Aaron Armstrong's Blog, page 351
September 16, 2012
Fasting and the Fruit of the Spirit
The great danger Paul saw in self-made and self-exalting fastingdoes not nullify Christian fasting. Paul warns that thereis a fasting that is a “self-made religion and [a] self-abasementand severe treatment of the body, [but has] no value againstfleshly indulgence” (Colossians 2:23). In other words, this fasting is a “willpower religion”that actually stirs up the spiritualpride of the flesh even while mastering its physical appetites.
But this is the exact opposite of Christian fasting.Christi...
September 15, 2012
There is Nothing Arbitrary About a Miracle
Science, it is said, is founded upon the regularity of sequences; it asumes that if certain conditions within the course of nature are given, certain other conditions will always follow. But if there is to be any intrusion of events which by their very definition are independent of all previous conditions, then, it is said, the regularity of nature upon which science bases itself is broken up. Miracle, in other words, seems to introduce an element of arbitrariness and unaccountability into th...
September 14, 2012
“A Book the Church Desperately Needs”
My next book, Contend: Defending the Faith in a Fallen World, is going to be out in a matter of weeks! This book truly has been a labor of love and an insane amount of work, both on my part and my editor’s. At this point, we’re starting to release the endorsements for the book and I’m so thankful for the first one we received from Daniel Darling. Check it out:
Some church leaders like myself get a queasy stomach when faced with theological conflicts. Others relish the fights and want to conven...
Links I Like
Today is $5 Friday at Ligonier.org. This week’s offerings include:
The Cross and theCrescent(Audio Download)
KingdomFeast(Audio & Video Download)
Surprised bySuffering by R.C. Sproul (Hardcover)
The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards by Steven Lawson is also available in ePub format for only 99¢ (it’s also available for the Kindle).
It’sTime To Stop Being Authentic Christians
Stephen Altrogge:
It’s good to confess our sins to one another and pray for...
September 13, 2012
The Cause of Your Restless, Unquiet Heart
I suppose that in many ways it can truthfully be said that the greatest need of men and women in this world is the need of what is called a quiet heart, a heart at leisure from itself.
Is that not, in the last analysis, the thing for which we are all looking? You can if you like call it peace; that means exactly the same thing, peace of mind and peace of heart, tranquillity. We are all restless; we are all disturbed. There is unhappiness in us, and it is produced by many different causes.
One t...
Links I Like
Michael Krahn:
The culture surrounding my generation and the world around us was in a lot of trouble and we felt responsible to do something about it. And so we began to think of ways to make an impact. And not only did we think, we started to act! But when I look back now, I can see that I too often fell prey to a spirit of pragmatism. As pragmatism often is, mine was fueled by very good desires – to see more people meet Jesus, to see the church make a bigger impa...
September 12, 2012
Holiness Comes With a Cost
So often we hear in sermons or read in books about how if we do [blank] as Christians—paper-products ministries for low-income families, after school programs… you name it— then the world would be less hostile to the Church.
While it’s true that Christians ought to be known by their love for one another—a radical, self-sacrificing love—I’m not sure that the expression of that love is going to actually make people who hate Jesus want to love Him, at least not in the way that many advocates of t...
Links I Like
Trevin Wax:
A sense of trepidation accompanies me at the beginning of my Ph.D. studies. One look at the syllabi for my first week of seminars, and I am overwhelmed by the pages to be read, papers to be written, ideas to be considered, and arguments to be made.
WhatDoes it Mean to Make a Brother Stumble?
Seth McBee:
One of the things that always comes up when you speak of tattoos, smoking, drinking, et al. is the issue of making a brother...
September 11, 2012
Book Review: The Hole in Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung
One of the most encouraging trends I’ve seen recently is a renewed concern over holiness. While, historically, holiness has always been a matter of extreme importance, it’s one that recently has been neglected (something another book on this subject made clear). So what’s the problem? The problem, as Kevin DeYoung sees it, is “we don’t really care much about it” (Location 115).
If his new book,The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness, is any...
Links I Like
BOLD is a conference designed to encourage you with the confidence you need to stand firm for the truth in a culture that rejects it, but needs it desperately. Dr. Al Mohler and Dr. Rick Holland, staunch defenders of the truth, will equip us in how to minister boldly as individuals and as local churches, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.
I will be attending this conference on September 30-October 2 as a special guest of the event. If you’re in the Midwest (Colu...
