear thee, grant that we may securely live under the safeguard and protection of they well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Grant also that his kingdom, by thy great power, may prosper and be advanced daily more and more; and that we, being settled upon thy promises, may render unto thee the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving both now and forevermore. Amen. - Prayers on the Psalms (From the Scottish Psalter of 1595), pp. 82-82

"It is impossible to overestimate the importance of Christ's Cross. For whether we are thinking about the necessity of the Cross, the meaning of the Cross, the preaching of the Cross, the offense of the Cross, or the way of the Cross - however we may think about it - in every case what we are saying, and must be saying, is that the Cross is central to Christianity. Indeed, we are saying more. We are saying that without the Cross of Jesus Christ there is no true Christianity at all." - James Montgomery Boice, Whatever Happened to the Gospel...

Prayers are prophecies. They are the best predictors of your spiritual future. Who you become is determined by how you pray. Ultimately, the transcript of your prayers becomes the script of your life. - Mark Batterson, The Circle Make, p. 14