Jesus and Mary, Scene 1

By James Boice
Theme: The Most Important Week
 
In this week’s lessons we are reminded of the importance of learning from Jesus, and of the need to serve him with everything we have.
 
Scripture: Matthew 26:6-13
 
We are turning now to a very great story in Matthew’s Gospel, one recorded in chapter 26, from the very last week of Jesus’ ministry. What an important week that was. It was undoubtedly the most important week in all the long history of the world.
We are turning now to a very great story in Matthew’s Gospel, one recorded in chapter 26, from the very last week of Jesus’ ministry. What an important week that was. It was undoubtedly the most important week in all the long history of the world. We can think even in terms of other great weeks recorded in the Bible. There’s a great week at the very beginning in Genesis, the week of creation. In John’s Gospel there’s an emphasis upon the very first week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. John calls attention to what happened on all of the various days of that week.
 
And yet, if you think back carefully over not only the life of Christ but over the whole history of the world, there had never been a week more significant than the one to which we come in Matthew 26.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

My Favorite Books of 2016

Posted on Saturday, December 31, 2016 by Todd Pruitt on 1517

Because you need more books...

 

Two books occupy my “best book of 2016” position:

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1517
1517
Mortification of Spin is a casual conversation of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Mortification of Spin and the mission of the Alliance.

The Book of the Year

Posted on Friday, December 30, 2016 by Carl Trueman on Postcards from Palookaville

Stephen Wellum's book on Christology offers both solid theology and an example of how theology should be done.

‘To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.’  So wrote John Henry Newman in his famous essay on doctrinal development.  I have critiqued this comment from a confessional Reformed perspective in First Things and will do so again in a forthcoming collection of essays on the Canadian Jesuit theologian, Bernard Lonergan, to be edited by the philosopher R.

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Mortification of Spin is a casual conversation of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Mortification of Spin and the mission of the Alliance.
Postcards from Palookaville
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The Birth of Jesus Seen through Ancient Eyes, Section 5

By James Boice
Theme: The Need for Saving Faith
 
We see the birth of Jesus through the eyes of Joseph, the innkeeper, the shepherd, Mary, and the angels.
 
Scripture: Luke 2:1-20
 
It is most common in our day to look at the birth of Jesus as a charming little story, somewhat like the story of Peter Rabbit or Peter and the Wolf. People who think like this would regard it as something we tell children but that no one is expected to take very seriously.

It is most common in our day to look at the birth of Jesus as a charming little story, somewhat like the story of Peter Rabbit or Peter and the Wolf. People who think like this would regard it as something we tell children but that no one is expected to take very seriously. It is just a nice little tale to tell at Christmas.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

The Birth of Jesus Seen through Ancient Eyes, Section 4

By James Boice
Theme: The Divine Messiah
 
We see the birth of Jesus through the eyes of Joseph, the innkeeper, the shepherd, Mary, and the angels.
 
Scripture: Luke 2:1-20
 
With the exception of the innkeeper, who saw nothing important about the birth of Jesus, each of the other characters in the story saw something that was both true and significant.

With the exception of the innkeeper, who saw nothing important about the birth of Jesus, each of the other characters in the story saw something that was both true and significant. Looking at Jesus through the eyes of Jewish tradition and Messianic expectation, Joseph saw him as the king who was to reign on his father David's throne. Looking at him through eyes conditioned by their poverty and low social status, the shepherds saw him as the gracious one who became a friend to sinners. Mary saw Jesus through the eyes of faith and recognized him as a miracle of God's grace to be forever marveled at and pondered.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

10 Outstanding Theologians (of Whom You May Not Have Ever Heard)

by Nick Batzig • December 28, 2016

As 2016 comes to an end, I want to introduce you to 10 theologians of superior giftedness--who have not always received their due respect--upon whose shoulders you may safely stand.

Sir Isaac Newton, borrowing a phrase from Bernard of Chartres, once noted, "If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” This maxim holds just as true in the realm of theology as it does in the sphere of scientific investigation.

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Christward Collective is a conversation of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Christward Collective and the mission of the Alliance.

The Birth of Jesus Seen through Ancient Eyes, Section 3

By James Boice
Theme: The Wonder of God’s Grace
 
We see the birth of Jesus through the eyes of Joseph, the innkeeper, the shepherd, Mary, and the angels.
 
Scripture: Luke 2:1-20
 
Of course, the most wonderful human character in the story is Mary. Who can do justice to her experience and to the way she saw the birth? I know I cannot. Joseph saw the birth of Jesus through the eyes of Jewish tradition and expectation. The innkeeper regarded the birth through the eyes of bland indifference.

Of course, the most wonderful human character in the story is Mary. Who can do justice to her experience and to the way she saw the birth? I know I cannot. Joseph saw the birth of Jesus through the eyes of Jewish tradition and expectation. The innkeeper regarded the birth through the eyes of bland indifference. The shepherds looked on the birth of Jesus through the eyes of the poor, marveling that he could have come for them. But Mary? Mary saw the birth of her firstborn son through the eyes of a tremendous faith.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

The Birth of Jesus Seen through Ancient Eyes, Section 2

By James Boice
Theme: The Savior of the World
 
We see the birth of Jesus through the eyes of Joseph, the innkeeper, the shepherd, Mary, and the angels.
 
Scripture: Luke 2:1-20
 
The innkeeper is not mentioned in the story, so it is a bit forced to speak of the birth of Jesus through his eyes.
The innkeeper is not mentioned in the story, so it is a bit forced to speak of the birth of Jesus through his eyes. On the other hand, we are told that there was no room for the family in the inn, and most people therefore rightly recognize the implied existence of the innkeeper and properly note his indifference to this the most important and wonderful event in history.
 

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

The Birth of Jesus Seen through Ancient Eyes, Section 1

By James Boice
Theme: The Birth of Israel’s King 
 
We see the birth of Jesus through the eyes of Joseph, the innkeeper, the shepherd, Mary, and the angels.
 
Scripture: Luke 2:1-20
 
The first twenty verses of Luke 2 are the longest scriptural account of the birth of Jesus Christ, but twenty verses are not many and at first glance we might wonder why a story of such historical and spiritual importance is told in so brief a space.

The first twenty verses of Luke 2 are the longest scriptural account of the birth of Jesus Christ, but twenty verses are not many and at first glance we might wonder why a story of such historical and spiritual importance is told in so brief a space. The answer, of course, is that although the story is brief, it is nevertheless literally bursting with content and amply rewards every careful reading and study of it.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

Getting Ready for Christmas, Part 5

By James Boice
Theme: Preparing for Christmas Spiritually
 
This week's lessons teach us how John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ's coming.
 
Scripture: Mark 1:1-8
 
Thus far in this message I have been talking about the preparation by John the Baptist for the coming of Jesus Christ. I have made a few helpful applications along the way.

Thus far in this message I have been talking about the preparation by John the Baptist for the coming of Jesus Christ. I have made a few helpful applications along the way. But I am sure you know that the important thing right now is not how John the Baptist prepared people for Jesus' coming or even what you can learn from that incidentally, but rather how you can prepare yourself spiritually this Christmas. How are you to do this? Let me suggest three important things.

Think and Act Biblically from James Boice is a devotional of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. It is supported only by its readers and gracious Christians like you. Please prayerfully consider supporting Think and Act Biblically and the mission of the Alliance.

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