The word for preaching in the New Testament (kērussō) means "to herald." Heralding is different from teaching, as John Piper explains, though it has teaching in it. Expounding 2 Timothy 4:2, he demonstrates what it means:
This excerpt begins at the 44:50 mark of this week's sermon.
The English word "catechize" simply means to teach biblical truth in an orderly way. In his introduction to The Baptist Catechism, John Piper explains the biblical support for a pattern of doctrine: there is a "pattern of teaching" (Romans 6:17), a "pattern of sound words" (2 Timothy 1:13).
But not only is there a precedent, such authoritative instruction is absolutely vital. Pastor John gives five reasons why:
Written in 1677, "The Baptist Catechism" was patterned after the Heidelberg and Westminster catechisms to teach Reformed doctrine from a Baptist perspective.
John Piper added commentary to the catechism during his early years at Bethlehem in hopes of "building a 'stable and firm' generation who hopes in God" [Colossians 1:23]. He explains the purpose is to lay an ordered foundation from which the church may “keep growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:17)
The full catechism, including Pastor John's commentary, has been redesigned in a new PDF available for free. Whether for yourself or your family (or both!), this fresh resource is a tonic…
We believe that the Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the infallible Word of God, verbally inspired by God, and without error in the original manuscripts.
So begins the Bethlehem Elder Affirmation of Faith — a document ascribed to by John Piper and the elders at Bethlehem Baptist Church.
Lingering on the fact that we have the Bible, Pastor John revels in the wonder that God has spoken to us in a book:
This excerpt begins at the 26:36 mark of this week's sermon, "All Scripture Is Breathed Out by God, Continue in It."
I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Philippians 3:8).
One thing is for sure: Christianity is not for stoics. The Bible is the most wild, romantic book ever written. The New Testament is no cool, reasoned analysis of Jesus's system of thought. It is a passionate book written by people who were ravished by Jesus, who felt and said ardent things like Philippians 3:8.
You know what the world calls statements like Paul's? Religious extremism. Fanaticism. You "count everything as loss"? Sounds dangerous. Have you thought about seeing a therapist?
But the world is full of such talk when it comes to romantic love. We expect lovers' l…
Is there any key to God's merciful blessings on a particular local church?
Pastors transition. Seasons of ministry change. Congregations are in flux. New initiatives come and go. But there is at least one thing that gives a battered little church ballast in the successive storms of change.
This excerpt begins at the 29:58 mark of this week's sermon, "All Scripture Is Breathed Out by God."
We impoverish ourselves by not lingering more. Whipping from one thing to the next does not make for a rich, memorable life. Understanding and wonder and worship don’t typically result from doing or reading as many things as possible. It comes from focus and contemplation and rumination. For most of us the wise choice is to go deep, not broad.
When you stop to examine, to search through, to figure out, to study, you begin to see things. You begin to realize how substantial and profound seemingly simple things really are. Understanding emerges and you begin to make connections with other things. An appreciation of beauty you never noticed before grows. The scope of how little you really kno…
We could ask Jon Bloom about all sorts of stuff. Whether it's the founding of Desiring God, her nearly 20-year history, or what John Piper was really like back in the day, there's plenty to query Bloom on. But that'll have to wait for another day.
For now, the topic that has our attention is Jon Bloom, the writer.
As president of Desiring God, Bloom regularly writes for the blog, among his other typical tasks. Over the last couple years, Jon may be our most regular substantive contributor with his weekly Friday morning post. Jon also has a book of devotionals due out next Spring, called Not by Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith.
We thought it'd be helpful to …
It wasn't until 1606 that Spanish explorer Fernandez de Quiros discovered a chain of eighty islands stretched across 450 miles in the South Pacific. Later named the New Hebrides, the islands were inhabited by peoples whose existence had been unknown to the rest of the world for centuries.
It would be another 230 years before two London missionaries made the first earnest attempt to bring the gospel to these unengaged and unreached peoples in 1839. But they were killed and eaten by cannibals only minutes after going ashore.
John G. Paton and his wife set sail to the islands in 1858. But this decision didn't come without criticism. On one account before leaving, a respected elder chided t…
"It is predominantly bleak and ugly," says John Piper on 2 Timothy 3:1–13. The apostle Paul tells us we need to know evil and then lays out nineteen descriptions of it.
How we approach the Bible is vital to how we understand this text. These are not mere descriptions. They are descriptions given to the church for our holiness and maturity. They describe the last days in which we live and remind us that the ugliness of evil is real — and that we dare not be ignorant of it.
Stream or download this week's sermon.
