BibleX

Every day is the Lord’s day just like all your money is the Lord’s money.

Nevertheless one day in seven is called “the Lord’s Day” in a special sense (Revelation 1:10; cf. 1 Corinthians 16:2; Acts 20:7). We set this day aside for a special focus on corporate worship and spiritual refreshment.

Similarly, some of the Lord’s money that you manage should be set aside for the Lord’s church and his mission in the world.

I write this today because I received $1,500 in the mail last Tuesday from the U. S. Government. It is not my money. It is the Lord’s. All of it. I know how much of it I will give to the Lord’s church. Noël and I are agreed.
How about you?

Witherington: When is a Text not a Text? When is a Reader not a 'Reader'?

See this interesting excerpt from Ben Witherington's forthcoming volume in New Testament rhetoric.

Young Baptist Preachers Chart Different Courses

See this associated press article on young Baptist preachers and their different approaches to ministry. It is interesting to me that both approaches are reactionary and counter-cultural in their own ways. The contemporary approach is a reaction against more traditional expressions of Christianity and a counter to traditional Christian culture. The traditional approach is a reaction against contemporary approaches and counter to contemporary culture.

Jun 22, 2008

You Never Know What You'll Find

Here is a nice article about a student in Israel who found a LMLK jar handle among some discarded pottery fragments. By the way, the tour leader Steve Sanchez was a former fellow student with me at DTS.

Less Can Be More

Peter Mead provides a helpful reminder here of the tendency to say to much in preaching. He writes,

Most of us, in our first sermon, tried to say too much. We tried to cram in all we knew on that subject. We tried to miss nothing, preached dense and probably missed everyone listening. Keep that in mind today. Don’t try and say so much that you end up effectively saying nothing. Don’t feel the need to prove how many hours of exegetical work you put in, or what exegetical bunny trails you pursued to no avail. Say one thing, and say it well. Say it clear. Say it more than once. But don’t say too much!

Jun 21, 2008

Wasting a Theological Education Redux

Derek James Brown has a thoughtful follow up to an earlier post on forty-five ways to waste your theological education. The new post can be found here.

Jun 20, 2008

Archaeological Dig at Megiddo

See the DigMeggido's Weblog for a description and picture of "the Areas currently under excavation or which have been excavated by The Megiddo Expedition since 1994."

Top Five Commentaries on Exodus

Ligonier Ministries has a list and discussion of their top five commentaries on Exodus. I agree with Stuart at the top, but I am not sure I would agree with 2-5. ISeems to me that better candidates for the top 5 would include Sarna, Kaiser (EBC), and Gispen. In any case, the top five they have listed are:

1. Douglas K. Stuart -- Exodus (The New American Commentary, 2006).
2. J. Alec Motyer -- The Message of Exodus (The Bible Speaks Today, 2005).
3. John L. Mackay -- Exodus (A Mentor Commentary, 2001).
4. Philip Graham Ryken -- Exodus (Preaching the Word, 2005).
5. Brevard S. Childs -- The Book of Exodus (The Old Testament Library, 1974).

Jun 19, 2008

Top Five Commentaries on Genesis

Ligonier Ministries has a list and discussion of their top five commentaries on Genesis. I generally agree with their list, but I would rank Hamilton a bit higher, either first or second. In any case, the top five are:

1. Gordon J. Wenham -- Genesis 1-15 and Genesis 16-50 (Word Biblical Commentary, 1987, 1994);
2. Kenneth A. Mathews -- Genesis 1-11:26 and Genesis 11:27-50:26 (The New American Commentary, 1996, 2005);
3. Victor P. Hamilton -- The Book of Genesis 1-17 and The Book of Genesis 18-50 (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, 1990, 1995);
4. Allen P. Ross -- Creation and Blessing (1988);
5. John H. Walton -- Genesis (NIV Application Commentary, 2001).

Jun 18, 2008

Top Five Commentaries on Matthew

Ligonier Ministries has a list and discussion of their top five commentaries on Matthew. I would agree pretty much with their list. To their runners-up list I would add commentaries by D. E. Hiebert, Craig Evans, and Hagner. The top five are:

1. R. T. France -- The Gospel of Matthew (NICNT, 2007);
2. D. A. Carson -- "Matthew" in The Expositor's Bible Commentary (1984);
3. Craig S. Keener -- A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (1999);
4. Leon Morris -- The Gospel According to Matthew (PNTC, 1992);
5. W.D. Davies and D.C. Allison -- Matthew 1-7, Matthew 8-18, Matthew 19-28 (ICC, 1988, 1991, 1997).

