Reformed Thinking

Deep Dive into Habits of Grace by David Mathis - Grace Gone Wild David Mathis's "Habits of Grace" sets itself apart from other literature on spiritual development due to several key distinctions. Perhaps the most notable is its simplified threefold organizational scheme . Rather than enumerating numerous practices, the book condenses them into three core principles : hearing God’s voice (His word)...

Deep Dive into How to Rebuild Ukraine's Judicial and Political Institutions after War Ukraine's post-war reconstruction prioritizes establishing legitimacy before capacity , beginning with a "Phase One" period of 0–3 months immediately following the war. This initial phase is designed to re-anchor fundamental principles and establish guardrails against the abuse of emergency powe...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - Strategic Approaches An effective Excursion Ministry is fundamentally centered on effective gospel proclamation and receptivity from the community . Its core purpose is to clearly present the gospel message to lead individuals to salvation and, ideally, to be integrated into the church. For an Excursion Mini...

Deep Dive into Word Order in the English Bible Heavy shift , also known as heavy NP shift or end-weight , is a principle of English word order where longer, more complex, or "heavy" grammatical elements are placed towards the end of a clause or sentence . This preference for "end-weight" helps manage information flow and emphasis in English prose. The primary purpose of heavy s...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - 1 Corinthians 9 Christians should balance personal freedoms with loving restrictions by fundamentally voluntarily setting aside their own rights and liberties for the sake of the gospel , rather than employing freedoms to evangelize. The apostle Paul's example in 1 Corinthians 9 teaches this principle, s...

Deep Dive into Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson - The Role of the Church The edification of believers is a primary function of the church, designed to directly benefit and build up its members. While worship focuses on God, edification concentrates on the spiritual growth of believers, a process Paul frequently emphasized for the body of Christ. It involves mutual upbuilding by all member...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - Programs, Methods, and Balance "The Way of the Master" evangelism method, while widely used and praised for its strengths, also faces several criticisms, categorized into "nitpicky" and "more serious" concerns. One nitpicky concern is its perceived over-reliance on the law or lo...

Deep Dive into Sins of the Heart: Lust The Holy Spirit plays an indispensable and foundational role in a believer's pursuit of purity and victory over lust. Sanctification, which includes purity, is fundamentally a Spirit-enabled warfare grounded in grace . The Spirit is the sole efficient cause of mortification , empowering believers to "put to death the deeds of the body." This act...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - The Sinner's Prayer and the Emerging Church The emerging church is a broad movement defined by its unique understanding of the church's interaction with cultural shifts . Historically, the church primarily reacted to societal stages, such as going underground during the Age of Empires or promoting Ro...

Deep Dive into Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin - Eternal Election, by Which God Has Predestined Some to Salvation, Others to Destruction God's eternal decree, also referred to as predestination, is His unchangeable plan for every individual's ultimate destiny. This means eternal life is foreordained for some, and eternal damnation for others , a design He compacted with Himself...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - The Pastor as Evangelist: Principles and Practice Identifying individuals with the gift of evangelism within a church is a crucial task for pastors, who are likened to coaches . While all Christians are called to the task of evangelism , not every believer possesses this specific spiritual gift. Pastors can...

Deep Dive into The Doctrine of Original Sin by Jonathan Edwards - All Mankind Constantly, in All Ages, without Fail in Any One Instance, Run into That Moral Evil, Which Is in Effect Their Own Utter and Eternal Perdition in a Total Privation of God's Favor, and Suffering of His Vengeance and Wrath Jonathan Edwards defines Original Sin as a twofold concept: primarily the innate sinful depravity...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - Proclaiming the Gospel with Wisdom and Clarity Philip's evangelism began with divine direction , as an angel instructed him to go to a specific road, and the Spirit later told him to approach the chariot of an Ethiopian eunuch. Philip proactively ran to the chariot and initiated the conversation by askin...

Deep Dive into Christ Commanded Repentance (Mark 1:15) by Charles Spurgeon The sum of Jesus Christ’s teaching, the Alpha and Omega of His entire ministry , is the two-fold command: "Repent ye, and believe the gospel." This message is presented as a divine decree from God , carrying the same authority as the Ten Commandments, not an option to be chosen or neglected. Its neglect leads to t...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - A God-Centered Approach "Demythologizing" the gospel is a concept often discussed within the framework of missional evangelism. It is defined as "freeing the gospel from cultural values." The core idea is to strip the gospel message of certain implications that are perceived to be cultura...

Deep Dive into Horae Homileticae Vol. 5: Psalms, I–LXXII by Charles Simeon - Psalm 14 The Psalmist's fervent desire, expressed as a "devout rapture," is encapsulated in the cry: "O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad." This deep longing stems from his profo...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - Evangelism in the Early Church and Today Charles Finney's evangelism, which emerged in the early 1800s, profoundly reshaped Christian outreach, primarily in response to the "orthodoxism" of his era. Orthodoxism emphasized Christianity as a matter of tradition and genealogy , rather than persona...

Deep Dive into The Eternity of Hell Torments by Jonathan Edwards The central doctrine presented is that the misery of the wicked in hell will be absolutely eternal . This means it is not annihilation—a state of non-existence—nor is it merely a very long but finite period of suffering. Instead, it is an abiding, sensible punishment or misery characterized by extreme pain, wailing, gnashing of teeth...

Deep Dive into נוד The Hebrew verb "נוד" (nwd) is a primary root deeply embedded in the Semitic language family, signifying a foundational concept of movement and agitation . Its versatile meanings are shaped by its various grammatical forms or stems, offering rich nuances in biblical texts. The Qal stem represents the basic actions of "נוד." It describes physical swaying or sh...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - The Motivation and Spread of Evangelism Evangelism's key proponents, especially in the early Christian centuries, were factors orchestrated by God’s providence and sovereignty to facilitate the rapid spread of the Gospel. Humanly speaking, the task was "certain to fail," but God's sovereign...

Deep Dive into An Old Testament Theology by Bruce K. Waltke - The Gift of True Strength: 1 Samuel Samuel, as God's prophet and the one who anointed Saul, consistently interpreted Saul's actions as a fundamental disobedience and a profound lack of faith in God's true strength. He saw Saul as failing to heed God's divine word, which was mediated through Samuel himself. A pivotal mome...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - The Church's Evangelistic Mission The "Proto-Evangelion" is the very first mention of the gospel in the Bible, found in Genesis 3:15 . It's presented as God speaking directly to Satan (the serpent) and delivers the first good news about a coming savior for humanity. Specifically, God's...

Deep Dive into Negations in the English Bible In biblical Greek, various negative particles are used, each conveying distinct nuances of negation that are crucial for understanding the meaning and emphasis of a statement, especially in the context of providing assurance. Here are the main Greek negative particles: οὐ (or οὐκ/οὐχ before vowels): This particle is used to state objective facts . When...

Deep Dive into Apologetics and Evangelism by Dr. Michael Vlach & Prof. Jesse Johnson - Apologetics, Evangelism, and the Commonality of Unbelief Evangelism is primarily defined as an action —the verbal proclamation of the gospel —rather than internal thoughts, prayers, or merely inviting someone to church. It is always necessary to use words to preach the gospel, and biblical terms like euangel...

Deep Dive into Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson - The Nature of the Church The church, though frequently misunderstood, is fundamentally a divinely established institution , with its true nature best understood through a biblical-philological method that focuses on its scriptural essence rather than merely its observable activities. Paul's writings present a Trinitarian understanding of t...