You Might Be a Christian Celebrity If… – This may hurt. “In blogdom, writing, and pastoral ministry in general, there is a temptation to pursue being popular; to pursue being a celebrity. Yet, in order to follow Christ, we must deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him (Matt. 16:24). This includes denying our…
When I began blogging through last week’s Strange Fire conference, I had no idea how big an impact the event would have. Even while attempting to transcribe John MacArthur’s opening address, I was not convinced I wanted to dedicate three days and eight or ten articles to it. But once I began to see and…
Worship Him Well – I love to hear this: “I have walked the aisles of Notre Dame in Paris and of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. They are works of magnificent splendor. Stunningly beautiful, to say the least. But they did not come close to giving me the feeling I have every time…
Robert Gilmour LeTourneau was an influential businessman and inventor of machinery that shook the world (since, after all, much of the earthmoving equipment used in World War II was made by LeTourneau’s factory). Born in Richford, Vermont in 1888, LeTourneau became a wealthy and generous Christian philanthropist who worked hard and shared freely. With the…
Why You Should Care – Thabiti Anyabwile on Strange Fire: “An honest discussion on this topic entails a number of uncomfortable admissions. And, perhaps it’s our inability or unwillingness to admit these things that hinder our discussion as much as anything else. We feel the stakes but we don’t want to face the stakes. For…
The Strange Fire conference closed with a final address from John MacArthur. In this address he responds to seven accusations brought against the conference, follows with eight appeals to his continuationist friends, and concludes by walking through 1 and 2 Timothy, highlighting the need to stand firm in guarding divine revelation against false doctrine. Before…
The first session of the final day at the Strange Fire conference brought Conrad Mbewe back to the pulpit. Phil Johnson introduced him by sharing how others have called him the Spurgeon of Africa. Today he brought message entitled, “Are We Preachers or Witch Doctors?” Though an odd question, it is pertinent to him because…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Crossway and they are offering a selection of brand new books for you. They have five prize packages to give away and each of them will contain the following three books: Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all…
The final session on day two of the Strange Fire conference was led by Steven Lawson who spoke on “The Puritan Commitment to Sola Scriptura.” This was another historical message meant to demonstrate how our forebears were committed to the doctrine of Scripture alone. Tonight the focus of our study will be another historical theology…
Look & Live (Worship or Die) – “Worship is a looking. It is the gaze of the soul towards greatness….towards some savior. It is the pulsating, throbbing ache of the soul to see & celebrate glory. The ‘wow’ of the heart. And we are always being captivated by something. We must be. The throne of…
Today Tom Pennington spoke at the Strange Fire conference and provided a case for cessationism. He offered seven biblical arguments for the cessation of the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit. Here is a summary of his session. The label “Cessationism” is negative, but the real problem is that it has been easily caricatured as…
The second day of the Strange Fire conference began with John MacArthur preaching a message titled “Testing the Spirits.” It was based on 1 John 4: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…” There are many places in the New Testament where we are told…
The first day of the Strange Fire conference has come and gone and the second is just about to begin. To this point it has certainly lived up to its billing as an event that will deal frankly with concerns related to the charismatic movement. I want to offer just a couple of brief reflections.…
Over the past few weeks Dr. Joel Beeke and I have been teaming up to work our way through a portion of his massive new work A Puritan Theology. We have not been reading the whole book, but just the final eight chapters which deal with practical theology, the “so what?” of systematic theology. This…
Conrab Mbewe is a man who wears many hats and who fulfills many different responsibilities, but above all else he is a preacher of God’s Word. MacArthur introduced him by explaining that he wished to have Mbewe at the event because the charismatic movement has done devastating damage in Africa and he wanted an insider’s…
Quick Tips on Spiritual Growth – Erik Raymond offers some “quick tips on spiritual growth.” But don’t be fooled–there’s nothing quick and easy in the Christian life! Twenty Years and Counting – Be sure to read this amazing account of Al Mohler’s time at Southern Seminary. Few people know or remember the kind of hostility…
John MacArthur opened the conference with broad statements about the purpose of the conference and what he perceives as the main challenges of the charismatic movement. Joni Eareckson Tada offered her unique testimony and this was followed by R.C. Sproul’s theological perspective. And now added to the mix is Steve Lawson and his perspective from…
For the third session at Strange Fire, John MacArthur introduced his good friend R.C. Sproul. Because of issues with his health, Sproul was unable to travel to California, so instead he sent along a video message. And his task was to speak about Pentecost. R.C. Sproul He began by saying, “I want to look specifically…
John MacArthur opened the Strange Fire conference, and then, for the second session introduced Joni Eareckson Tada as a friend and former member of his church. She was at the conference to share her testimony of living as a quadriplegic who has prayed for, but not received, a miraculous healing. As MacArthur said in his…
I am always intrigued by current trends in the Evangelical world, and especially in this Reformed corner of the Evangelical world. When something comes along that seems as if it will make a significant impact, I like to take note. For that reason I have been tracking with what John MacArthur is attempting through his…