Books I Read In 2012

The following books are in the order which they were read. The list does not include ebooks, journal articles, and commentaries and others for sermon prep. The total pages of reading this year is 4,129.

How do you reconcile making money and the Bible? If you’re a business owner or interested in knowing your role as a Christian in the business world, then this book will be helpful.

Perhaps the best book on church planting.

A book that every Christian should read and apply.

A good introduction to the Apostles’ Creed.

I always enjoy reading Carl Trueman. Here’s my review.

A book that every pastor search committee ought to read before they advertise.

An excellent biblical theology on the church’s mission.

Perhaps the most helpful commentary on John’s Epistles.

Not your typical commentary on Acts but very helpful.

An excellent biblical theology on the subject of idolatry.

Part of the “Basics of the Faith” series, which helps to introduce some tenets of the Reformed faith. This particular booklet attempts to answer why have (or ought to have) creeds in the local church.

One of the best scholars in Luke-Acts.

Carl Trueman offers some of the best arguments for the usage of creeds/confessions in the church (and why it would be stupid not to).

Simply a classic!

A great reminder why we are not created to be alone and why we need relationships. Easy reading.

Presents three traditions of church worship: Anglican (Mark Ashton), Evangelical (R. Kent Hughes), and the Reformed (Tim Keller).

Happy Reformation Month!

The month of October is unique to Christians and historically to all churches. For one thing, this is the month that we celebrate our Protestant Reformation heritage. Unfortunately, more and more the people of this generation are becomingly disconnected to past history. This is especially tragic when people in the church are so disconnected to biblically, theologically, and missiologically rich history of the past. However, we must all remember that we didn’t just get here out of nowhere. Rather, we are the beneficiaries of many men and women of the past who have given their lives for the gospel so that we can enjoy the fruit of their labor today. As a saying goes, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” This October marks the 495th anniversary of Martin Luther’s “95-Theses” he posted on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany (1517), which helped fuel the movement of “protesting” against the Roman Catholic Church’s dogmas and practices; hence, the name Protestant Reformation.

Puritan’s Prayer on Lord’s Day Morning

O MAKER AND UPHOLDER OF ALL THINGS,

Day and night are thine; they are also mine from thee-

the night to rid me of the cares of the day,

to refresh my weary body,

to renew my natural strength;

the day to summon me to new activities,

to give me opportunity to glorify thee,

to serve my generation,

to acquire knowledge, holiness, eternal life.

But one day above all days is made especially

for thy honour and my improvement;

The sabbath reminds me of thy rest from creation,

of the resurrection of my saviour,

of his entering into repose,

Thy house is mine,

but I am unworthy to meet thee there,

and am unfit for spiritual service.

When I enter it I come before thee as a sinner,

condemned by conscience and and thy Word,

For I am still in the body and in the wilderness,

ignorant, weak, in danger,

and in need of thine aid.

But encouraged by thy all-sufficient grace

let me go to thy house with a lively hope of meeting thee,

knowing that there thou wilt come to me and give me peace.

My soul is drawn out to thee in longing desires

for thy presence in the sanctuary, at the table,

where all are entertained on a feast of good things;

Let me before the broken elements, emblems of thy dying love,

cry to thee with broken heart for grace and forgiveness.

I long for that blissful communion of thy people

in thy eternal house in the perfect kingdom;

These are they that follow the Lamb;

May I be of their company!

 

 

The Superiority of Special Revelation Over Natural Revelation

Thursday Theology (3):

The Superiority of Special Revelation Over Natural Revelation.

Obedience and Revival

Undivided connection between obedience and revival:

If we pray for revival and plead with God to bless, and yet in our lives refuse to submit to His will, we are hypocrites. Before revival comes, perhaps God will either have to remove some of us or break us. Both the outward and the inward look reveal that the will of God is not being done. Because it is not being done in the Christian, there is no blessing in the church. And because there is no blessing in the church, the world is unreached, untouched, going to hell, lost for time and eternity. May He have mercy upon us and help us to see this awful sin in the church of Christ today! We say we care about lost souls; we say we are burdened for the need of men who have never heard the gospel; we say we long to see our cities reached for Christ. Yet all the time in our hearts there is a big capital “I” which has never been broken and is standing in the way.

Alan Redpath, Victorious Praying: Studies in the Lord’s Prayer (Grand Rapids: Revell, 1993), 3.

Thursday Theology (2)

Thursday Theology (2).

Thursday Theology (1)

Thursday Theology (1).