Jun 17, 2008

Sinclair Ferguson's Sermons on James

Justin Taylor has listed links to seventeen Sinclair Ferguson sermons on James. Find it here.

Interview With Walter Kaiser

See this interview of Walter Kaiser. Here is one snippet:

Thank you for that helpful exegesis. That brings me to my next point which is to talk about another subject that you have written extensively about: expository preaching. How do you sum up the current state of preaching in the Church?

I think there's a huge famine of the word of God as Amos 8:11 puts it - not a hunger for food and water but a hunger of expository teaching and preaching, paragraph by paragraph, line by line. That's what is so lacking although there are beautiful exceptions of course but the truth of the matter is that expository preachers are really hard to find. I tell my students that when preaching to "hold your finger on the text and gesture with your other hand. And when you get tired, hold that finger on the text and gesture with the other one!" We ought to keep bringing God's men and women back to the text.

Praying and Spiritual Gifts

Darrell Pursiful has an interesting post on praying for spiritual gifts. He notes in part that:

It may seem presumptuous to pray for God to give spiritual gifts. On the contrary, I believe it is presumptuous not to. If they really are gifts God gives and not innate abilities, it makes sense that they should be a matter of prayer.

Praying for spiritual gifts is a way of confessing that God’s power is necessary for the church to thrive and for its members to be effective in ministry. It is a way of admitting that, no matter how many training seminars we attend or how passionate we are about God’s causes, we can’t do it in our own strength.

Go ahead and ask God to supply your church with the gifts you need to further God’s kingdom-and be open to the possibility that God will choose to activate those gifts in you.

Jun 16, 2008

Prayer in Acts: A Bibliography

Yesterday I posted on the occurrences of prayer in the book of Acts. Today, I have noted some of the specialized bibliography for the topic of prayer in Acts. (I have not included commentaries even though some have significant comments regarding prayer in Acts.)

Boyd, Charles F. “Prayer in Luke–Acts.” ThM thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1984.

Conn, Harvie M. “Luke’s Theology of Prayer.” Christianity Today 17 (1972): 6–8.

Crump, David. Jesus the Intercessor: Prayer and Christology in Luke–Acts. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999.

Green, Joel B. “Persevering in Prayer: The Significance of Prayer in the Acts of the Apostles” in Into God’s Presence, ed. Richard N. Longenecker. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.

Harris, Oscar G. “Prayer in Luke–Acts: A Study in the Theology of Luke.” Ph.D. dissertation, Vanderbilt University, 1966.

O’Brien, P. T. “Prayer in Luke–Acts.” Tyndale Bulletin 24, 1973: 11–27.

Plymale, Steven F. The Prayer Texts of Luke–Acts. New York: Peter Lang, 1991.

Smalley, Stephen S. “Spirit, Kingdom and Prayer in Luke–Acts.” Novum Testamentum XV. 1973: 59–71.

Trites, Allison A. “The Prayer Motif in Luke–Acts,” in Perspectives on Luke–Acts, ed. Charles H. Talbert. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1978.

Turner, M. M. B. “Prayer in the Gospels and Acts. In Teach Us to Pray: Prayer in the Bible and the World. Ed. D. A. Carson. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994.

Jun 15, 2008

Prayer in Acts

Compiling a list of all the occurrences of prayer in Acts is not as straightforward a task as it might appear to be. Scholars have differed somewhat concerning the exact number of instances. For example, Allison Trites identifies “approximately twenty-five significant instances of prayer,”[1] whereas, Joel Green states that, “Over thirty times in the acts of the Apostles, Luke characterizes Jesus’ followers as being in prayer or narrates episodes of prayer.”[2] The criterion that was used in identifying prayer in this list included the use of prayer vocabulary, the addressing of and or conversation with the Father or the Son, and context. I have further divided this listing into unambiguous and ambiguous references to prayer.

Unambiguous (1:13–14, 24; 2:42; 3:1; 5:24–31; 6:4, 6:6; 7:59–60; 8:22, 24; 9:3–6, 10–16, 40; 10:2, 3–8, 9–16, 30–31; 11:5–10; 12:5, 12; 13:3; 14:23; 16:13, 25; 20:36; 22:6–10, 17; 26:14–18; 27:34; 28:8)

Ambiguous (2:47; 7:55–56; 10:46; 21:20)

[1] Allison A. Trites, “The Prayer Motif in Luke-Acts,” in Perspectives on Luke-Acts, ed. Charles H. Talbert (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1978), 179.

