Preaching historical narratives can, at times, be intimidating. Historical narratives do not function in the same way as, say, an epistle. Epistles are normally loaded with both indicatives and imperatives, thus providing the reader with a clear outline of wha... Read More »

The book of Jonah, perhaps more than any other Book of the Twelve, stands among the surrounding Minor Prophets unmistakably different. The other eleven prophets (Habakkuk, Obadiah, Amos, etc.) are prophetic literature with regular occurrences of “Thus says t... Read More »

The great puritan pastor-theologian John Owen gave  a pastoral charge to a young man entering the ministry, “The first and principal duty of a pastor is to feed the flock by diligent preaching of the word.” This quote by Owen reinforces the idea that for ... Read More »

When the Lord spoke to his prophets in the Hebrew Bible, the common refrain was “Thus says the Lord.” The prophet was to repeat what the Lord said to his people, heralding the command of the Lord to a people who rarely listened and obeyed. The Lord also co... Read More »

One of my favorite television shows from my childhood was Full House, which chronicled the life of a widower Danny Tanner, his three daughters (D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle), brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis, and his childhood best friend Joey Gladstone as the... Read More »

What role should “objectives” play in the preparation of a sermon? In other words, as the pastor prepares another sermon for Sunday morning, what should be the driving factor in his preparation? What does he hope to instill, or perhaps focus upon, in his c... Read More »

And all of the people gathered as one to the square which is before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded to Israel. Nehemiah 8:1 The book of Nehemiah describes a transition period for t... Read More »