Remembering the Minor Prophets

  
William Varner has posted the following rhyme as an aid to remembering the Minor Prophets and their basic messages. I have posted the first three prophets. Go here for the rest.

Hosea pictures faithful love,
to man below from God above.

In Joel locusts strip the land,
and then comes judgment from God’s hand.

The plumbline shows in Amos’ book
the grim results when God’s forsook.
 

The Book of Job and God's Justice

  
"In truth, we will never be in the position to evaluate God's justice. In order to appraise the justice of a decision, we must have all the facts, for justice can be derailed if we do not have all the information. Because we never have all the information about our lives, we cannot judge God when he brings experiences to us or makes claims or demands. we cannot reach an affirmation about God's justice through our own limited insight or experiences. We affirm his justice by faith directed toward his wisdom. As we will see, God's speech at the end does not offer a defense of his justice, but of his wisdom and power."

John H. Walton, Job, NIVAC, ed. Terry Muck (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 22-23.
 

Free Audio of the Advanced Expository Preaching Workshop

  
The audio of the Advanced Expository Preaching Workshop  focusing on the Sermon on the Mount held at Southwestern Seminary on October 8 is now available here. Or you can use the following links for individual messages.

Terry Wilder: Backgrounds and Interpretive Issues for Preaching the Sermon on the Mount

David Allen: Preaching the Beatitudes

Steven Smith: The Structure of the Sermon on the Mount

Matthew McKellar: "And When You Pray...": The Dynamic of Dependence in the Lord's Prayer
   

Luke's Feast Day

I had no idea that St. Luke had a feast day in some church calendars. In any case, today is the day. Celebrate by reading from Luke, Acts, or maybe even Hebrews.
  

Chuck Swindoll Has an App

  
Chuck Swindoll and Insight for Living now have a free app that allows you to listen, watch, and read material from Chuck. You can access the app here.

 

Free Future Kingdom Audio

  
Free audio of the Future Kingdom conference held last Friday at the Criswell College in Dallas, TX is available here or individually below.

Don Preston (Preterism)
H.Wayne House (Traditional Dispensationalism)
Kenneth Gentry (Postmillennialism)
Craig Blaising (Progressive Dispensationalism)
G. K. Beale (Amillennialism)
Craig Blomberg (Historical Premillennialism)
Panel Discussion 

 

 

 

 

Keener on the "Ends of the Earth"

  
After an extensive discussion of how the ancients understood the "ends of the earth" (pp. 704-8), Keener notes the following concerning Acts 1:8.

"Therefore it seems likely that Luke's "ends of the earth," while prefigured at various stages (including his own conclusion), looks beyond the close of his work to the continuing mission. The "open end" of Acts invites Luke's audience to participate in this universal mission. Ultimately, context determines meaning; the ends of the earth meant different things in different contexts, but the LXX uses the phrase to emphasize universality. Thus there is a real sense, no outline after Samaria; the mission "reaches beyond the end of Acts."

Craig S. Keener, Acts an Exegetical Commentary: Volume1: Introduction and 1:1–2:47 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012), 708.
  

Christian Cities In America

  
The Huffington Post has a article on the "Most And Least Christian Cities In America" here.