[2] Joel B. Green, “Persevering in Prayer: The Significance of Prayer in the Acts of the Apostles” in Into God’s Presence, ed. Richard N. Longenecker (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 184.

Jun 14, 2008

Latest Issue of Review of Biblical Literature

The latest issue of the Review of Biblical Literature is out. Reviews that may be of interest to those interested in Bible exposition include:

Jim W. Adams

The Performative Nature and Function of Isaiah 40-55

http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5877

Reviewed by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer

Ward Blanton

Displacing Christian Origins: Philosophy, Secularity, and the New Testament

http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6059

Reviewed by Claire Clivaz

Brian Brock

Singing the Ethos of God: On the Place of Christian Ethics in Scripture

http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6049

Reviewed by Jan G. van der Watt

Walter Brueggemann

Praying the Psalms: Engaging the Scripture and the Life of the Spirit

http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6087

Reviewed by Patrick D. Miller

Albert Eichhorn; trans. Jeffrey Cayzer

The Lord's Supper in the New Testament

http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6154

Reviewed by Sakari Hakkinen

Volker Gäckle

Die Starken und die Schwachen in Korinth und in Rom: Zu Herkunft und Funktion der Antithese in 1Kor 8,1-11,1 und in Röm 14,1-15,13

http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6018

Reviewed by Stephan Witetschek

Mike Graves and David M. May

Preaching Matthew: Interpretation and Proclamation

http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6164

Reviewed by Craig S. Keener

Gina Hens-Piazza

1-2 Kings

http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5613

Reviewed by Randall L. McKinion

Fredrik Lindgard

Paul's Line of Thought in 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10

http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6015

Reviewed by Thomas Schmeller

Jacob Neusner, ed.

The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary: Volume 8: Tractate Yebamot

http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5717

Reviewed by Rivka Ulmer

Jean-Marc Prieur

La croix chez les Pères: (du IIe au début du IVe siècle)

http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5775

Reviewed by Marco Frenschkowski

Brian S. Rosner

Greed as Idolatry: The Origin and Meaning of a Pauline Metaphor

http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=6103

Reviewed by H. H. Drake Williams III

Andreas Wagner, ed.

Primäre und sekundäre Religion als Kategorie der Religionsgeschichte des Alten Testaments

http://www.bookreviews.org/bookdetail.asp?TitleId=5871

Reviewed by Mark W. Hamilton

A Letter to Seminary Professors

Jonathan Leeman has written an open letter of sorts to seminary professors everywhere (here). Leeman has some thoughts worth pondering and challenges worth considering.

Jun 13, 2008

Preaching Styles

Here is a nice article on preaching styles.

Thanks to the Unashamed Workman blog for pointing it out.

Ten Key Theological Aspects of the New Covenant

Paul Lamey has a nice post on the New Covenant, including the following ten key theological aspects of the New Covenant.

1. The NC is in fact “new” (Heb. 8:13)

2. The NC was promised by the prophets (Jer. 31:31–34; Ezek. 36:22–36)

3. The NC was instituted by Christ (Luke 22:20)

4. The NC was inaugurated at Pentecost (Acts 2:14–41)

5. The NC is participated in by the church in the present age (1 Cor. 11:23–34; 2 Cor. 3:1–18; Eph. 2:11–13)

6. The NC will be fulfilled in Israel in the Millennial Kingdom (Rom. 11:25–27)

7. The NC will be consummated in the eternal state (Rev. 21:1–4)

8. The NC is applied only to those who consciously know the Lord by faith (Jer. 31:34; cf. Heb. 8:11–12)

9. The NC ensures that every recipient of its promises possesses forgiveness of sins (Jer. 31:34)

10. The NC’s members cannot abandoned the faith in any respect (John 6:38–40, 10:27–30; 1 John 2:19)

Sermonic Plagiarism

Scot McKnight makes some helpful observations and comments concerning the practice of plagiarizing sermons. Read it here.

Top Five "Membership" Myths?

Ken Schenk has an interesting post on what he calls the "Top Five "Membership" Myths." I am not sure that I agree with all that the post suggests, but the comments are worth considering.